Richard Albert Van Arsdale (February 22, 1943 – December 16, 2024) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns. A three-time NBA All-Star selection with the Suns, his 5 jersey was retired by the Phoenix Suns and he is a member of the Suns Ring of Honor. Jerry Colangelo, who was the Suns' first general manager, interim coach (twice), and part owner called Van Arsdale "the pillar of the Phoenix Suns franchise" upon Van Arsdale's retirement in 1977. An All-Star in each of his first three seasons with Phoenix, Van Arsdale remains known as "the Original Sun".
Van Arsdale played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, along with his identical twin brother, Tom. In high school, Van Arsdale and his brother were jointly named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1961. The New York Knicks selected Van Arsdale in the second round of the 1965 NBA draft. He and Tom were both named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Van Arsdale played three seasons for the Knicks before being selected by the Suns with their first pick of the 1968 NBA expansion draft. He played with the Suns for the next nine seasons, retiring after the 1976–77 season (during which his brother Tom was a Suns' teammate). From 1977 to 2005, he remained with the Suns' franchise as a radio and television color commentator, interim coach (1987), and team executive; until suffering a stroke in 2005.
Early life Van Arsdale was born on February 22, 1943, in Indianapolis, along with his identical twin brother, Tom, to Raymond and Hilda (Thomas) Van Arsdale. The family lived in Greenwood, Indiana. The brothers attended Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis (Indianapolis Manual), where their father Raymond taught mathematics and coached the track team, and their mother Hilda worked in the school's office. Academically, as graduating seniors in 1961 Dick was ranked first and Tom third in a class of 412 students. The brothers were members of the basketball, football, baseball, and track and field teams at Indianapolis Manual. Van Arsdale focused on basketball and track, participating in high hurdles and shot put.
In 1961, the brothers were jointly awarded the Indiana Mr. Basketball award. They were also awarded the Arthur L. Trester Award for Mental Attitude in March 1961. This was the first time that Indiana's Mr. Basketball award, and the Trester Award (established in 1917), had been shared. The brothers were the unanimous choice of the Indiana High School Athletic Association's board for the Trester Award.
Van Arsdale set Indianapolis Manual's career scoring record while playing there. The Van Arsdales were both named to the Indiana All-Star basketball team that played against a team of Kentucky high school all-stars twice as part of an annual interstate competition. In March 1961, the Van Arsdales led No. 3 ranked Indianapolis Manual to the state championship game, having won their previous 21 games. Manual lost 68–66 to Kokomo High School in overtime; with Van Arsdale scoring a game-high 26 points. The Van Arsdales received the Trester Award at that time.
College career Kentucky Wildcats coach Adolph Rupp tried to get the brothers to attend the University of Kentucky, and UCLA head coach John Wooden recruited them, but they chose Indiana University Bloomington, playing for the Hoosiers from 1962 to 1965 under head coach Branch McCracken. The brothers had been avid fans of Indiana and McCracken since they were children, and wanted to attend Indiana, without the need for anyone to recruit them. At , Van Arsdale and his brother played small forward at Indiana, and were praised by Michigan Wolverines head coach Dave Strack in 1964, "'the twins are as good a pair of corner men as you would want to find'". United Press International (UPI) named him a third-team All-American in 1965. UPI named both Dick and Tom Van Arsdale first-team academic All-Americans in 1965.
As a sophomore (1962–63), Van Arsdale averaged 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. As a junior (1963–64), he averaged 22.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. UPI named him first-team All-Big Ten. In a December 4, 1963 win over Notre Dame, Van Arsdale scored his Indiana career high of 42 points and Tom Van Arsdale scored his Indiana career high of 34 points. He was fifth in the Big Ten Conference in rebounding average and sixth in scoring average that season. As a senior (1964–65), Van Arsdale averaged 17.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The Associated Press (AP) named him (and Tom) second-team All–Big Ten.
In three years with the Hoosiers, Van Arsdale scored 1,240 points with 719 rebounds (while his brother scored 1,252 points with 723 rebounds). He averaged a double-double for the Hoosiers over his career, with 17.2 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game.
While at Indiana, the Van Arsdales were members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, where they roomed for three years with teammate, and future NBA guard, Jon McGlocklin; who was sometimes called the third twin. Van Arsdale was a member of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1965 Summer Universiade.
Professional career
New York Knicks Van Arsdale was selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1965 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick, immediately ahead of his brother Tom who was selected by the Detroit Pistons. Among the picks counted as being ahead of him were three territorial selections, in addition to players chosen in the normal selection process. Although he started as a small forward very early in his career, he was moved to shooting guard. Van Arsdale started 69 games for the Knicks as a rookie, principally at shooting guard. He averaged 29 minutes, 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Van Arsdale was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966, together with Tom. They were the first pair of identical twins to play in the league.
The following season (1966–67), Van Arsdale started 79 games at shooting guard. He averaged 36.6 minutes, 15.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. The Knicks were 36–45, but reached the first round of the 1967 Eastern Division playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics in four games. Van Arsdale averaged 38.3 minutes, 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and five assists against the Celtics. Van Arsdale played in 78 games in 1967–68 for the Knicks, starting 50. He was used at guard and small forward, but was not physically at full strength throughout the season. He still averaged 30.1 minutes, 11 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. The Knicks lost the 1968 Eastern Conference semifinals to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games, with Van Arsdale playing in four of those games, averaging 22 minutes in those games.
Among other players, the 1967–68 Knicks included all-star and future Hall of Fame shooting guard Dick Barnett, future Hall of Fame point guard Walt Frazier, future Hall of Fame small forward Bill Bradley (who was used at shooting guard that season), and small forward Cazzie Russell. The Knicks left Van Arsdale unprotected in the 1968 NBA expansion draft, and he was selected by the Phoenix Suns.
In three seasons with the Knicks, Van Arsdale averaged 31.9 minutes, 12.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
Phoenix Suns Van Arsdale was "generally acknowledged as the best player" available in the 1968 expansion draft, and Phoenix made him the team's first pick. Van Arsdale eventually became known as "the Original Sun", and was connected with the franchise as a player, executive, coach, and sportscaster over a period of decades. Van Arsdale scored the first points in Sun history.
In the Suns' inaugural season, playing under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr, Van Arsdale was the team's shooting guard and future Hall of Fame guard Gail Goodrich was the point guard. Van Arsdale started 80 games, led the Suns in minutes per game (42.4), and his 21 points per game was second to Goodrich (23.8). Although the Suns went 16–66 in the team's first season, both Van Arsdale and Goodrich were selected to play for the West team in the 1969 NBA All-Star Game.
The Suns improved to 39–43 the following season (1969–70). Forwards Connie Hawkins (a future Hall of Famer) and Paul Silas joined the team that season, and Goodrich remained the starting point guard. Van Arsdale's 21.3 points per game was second on the team to Hawkins. On the season, he had a career-high .508 field goal percentage. Van Arsdale became only the fifth non-center in NBA history to have a scoring average of over 20 points per game and a field goal percentage above .500 in the same season (after Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Bailey Howell, and three-time all-star and Rookie of the Year Terry Dischinger).
For a second consecutive season Van Arsdale was selected to play as a member of the West team in the 1970 All-Star Game. His brother Tom was selected as a member of the East team. This was the first time in NBA history two brothers had played in the same NBA All-Star Game. In only their second season, the Suns made it to the NBA playoffs. They took a three-games-to-one lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Division semifinals, but ultimately lost that series in seven games. Over seven games, Van Arsdale averaged 36.4 minutes, 16.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game against the Lakers. He also had the task of playing defense against future Hall of Fame Lakers' guard Jerry West in that series.
In 1970–71, Van Arsdale was the Suns' team captain. He was selected to play for the West team in the 1971 NBA All-Star Game for a third consecutive season; with his brother Tom once again selected to play for the East team. Van Arsdale led the Suns in minutes per game (39) and points per game (21.9) that season. Under new head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, the Suns finished the 1970–71 season 48–34. However, the Suns played in the NBA's most competitive division, the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, finishing third and missing the playoffs.
The Suns were 49–33 in 1971–72, but again ended in third place in the Midwest Division. Van Arsdale played in all 82 games, averaging nearly 38 minutes per game. He averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He played in 81 games the following season, averaging 36.8 minutes, 18.4 points, four rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game; but the Suns fell to 38–44. The next season (1973–74), now playing under head coach John McLeod and still team captain, Van Arsdale averaged 17.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He was selected to the second-team of the NBA All-Defensive Team in 1974.
Over the next two seasons (1974–75, 1975–76) Van Arsdale remained the starting shooting guard, though his minutes were reducing, in part because of injury. Respectively, he averaged 34.6 and 32.2 minutes, 16.1 and 12.9 points, 2.7 and 2.4 rebounds, and 2.8 and 2.4 assists per game. Van Arsdale was the Suns' team captain in 1975–76. He was the starting shooting guard that season until suffering a fractured wrist in his left arm in February.
The Suns were only 42–40 in 1975–76, but returned to the playoffs after five years, and reached the 1976 NBA Finals, losing in six games to the Boston Celtics. In the six-game win over the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference semifinals, Van Arsdale averaged 19.5 minutes and 9.7 points per game. In Game 3 against the Sonics, playing with a splint on his left wrist, Van Arsdale came off of the bench to lead the Suns to a 103–91 win. He scored 15 points in 27 minutes, and defensively held Sonics' guard Fred Brown to 16 points, after Brown had scored 34 and 45 points in the previous two games.