Part 2 of my two-part article on John ‘Boy Wonder’ Isaacs, originally published in the 2015 Enshrinement Weekend Yearbook of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Life and Times of John Isaacs, Basketball’s ‘Boy Wonder’, Part 2
If a community initiative passes final City Council approval, New York City will rename a Bronx street after former Harlem Rens star John Isaacs.
We send Happy Birthday remembrances to former pro basketball star John Isaacs, who was born September 30, 1915. The day we showed him our ‘Rens’ throwback jersey is a fond memory now.
My earliest memories of him were of him teaching us basketball.
Rarely did he just stand by, he was always into it all.
As with any long-lived icon of sports, culture, and history, it is nearly impossible to encapsulate all of the thoughts and remembrances of people into one service, one article, one story, one comment. So, I will continue to share topics relating to John Isaacs from time to time, starting with these.
Isaacs’ biggest contributions came well after his playing days ended.
Isaacs was born Sept. 15, 1915. After retiring from serious competition, he coached Tiny Archibald, Chris Mullin and a thousand others. Later, he became a counselor at the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in The Bronx. He died Monday after a stroke. He was 93.
Former New York Rens basketball star John Isaacs was featured in a big New York Daily News article last week by Bobby Ciafardini.