The path to enshrinement for each of the 11 new Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees has traversed many roads and included many influential people along the way.
For legendary basketball referee Dick Bavetta, the first steps of that journey took place right here in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Bavetta joined Louis Dampier, John Isaacs, Lindsay Gaze, Tom Heinsohn, George Raveling, John Calipari, Spencer Haywood, Dikembe Mutumbo, Jo Jo White and Lisa Leslie as the Hall of Fame Class of 2015, inducted Sept. 11 in Springfield, Mass.
With wife Paulette, daughters Christine and Michele, son in-law John and grandchildren Sydney and Brendan in attendance, Bavetta, a native of St. Saviour parish, Park Slope, accepted the honor and thanked all the people that have been part of his journey.
“To be a part of this was a life-changing and just a humbling experience,” Bavetta said.
While working for Solomon Brothers on Wall Street, Bavetta officiated his first game during the winter Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) season of 1966, when the CYO was located on Joralemon Street in Brooklyn. It was a Tyro division game featuring freshmen in high school, and for his efforts, the 27-year-old Bavetta earned $5.
But despite this modest beginning, the game signaled the beginning of an officiating career that has landed Bavetta his rightful place in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Coincidentally, his number during his 39-year NBA career was 27 – the age in which his journey began.
For nine years after he started, Bavetta, a graduate of St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, called games in the Catholic and public high school leagues of New York City and the Eastern Professional Basketball League before beginning his stint as an NBA referee.
Over the past few months, he has enjoyed reaching out to the many people along the way who have helped make his enshrinement possible.
“Obviously there are a lot of people over the years,” Bavetta said. “The train left the station in 1966. Some people were on it from the beginning, got off and maybe got back on again. Some people didn’t get on the train of this journey until later. Everybody has had a contributing part to the overall journey.
“I’m the person that’s driving the train, but there are other people on it that are as excited if not more excited than I am to be part of this great journey we’ve been on.”
Bavetta is of course most known for never missing an assigned NBA game throughout his career. He made his debut when the New York Knicks faced the Boston Celtics on Dec. 2, 1975, at Madison Square Garden – just a 10-minute drive from where he went to high school at Power Memorial Academy, Manhattan.
He attributes his longevity to his devout Catholic faith and his conditioning, which helped him remain in the league until age 74. Each day, he would run six to eight miles to build up his endurance for late in the fourth quarter and then take a power nap to be refreshed in time for the start of the game.
On Feb. 9, 2006, Bavetta set the record for most games officiated by an NBA referee at 2,135. That number continued to grow until 2014, when he worked his 2,633rd consecutive game, which was deemed the “Iron Man” record.
Former Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken Jr. famously played in 2,632 straight MLB games to break Lou Gehrig’s record, so it’s fitting that Bavetta has been referred to as the “Cal Ripken Jr. of referees.” Fittingly, that milestone was achieved right at Madison Square Garden.
Bavetta tacked on two more games to increase his overall games officiated record to 2,635. He also officiated 270 NBA Playoff games, including 27 Finals games.
In addition to the Naismith Hall of Fame, he is a member of the CHSAA Hall of Fame, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Old-Timers of America Hall of Fame.
As he continues to enjoy retired life on his ranch in Ocala, Fla., Bavetta is well aware that his basketball journey will continue. The train may have left the station back in 1966, but it’s still chugging along here in 2015.
“Now I’m a Hall of Famer, and there’s a responsibility to represent the Hall of Fame and the profession of basketball in a professional manner,” he said. “The best part is that the journey isn’t over.”
So with that in mind, don’t be surprised when the next time Bavetta pops up in the diocese to see him wearing his train conductor’s hat!
Contact Jim Mancari via email at jmmanc@gmail.com.