Knicks legend Braun dies in Florida

Carl Braun's number doesn't hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden, nor is his name etched on a plaque in Springfield, Mass., at the Basketball Hall of Fame. But he is an indelible part of Knicks history as one of the franchise's first great players. And a week after the Knicks mourned the loss of legend Dick McGuire, Braun died Wednesday of natural causes in Stuart, Fla. He was 82.

PHOTOS: Recent notable deaths

Braun played for the Knicks from 1947-61 and was a five-time NBA All-Star. He ranks fifth on the Knicks' all-time scoring list with 10,449 points. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career was when he won a championship with the Boston Celtics in his final season, 1961-62, but his proudest moments were spent as a Knick.

"He played one year with the Celtics and won a championship and has a lovely ring," his daughter, Susan, said Wednesday, "but the truth is I never heard a single story about that."

Carl August Braun was born in Brooklyn and played basketball at Garden City High School. He went on to star at Colgate and joined the Knicks as a 20-year-old for the 1947-48 season, when the league, then known as the Basketball Association of America, was just a year old. He scored 47 points as a rookie that season, playing at the old Garden on 49th Street and Eighth Avenue. It was there he - and his trademark two-handed set shot - caught the eye of a young basketball fan from Teaneck, N.J., named David Stern.

"I spent hours trying to emulate Carl's patented over-the-head shot," Stern said in a statement released by the NBA. "Carl was one of the NBA's early great shooters, an All-Star fixture on those Knicks teams and, most importantly, a great friend to all who know him. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family."

Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who grew up in the Bronx and also followed Braun and the Knicks, called him "the first superstar of the New York Knicks and a cornerstone of our franchise's early success. Watching him play at the Old Garden was a privilege for us New Yorkers in the 1940s and 50s. He is a true legend in our sport and he will be missed."

SEE PHOTOSRecent notable deaths

Braun is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joan; four daughters, Patricia, Susan, Nancy and Carol; and six grandchildren.

Braun's health had been declining for a while. In fact, Susan represented him at Knicks Legends Night last season because Braun was not able to make the trip to New York from Florida. He was aware of McGuire's death - "The finest man I ever knew," he told his wife - and Tuesday night, a day after McGuire's funeral, Braun became ill and was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away with his wife by his side.

"I know that it gave my mother peace actually knowing that Dick was already there," Susan said.

PHOTOS: Recent notable deaths