Tom Van Arsdale

Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale (born February 22, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. The guard and small forward played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons, Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, and Phoenix Suns. In 1966, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Van Arsdale was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game three consecutive seasons (1970 to 1972) while with the Royals. He and his identical twin brother Dick Van Arsdale became the first brothers to play in the same NBA All-Star Game. Van Arsdale had six seasons where his scoring average ranged from 18.4 to 22.9 points per game.

A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, Van Arsdale played collegiately at Indiana University in the Big Ten Conference under longtime head coach Branch McCracken. Van Arsdale and his brother were jointly named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1961 during their senior year in high school. He was a first-team Academic All-American in 1965 at Indiana, and second-team All-Big Ten Conference as a junior and senior.

Early life Van Arsdale was born on February 22, 1943, in Indianapolis, along with his identical twin brother Dick Van Arsdale, to Raymond and Hilda (Thomas) Van Arsdale. 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 the low hurdles, high jump, and shot put throw. 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 Van Arsdales received the Trester Award at that time.

College career Kentucky head coach Adolph Rupp tried to get the brothers to attend Kentucky, and UCLA head coach John Wooden recruited them, but they chose Indiana University, playing on the school's basketball team from 1962 to 1965 under head coach Branch McCracken. The Van Arsdales had avidly followed Indiana Hoosier basketball as children, and saw coach McCracken lead Indiana to the 1953 NCAA championship when they were 10-years old. Van Arsdale later said, "'We didn’t have to be recruited . . . We knew we were going to Indiana'". As a junior (1963–64), he averaged 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. In a December 4, 1963 win over Notre Dame, Van Arsdale scored his Indiana career high of 34 points and Dick Van Arsdale scored his Indiana career high of 42 points. He was sixth in the Big Ten Conference in rebounding average and seventh in scoring average. UPI named him second-team All-Big Ten. As a senior (1964–65), Van Arsdale averaged 18.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The Associated Press (AP) named him (and Dick) second-team All-Big Ten Conference.

In three years with the Hoosiers, Van Arsdale scored 1,252 points with 723 rebounds (while his brother scored 1,240 points with 719 rebounds). He averaged a double-double for the Hoosiers over his career, with 17.4 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. Van Arsdale was a member of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1965 Summer Universiade. Among the draft picks counted as being ahead of him were three territorial selections, in addition to players chosen in the normal selection process. Van Arsdale played shooting guard for the Pistons. As a rookie under player-coach Dave DeBusschere, he averaged 25.8 minutes, 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team for the 1965–66 season, together with Dick.

The following season (1966–67), Van Arsdale averaged 27 minutes, 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. It was reported at the end of the 1966–67 NBA season that the Indianapolis franchise in the new American Basketball Association offered Van Arsdale $90,000 over a three-year period if he joined the new league. Van Arsdale said he preferred to stay with the Pistons, but observed that he was being offered double his current salary with the Pistons and had met with officials from the new Indianapolis team. Less than two weeks later he signed a new two-year contract with the Pistons.

The Pistons drafted shooting guard Jimmy Walker with the first pick in the 1967 NBA draft. Walker played nearly 20 minutes a game for the Pistons in the 1967–68 season behind starting shooting guard Eddie Miles. On January 31, 1968, the NBA's trade deadline, the Pistons traded Van Arsdale and John Tresvant to the Cincinnati Royals for Happy Hairston and Jim Fox, believing the addition of Hairston could get the Pistons into the playoffs for the first time in years.

Cincinnati Royals Van Arsdale joined a Royals team that included his childhood hero Oscar Robertson, and future Hall of Fame forward Jerry Lucas, among others. Van Arsdale played in 27 games for the Royals to finish the season, now as a small forward. He averaged 25.3 minutes, 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists for the Royals that season. Van Arsdale became the Royals' starting shooting guard in 1968–69, playing alongside Robertson in the backcourt, playing nearly 40 minutes a game over 77 games. He averaged 19.4 points (second to Robertson on the team), 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. The Royals finished the season 41–41, but were a below .500 team for the remainder of Van Arsdale's time with them (1969 to 1973),

The next season (1969–70), Van Arsdale, now playing small forward, averaged 35.8 minutes per game in 71 games. His 22.8 points per game average was again second only to Robertson on the Royals. Van Arsdale averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He was selected to play as a member of the East team in the 1970 All-Star Game, with his brother Dick being selected as a member of the West team. This was the first time in NBA history two brothers had played in the same NBA All-Star Game.

The Royals traded Robertson to the Milwaukee Bucks in April 1970 for Flynn Robinson and Charley Paulk. The Bucks had tried to trade Robertson earlier in the season, and Robertson made clear he would not return to the Royals for the 1970–71 season. The Royals used their second pick in the March 23, 1970 NBA draft to select future Hall of Fame guard Tiny Archibald, who took over as the Royals' point guard in the 1970–71 season. Van Arsdale led the 1970–71 Royals with a career high 22.9 points per game scoring average; also averaging 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Van Arsdale was selected to play in the All-Star game for a third consecutive time in 1972, though Dick was not chosen that year. In 1971–72, again playing small forward, he was second to Archibald on the Royals in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game; while also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. On February 13, 1972, Van Arsdale scored a career-high 44 points in a 112–111 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Royals became the Kansas City–Omaha Kings going into the 1972–73 season. Van Arsdale played in 49 games with the Kings, averaging 26.2 minutes, 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. In late January 1973, the Kings traded Van Arsdale and a third round draft choice to the Philadelphia 76ers for John Block.

In 379 games with the Royals/Kings, Van Arsdale averaged 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Van Arsdale played 30 games as the 76ers starting small forward that season, averaging 34.3 minutes, 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. This was the third best scoring average of his career.

Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Braves, and Phoenix Suns Van Arsdale played in 73 games for the 1974–75 Hawks, leading the team with a 35.2 minutes per game average, and was second on the Hawks in scoring (18.9 points per game). He played the following season with the Hawks, averaging 27 minutes, 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

In June 1976, the Hawks traded Van Arsdale to the Buffalo Braves for Ken Charles and Dick Gibbs. In late August 1976, the Braves traded Van Arsdale to the Phoenix Suns for a second-round draft choice and cash. Van Arsdale had earlier threatened to retire unless he could play the season in Phoenix, with his brother. Dick Van Arsdale was a long-time player for the Suns, and Van Arsdale himself lived in Phoenix. Van Arsdale joined the team as a reserve forward, but played 27 games as a starter because of injuries on the team. During the 1976–77 season, the Van Arsdale twins played on the same team together for the first time since their college days; after which they both retired.

Overall during his 12-year NBA career, the 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Van Arsdale played guard and small forward. He played in 929 games, scoring 14,232 points. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Van Arsdale never was on an NBA team that made the postseason. He still holds the NBA record for most career games played (929) and most career points scored (14,232) without a playoff appearance.

Personal life After retiring he and Dick Van Arsdale operated a real estate business together in Phoenix. At some point early in their NBA careers, they observed that Tom Van Arsdale had become ½ inch taller than his brother Dick. A book about the Van Arsdale brothers was published in 1992, Two of a Kind: The Tom and Dick Van Arsdale Story, with a forward by former NBA coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. After retirement, Van Arsdale authored the book, JOURNEY MAN: Celebrating an Unlucky, Unpredictable, and Undeniably Successful NBA Career. He and Dick shared a post-retirement art studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, which they opened in May 2018. Their art focused on promoting racial tolerance and harmony. Dick died in December 2024.

NBA career statistics

Regular season