Bobby McDermott
(1914-1963)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1988
Card Shown:
1948 Exhibit Champions Basketball
Position: G
Height: 5’11”
bb
bb
Bobby McDermott was a tremendous scorer in the slower-paced basketball leagues of the 1930s and 1940s. He was famous for his deadly accurate two-handed set shot. Bobby also had the ability to slice to the hoop through the big men that dominated the basketball of that time. McDermott led three different basketball leagues in scoring over the course of his career.
One of the basketball leagues that McDermott starred in was the National Basketball League (NBL), a predecessor of today’s NBA. He played for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons who were named after their owner Fred Zollner. Zollner’s company made pistons for engines, hence the team name that would later become the Detroit Pistons. Playing alongside Hall of Famer Buddy Jeannette, McDermott led the Pistons to two straight NBL Championships.
Awards and Honors
- McDermott was voted the Greatest Player of All Time in 1946 by the National Basketball League players, coaches, and media members.
- He won an American Basketball League (ABL) Championship with the Brooklyn Visitations in 1935.
- Bobby was the Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball League for four consecutive years from 1943 through 1946.
- During his MVP years, McDermott and Hall of Famer Buddy Jeannette led the Zollner Pistons to two NBL Championships in 1944 and 1945 as they faced the Sheboygan Redskins. They also reached the Finals in 1943 and 1946. In 1946 the Pistons lost to a Rochester Royals team led by Hall of Famers Bob Davies and Al Cervi.
- From 1942-1947, Bobby was selected to the All-NBL First Team six consecutive times. In 1948 he was on the All-NBL Second Team.
- In 1947 McDermott joined the Chicago American Gears and teamed with a new young player named George Mikan to win the NBL Championship.
Points of Interest
- Bobby began playing professional basketball after only one year of high school. He was one of the first players in basketball history to make the jump from high school to pro ball. Decades later, superstars like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant would follow in McDermott’s footsteps.
- During an age when basketball was slower and more deliberate, Bobby became the first player in NBL history to average 20 points per game. He accomplished this remarkable feat during the 1944-45 season.
- McDermott played for eleven different teams during his pro basketball career. In addition to playing for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Bobby also played for the Original Celtics, the Brooklyn Visitations, and the Baltimore Clippers, to name a few.
- The NBL and BAA (Basketball Association of America) merged in 1949 to form the NBA. McDermott retired at that time without ever playing in the NBA. Very little is known about his post-basketball life.
- Bobby died in a tragic automobile accident in 1963, when he was 49 years old.