William P. "Bill" Melchionni (born October 19, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

) is a former NBA

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 and ABA

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 player.

Melchionni was a wispy guard from Bishop Eustace Prep

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a coeducational private high school in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, which was founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate . The school was named after Bishop Bartholomew J...

 (Pennsauken, NJ) who was a collegiate star in the mid-1960s at Villanova University

Villanova University

Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...

 and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1966 NIT

National Invitation Tournament

The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...

. Upon graduation from Villanova, Melchionni joined the famous Phillips 66ers AAU Elite team, where he starred for a season before returning to his hometown to join the Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

.

Melchionni was a key reserve on what many believe to be the greatest 76ers team, NBA Champions led by Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...

, Luke Jackson

Lucious Jackson

Lucious Brown "Luke" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball player.-Collegiate career:Born in San Marcos, Texas, Jackson played college basketball at Pan American College and was a member the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo...

, Hal Greer

Hal Greer

Harold Everett Greer is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958...

, Wali Jones

Wali Jones

Walter "Wali" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" 180 lb guard....

, and Chet Walker

Chet Walker

Chester "Chet" Walker is a former pro basketball player.Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley University in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Bradley Braves won the NIT Championship in 1957 and 1960...

 in 1967. The team was coached by another AAU Elite alum, Alex Hannum

Alex Hannum

Alexander Murray Hannum was a professional basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach.-Coaching career:Hannum is mostly known for coaching the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers of 1966-67 to the NBA championship, ending the eight-year title streak of the Boston Celtics. He had also coached the...

.

Melchionni then jumped to the upstart ABA, becoming a key cog with the New York Nets. He played alongside Rick Barry

Rick Barry

Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...

, and later mentored a young Julius Erving

Julius Erving

Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....

. Melchionni was a key player in the 1974 ABA Championship, led by Erving, Larry Kenon

Larry Kenon

Larry Joe Kenon is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward who had a productive career in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association , Kenon played for the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and...

, John Williamson

John Williamson (basketball)

John Lee Williamson was an American basketball player.Williamson played high school basketball at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Connecticut and played college basketball at New Mexico State University. He was a 6'2" guard...

, and Billy Paultz

Billy Paultz

William Edward "Bill" Paultz is a retired American professional basketball player.Paultz played college basketball at Saint John's University and was selected in the seventh round of the 1970 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets and by the Virginia Squires in the 1970 ABA Draft. Paultz opted to...

.

Melchionni played in three ABA All-Star Games, and was named to the All-ABA First Team in 1972. Melchionni led the ABA in assists per game in both 1971 and 1972.

Melchionni's #25 jersey was retired by both the Nets and Villanova

Villanova Wildcats men's basketball

This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA...

.

Melchionni's brother, Gary Melchionni

Gary Melchionni

Gary Dennis Melchionni is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is a former Phoenix Suns guard and a former All-American Coast Conference performer while he was with the Duke Blue Devils, where he was the first player to captain twice...

, was a two-year captain for Duke University and was an All-ACC performer. Gary's son and Bill's nephew, Lee Melchionni

Lee Melchionni

Lee Melchionni is a former collegiate men's basketball player in the NCAA. He played with the Duke Blue Devils and wore number 13.-High school:...

, was a key reserve known for hitting clutch three-pointers for the Duke Blue Devil's from 2002-2006.

External links

• Career statistics