The “Original Sun” Dick Van Arsdale Dies at 81
Source: Christian Petersen / Getty
PHOENIX, AZ.–Dick Van Arsdale has died at the age of 81. He was a high school basketball player at Manual High School, an All-American at Indiana University, and went on to be an NBA All-Star three times.
Van Arsdale was often referred to as “The Original Sun” because he was the Phoenix Sun’s first selection in the 1968 expansion draft after he spent his first three professional seasons with the New York Knicks. He was named an All-Star in his first three seasons with the Suns and spent his last nine seasons there, averaging 17.6 points per game.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale, the “Original Sun” and a member of our Ring of Honor. The first selection in the expansion draft to build the Suns roster and the scorer of the first points in team history, Van Arsdale was a cornerstone of the Suns organization. He earned three All-Star selections, was a member of the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals in 1976 and retired as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in 1977. Beloved throughout the Suns organization and fanbase, Van Arsdale held several positions with the team, including broadcaster and front office executive, following his 12-year NBA career. Our thoughts are with his friends and family, including his twin brother and Suns teammate, Tom, during this difficult time,” said the Suns in a statement Monday afternoon.
Van Arsdale spent three seasons in Bloomington as an Indiana Hoosiers where he was awarded All Big Ten honors in his junior year after averaging 22.3 points per game.
Van Arsdale was a member of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1965 Summer Universiade. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. In February 2019, the Van Arsdale brothers were honored by Indiana at halftime of a game between Indiana and Purdue.
Dick and his brother, Tom, were identical twins. They were born Feb. 22, 1943 in Indianapolis. Both of them shared the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award and the Trester Award for Mental Attitude as seniors at Manual in 1961.
Dick suffered a massive stroke in 2005, but made a physical recovery, though with some speech difficulties. He and Tom shared a post-retirement art studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, which they opened in May 2018.
Doctors believe Dick Van Arsdale died of kidney failure.
