{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1946)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Don May | image = | width = | caption = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 200 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|01|03}} | birth_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | high_school = Belmont (Dayton, Ohio) | college = Dayton (1965–1968) | draft_year = 1968 | draft_round = 3 | draft_pick = 30 | draft_team = New York Knicks | career_start = 1968 | career_end = 1975 | career_number = 5, 22, 34, 23 | career_position = Small forward | years1 = {{nbay|1968|start}}–{{nbay|1969|end}} | team1 = New York Knicks | years2 = {{nbay|1970|full=y}} | team2 = Buffalo Braves | years3 = {{nbay|1971|start}}–{{nbay|1972|end}} | team3 = Atlanta Hawks | years4 = {{nbay|1972|end}}–{{nbay|1973|end}} | team4 = Philadelphia 76ers | years5 = {{nbay|1974|full=y}} | team5 = Kansas City–Omaha Kings | highlights = * NBA champion (1970) * 2× Consensus second-team All-American (1967, 1968) | stat1label = Points | stat1value = 3,339 (8.8 ppg) | stat2label = Rebounds | stat2value = 1,309 (3.5 rpg) | stat3label = Assists | stat3value = 389 (1.0 apg) }} '''Donald John May''' (born January 3, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player who played college basketball for the Dayton Flyers and was twice chosen as consensus second-team All-American (1967–1968). His professional career lasted from 1968 to 1975, and he played for the NBA champion New York Knicks in 1970.
==Early life== Don May was born in Dayton, Ohio, one of seven children of Edward S. May and Stella (Streit) May,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Stella-May&lc=6930&pid=155719344&mid=4978900|title = Stella May Obituary - Dayton, OH}}</ref> and attended Belmont High School, where he played alongside another future college All-American and NBA player, Bill Hosket.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hoskebi01.html|title = Bill Hosket Stats}}</ref> The two once combined for 88 points in one game (50 by Hosket, 38 by May).<ref name="auto2">[http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2010/12/28/best_prep_basketball_team_ever.html/ Best prep basketball team ever] daytondailynews.com December 28, 2010 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307021645/http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2010/12/28/best_prep_basketball_team_ever.html/ |date=March 7, 2014 }}</ref> Belmont captured the 1964 Ohio state championship with ease, winning the state semifinal and final by 24 and 29 points, respectively.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://hardwoodhistory.com/2011/03/16/don-may/|title = Don May|date = 16 March 2011}}</ref> Coached by John Ross, the Bison went 26-1 (with the loss in overtime after both May and Hosket fouled out)<ref name="auto2"/> and May and Hosket were the first teammates ever to be named first-team All-Ohio.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ohiobasketballhalloffame.com/?p=2190|title = Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crawfordcountybasketball.com/allohio.html |title=Associated Press All-Ohio Teams |access-date=2014-01-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203082411/http://www.crawfordcountybasketball.com/allohio.html |archivedate=2014-02-03 }}</ref>
==College career== The 6'4" forward attended the hometown University of Dayton. As a sophomore in 1965–66, he averaged 20.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 23-6 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/119 |title=MBB Media Guide 13-14 Book |access-date=2014-03-06 |archive-date=2014-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306032751/http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/119 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In his junior year of 1966–67, May increased his averages to 22.2 points and 16.7 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 25-6<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/120 |title=MBB Media Guide 13-14 Book |accessdate=2014-03-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306032751/http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828 |archivedate=2014-03-06 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/90 |title=MBB Media Guide 13-14 Book |access-date=2014-03-06 |archive-date=2014-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306032751/http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/90 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and May was named consensus second-team All-American.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/1967.html|title=1966-67 Men's College Basketball Season Summary|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com|accessdate=29 January 2024}}</ref> The Flyers advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four where, led by May's 34 points and 15 rebounds, they upset fourth-ranked North Carolina 76–62. In the NCAA title game, the Flyers lost 79–64 to UCLA and future hall-of-famer sophomore Lew Alcindor despite May's 21 points and 17 rebounds.<ref name="auto"/>
As a senior, May averaged 23.4 points and 15.0 rebounds per game as the Flyers went 21–9.<ref name="auto1"/> He was MVP of the 1967–1968 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), in which Dayton defeated the University of Kansas and its star guard Jo Jo White in the title game. May was again a consensus second-team All-American.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_america.html|title=NCAA College Basketball AP All-America Teams|website=Basketball-Reference.com|accessdate=29 January 2024}}</ref>
May's 1,980 career points and 1,301 rebounds are both second in Dayton history.<ref name="auto"/>
==NBA career== May was selected in the third round of the 1968 NBA draft by the New York Knicks as well as in the third round of the 1968 ABA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/77 |title=MBB Media Guide 13-14 Book |access-date=2014-03-06 |archive-date=2014-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306032751/http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/738ef828#/738ef828/77 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He signed with the Knicks.
May played seven seasons (1968–1975) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks, Buffalo Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Kansas City-Omaha Kings. He averaged 8.8 points per game in his career and won an NBA championship with the Knicks in 1970. His high school teammate, Bill Hosket, was also on the team.
==Personal life== May was elected to the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974 and to the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.<ref name="auto"/> In 2010, he attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the New York Knicks 1970 NBA championship season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/knicks/legends2010/legends_ceremony.html |title=KNICKS: Legends Night a "Family Reunion" 40 Years in the Making |website=NBA.com |accessdate=2014-03-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810033109/http://www.nba.com/knicks/legends2010/legends_ceremony.html |archivedate=2010-08-10 }}</ref>
==Career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}
===NBA=== Source<ref name=bbr>{{cite ]web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maydo01.html|title=Dan May NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=29 July 2024}}</ref>
====Regular season==== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !GS !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !SPG !BPG !PPG |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1968}} | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 48 || 2 || 11.7 || .363 || .724 || 2.4 || .7 || || || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|{{nbay|1969}}† | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 37 || 0 || 6.4 || .386 || '''.947''' || 1.4 || .5 || || || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1970}} | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | '''76''' || || '''35.1''' || .471 || .791 || '''7.5''' || '''2.0''' || || || '''20.2''' |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1971}} | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 75 || || 17.1 || .492 || .768 || 2.9 || .7 || || || 7.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1972}} | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 32 || || 9.9 || .455 || .710 || 2.1 || .7 || || || 4.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1972|nolink=y}} | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 26 || 0 || 23.2 || .441 || .855 || 5.5 || 1.7 || || || 11.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1973}} | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 56 || '''4''' || 14.5 || .414 || .873 || 2.4 || 1.1 || '''.4''' || '''.1''' || 7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1974}} | style="text-align:left;"|Kansas City–Omaha | 29 || || 4.8 || '''.500''' || .833 || .4 || .2 || .1 || '''.1''' || 2.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 379 || 6 || 17.5 || .453 || .798 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .3 || .1 || 8.8 {{s-end}}
====Playoffs==== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !GS !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |- | style="text-align:left;"|1969 | style="text-align:left;"|New York | '''9''' || 0 || 9.8 || .300 || '''.778''' || 2.6 || '''.9''' || 2.8 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|1970† | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 2 || 0 || 3.5 || '''.667''' || – || .0 || .0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1972 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 3 || 0 || '''10.3''' || .333 || .750 || '''2.7''' || .3 || '''4.0''' |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 14 || 0 || 9.0 || .333 || .765 || 2.2 || .6 || 2.9 {{s-end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maydo01.html Don May] at Basketball-Reference.com
{{1967 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}} {{1968 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}} {{New York Knicks 1969–70 NBA champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Don}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:All-American college men's basketball players Category:American men's basketball players Category:Atlanta Hawks players Category:Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio Category:Buffalo Braves expansion draft picks Category:Buffalo Braves players Category:Dayton Flyers men's basketball players Category:Indiana Pacers draft picks Category:Kansas City Kings players Category:New York Knicks draft picks Category:New York Knicks players Category:Philadelphia 76ers players Category:Small forwards