Bob Davies

American basketball player and pioneer of the behind-the-back dribble, known as one of the greatest playmakers in early professional basketball history.

Bob Davies is credited as the inventor of the behind-the-back dribble — a move his coaches considered showboating that he deployed functionally to change direction at speed — making him the originator of a skill that every subsequent generation of ball-handlers has refined and taken for granted.. Rochester Royals signed him in 1945 and he won four professional championships (two NBL titles in 1946 and 1947, the BAA title in 1948, and the NBA title in 1951). His 10-season professional career produced 14.3 points and 4.9 assists per game. He was selected to four All-Star games. He is credited as the inventor of the behind-the-back dribble — a move that was considered showboating at the time but that he used functionally to change direction and evade defenders. His combination of scoring, passing and ball-handling in an era when those skills were rare at the professional level made him the most complete guard of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. He served in the United States Navy during World War II before his professional career began. After basketball he became a successful businessman in Rochester and remained connected to the game through coaching and development work.

Creative point guard with flashy ball-handling and passing

Helped establish professional basketball's entertainment value

• NBL Champion 2x
• BAA Champion
• All-Star 4x
• Hall of Fame (1970)
• NBA 25th Anniversary Team