| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-01-03)January 3, 1946 (age 79) Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Belmont (Dayton, Ohio) |
| College | Dayton (1965–1968) |
| NBA draft | 1968: 3rd round, 30th overall pick |
| Selected by theNew York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 1968–1975 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 5, 22, 34, 23 |
| Career history | |
| 1968–1970 | New York Knicks |
| 1970–1971 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1971–1973 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1973–1974 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1974–1975 | Kansas City–Omaha Kings |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 3,339 (8.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,309 (3.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 389 (1.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Donald John May (born January 3, 1946) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played college basketball atDayton and was twice chosen as consensus second-teamAll-American (1967–1968). His professional career lasted from 1968 to 1975, and he played for theNBA championNew York Knicks in1970.
Don May was born inDayton,Ohio, one of seven children of Edward S. May and Stella (Streit) May,[1] and attendedBelmont High School, where he played alongside another future college All-American andNBA player,Bill Hosket.[2] The two once combined for 88 points in one game (50 by Hosket, 38 by May).[3] Belmont captured the 1964 Ohio state championship with ease, winning the state semifinal and final by 24 and 29 points, respectively.[4] Coached by John Ross, the Bison went 26-1 (with the loss in overtime after both May and Hosket fouled out)[3] and May and Hosket were the first teammates ever to be named first-team All-Ohio.[5][6]
The 6'4" forward attended the hometownUniversity of Dayton. As a sophomore in 1965–66, he averaged 20.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 23-6 and advanced to theNCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.[7]
In his junior year of 1966–67, May increased his averages to 22.2 points and 16.7 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 25-6[8][9] and May was named consensus second-team All-American.[10] The Flyers advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four where, led by May's 34 points and 15 rebounds, they upset fourth-rankedNorth Carolina 76–62. In the NCAA title game, the Flyers lost 79-64 toUCLA and futurehall-of-famer sophomoreLew Alcindor despite May's 21 points and 17 rebounds.[4]
As a senior, May averaged 23.4 points and 15.0 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 21–9.[8] He was MVP of the 1967–1968National Invitation Tournament (NIT), in which Dayton defeated theUniversity of Kansas and its star guardJo Jo White in the title game. May was again a consensus second-team All-American.[11]
May's 1,980 career points and 1,301 rebounds are both second in Dayton history.[4]
May was selected in the third round of the1968 NBA draft by theNew York Knicks as well as in the third round of the 1968ABA Draft by theIndiana Pacers.[12] He signed with the Knicks.
May played seven seasons (1968–1975) in theNational Basketball Association as a member of theNew York Knicks,Buffalo Braves,Atlanta Hawks,Philadelphia 76ers, andKansas City-Omaha Kings. He averaged 8.8points per game in his career and won an NBA championship with the Knicks in 1970.
May was elected to the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974 and to the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.[4] In 2010, he attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the New York Knicks 1970 NBA championship season.[13]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
Source[14]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | New York | 48 | 2 | 11.7 | .363 | .724 | 2.4 | .7 | 4.4 | ||
| 1969–70† | New York | 37 | 0 | 6.4 | .386 | .947 | 1.4 | .5 | 2.6 | ||
| 1970–71 | Buffalo | 76 | 35.1 | .471 | .791 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 20.2 | |||
| 1971–72 | Atlanta | 75 | 17.1 | .492 | .768 | 2.9 | .7 | 7.9 | |||
| 1972–73 | Atlanta | 32 | 9.9 | .455 | .710 | 2.1 | .7 | 4.5 | |||
| 1972–73 | Philadelphia | 26 | 0 | 23.2 | .441 | .855 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 11.9 | ||
| 1973–74 | Philadelphia | 56 | 4 | 14.5 | .414 | .873 | 2.4 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 7.0 |
| 1974–75 | Kansas City–Omaha | 29 | 4.8 | .500 | .833 | .4 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 2.2 | |
| Career | 379 | 6 | 17.5 | .453 | .798 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 8.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | New York | 9 | 0 | 9.8 | .300 | .778 | 2.6 | .9 | 2.8 |
| 1970† | New York | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .667 | – | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| 1972 | Atlanta | 3 | 0 | 10.3 | .333 | .750 | 2.7 | .3 | 4.0 |
| Career | 14 | 0 | 9.0 | .333 | .765 | 2.2 | .6 | 2.9 | |