On This Date in Knicks History: October 2

Two noteworthy Knicks birthdays today!

Dr. Dick Barnett was born October 2, 1936, in Gary, Indiana. Barnett spent eight seasons with New York, became an All-Star in 1968, and played for both the 1970 and 1973 championship teams. His number 12 hangs in the Garden rafters. He died last year at 88.

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Barnett had one of the most unforgettable shots in basketball history. Starting in college (when nicknamed “Dick the Skull”), he became known for contorting his body into a question mark while shooting his jumper, kicking his legs back and telling defenders, “Too late–fall back, baby!” Barnett went on to turn his eccentric shot into more than 15,000 NBA points.

A beloved teammate of Walt Frazier, Barnett was featured in the documentary film, The Dream Whisperer, about his time playing at Tennessee State University for the Tigers. During segregation, the all-Black Tigers won three straight national championships. Captain Barnett tirelessly fought for their recognition, which culminated in their 2019 induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Watch the doc here, you’ll dig it.

After hanging up his sneakers, Barnett earned an MBA from New York University and then a PhD in education from Fordham University. He taught Sports Management at St. John’s University for four years.

Here are his career highlights, per Wikipedia:

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2× NBA champion (1970, 1973)

All-ABL First Team (1962)

No. 12 retired by New York Knicks

3× NAIA champion (1957–1959)

3× AP Little College All-American (1957–1959)

2× UPI Little College All-American (1958, 1959)

2× NAIA tournament MVP (1958, 1959)

And (feeling like Garrison Keillor here) Tyson Chandler was born today in 1982, in Hanford, California. Chandler came to New York immediately after anchoring Dallas’ 2011 championship defense and became the 2011-12 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the only Knick ever to take the honor.

Drafted second in 2001, the seven-foot Chandler played for five seasons in Chicago before bouncing from NOLA to Charlotte to Dallas and then the Knicks. After three seasons at MSG, he was sent back to Dallas, then Phoenix, and finished out his…

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Publish date : 2026-10-02 13:25:00

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