NBA Retired Players Association and Volvo For Life to Honor 1972-73 Knickerbockers Championship Team And Pay Tribute To Dave DeBusschere

The ‘72-73 Knicks remains one of the most storied teams in the history of both the NBA and New York sports lore. Honored guests will include Bill Bradley, Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Dick Barnett, Phil Jackson, Henry Bibby, Dean Meminger, John Gianelli, Hawthorne Wingo, and trainer Danny Whelan (the late Dave DeBusschere and Red Holzman will be represented by their families).

A special moment will be observed for Dave DeBusschere during the course of the evening. Presentations will also be made to Kendall Phills (widow of Bobby Phills) for the Bobby Phills Scholarship Fund and to Lisa Sealy (widow of Malik Sealy) for the Malik Sealy Foundation. Both women lost their husbands to car accidents.

The NBRPA and Volvo for Life Safe Driving campaign will travel to select cities this fall. The NBRPA will have former NBA professional athletes attending high school assemblies with Volvo representatives to discuss safe driving, buckling up, statistics, responsible designated drivers and much more. The city tour will begin in September with Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta among the cities that will be visited. The Department of Transportation will supply collateral material for distribution. The traveling assembly will be accompanied by an exhibit that addresses safe driving and the hazard statistics.

"This is even a more significant time to reflect on our history, because of the loss of Dave," said Mel Davis, president, NBRPA. He was an incredible part of teamwork and a walking example of substance. We want our fans to know that we are more than basketball and thought this was a great time to express our interest in their well being. We are pleased to embark upon this journey with Volvo to address the hazards of not driving safely. In the past, we have suffered tremendous loss because of accidents and want to do everything within our power to prevent any future problems. We thought this was a perfect time to honor our NY Knicks Championship team members and bring to light awareness of safe driving, because we think that the retired players can serve as mentors for the new players and as role models for others".

Victor Doolan, President and CEO of Volvo Cars North America, said " When you think about the Knicks 1972-73 Championship team, you remember the victories, but you also remember the strength, dignity and character the team portrayed. You note the contagious enthusiasm for the victory and we want to activate this same spirit for safety. We want to work with the NBRPA to bring awareness to ALL drivers that LIFE is important. We want to help people to make a conscious effort to focus on safety and make good choices".

Tickets to the event will be $300 per person, and includes dinner and open bar. Seating is extremely limited and is on a first come, first serve basis. No tickets will be sold the night of the event.

For further information on ticket sales, contact the NBARPA at 212-251-0368.