CINCINNATI (AP) – Connie Dierking, a longtime NBA player who was part of the trade that brought Wilt Chamberlain to Philadelphia, has died. He was 77.
His death was announced Monday by Cincinnati’s WKRC-TV, where daughter Cammy Dierking is a news anchor. It was confirmed by the University of Cincinnati, where he starred in the 1950s.
WKRC reported that Dierking fell in November. No other details were released.
The Brooklyn-born Dierking played with Oscar Robertson for the Bearcats in 1957-58.
Dierking averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in his NBA career. He averaged a career-high 16.7 points in 1969-70 for the Cincinnati Royals.
The 6-foot-10 center was a 1958 first-round pick of the Syracuse Nationals, who became the 76ers.
In 1965, he was among three players traded to San Francisco to bring Chamberlain to Philadelphia, a move that helped the 76ers build an NBA champion.
