Richard Albert Van Arsdale, known affectionately as Dick Van Arsdale, was a pioneering figure in professional basketball whose career spanned over a decade in the National Basketball Association.
Born on February 22, 1943, in Indianapolis, Indiana, he rose from humble beginnings to become a three-time All-Star and a foundational player for the Phoenix Suns, earning the enduring nickname “the Original Sun.”
Van Arsdale was a versatile shooting guard known for his rugged defense, reliable scoring, and exceptional free-throw accuracy, which hovered around 79 percent for his career.
Beyond the court, he contributed to the Suns organization for four decades in various roles, including broadcaster, general manager, and vice president of player personnel.
Van Arsdale passed away on December 16, 2024, at the age of 81 due to heart and kidney failure.
Siblings
Dick had an identical twin brother, Tom Van Arsdale, with whom he shared not just physical resemblance but also an uncanny parallel path in basketball.
Born just minutes apart on the same day in Indianapolis, the Van Arsdale brothers grew up in a basketball-loving family, honing their skills on a makeshift dirt court in their grandfather’s backyard.
Remarkably, their careers mirrored each other statistically—Tom scored 1,252 points to Dick’s 1,240 in college, and both retired after playing together for the Suns in the 1976-77 season.
Post-retirement, the brothers co-founded Van Arsdale Properties and opened an art studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2018, where they pursued painting and shared stories of their intertwined journeys.
Career
Van Arsdale’s basketball odyssey began in the gritty gyms of Indianapolis, where he and his twin dominated at Emmerich Manual High School, leading the team to the state Final Four and sharing the spotlight as co-Mr. Basketball honorees in 1961.
Choosing to stay in-state despite overtures from legends like Adolph Rupp, Van Arsdale committed to Indiana University, playing under Branch McCracken from 1962 to 1965.
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As a 6-foot-5 guard-forward hybrid, he averaged a double-double with 17.2 points and 10 rebounds per game over 72 appearances, earning All-Big Ten and All-American nods while representing the United States at the 1965 World University Games.
Selected 13th overall by the New York Knicks in the 1965 NBA Draft, Van Arsdale burst onto the professional scene, averaging 12.3 points as a rookie and establishing himself as a defensive stalwart.
After three solid seasons in New York, where he posted 15.1 points per game in 1966-67, he was chosen as the Suns’ inaugural pick in the 1968 expansion draft, instantly becoming the franchise’s cornerstone.
In Phoenix, Van Arsdale flourished, scoring the team’s first-ever points and leading them to their inaugural playoff berth in 1970.
His peak years saw him average over 21 points in three straight seasons, including a career-high 21.9 in 1970-71, while transitioning to a sixth-man role later on.
He played a pivotal part in the Suns’ memorable 1976 NBA Finals run against the Boston Celtics, though they fell short.
Van Arsdale retired in 1977 as the Suns’ all-time leading scorer with 12,060 points, capping a 12-year career that included 921 games and averages of 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Accolades
At the high school level, Van Arsdale and his brother Tom jointly claimed the prestigious Indiana Mr. Basketball award in 1961, along with the Trester Award for Mental Attitude, after guiding Manual to the state semifinals.
His college tenure at Indiana yielded co-MVP honors for the Hoosiers in 1964 and 1965, All-Big Ten first-team selections, and consensus All-American status in 1965, complemented by Academic All-American recognition.
Internationally, he contributed to a gold medal at the 1965 World University Games.
In the NBA, Van Arsdale’s accolades shone brightly: he earned a spot on the All-Rookie First Team in 1966 alongside his twin, highlighting his immediate professional impact.
His three consecutive All-Star appearances from 1969 to 1971 cemented his status as an elite scorer and defender.
A 1974 NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod praised his tenacity on that end of the floor.
With the Suns, his No. 5 jersey was retired in 1978, and he was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, forever memorialized as the franchise’s first star.
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