Henry Finkel

Henry J. Finkel, an American basketball player, was born April 20, 1942, in Union City, New Jersey, and played professionally from 1966 to 1975. He attended Holy Family High School and enrolled at nearby Saint Peter's University in Jersey City, but dropped out and worked as a sandblaster in a shipyard after his father died of cancer. He was spotted at a Dairy Queen by Harry Brooks, a "bird dog," or independent scout, for the University of Dayton, which had won the 1962 National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Finkel soon enrolled at Dayton, where he played for coach Tom Blackburn, who had led the program since 1947. A 6'11" center, at times listed at 7'0", he redshirted his first year.

Finkel was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft and remained with the team through the 1966–67 season. He then played for the San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1969 before spending the remaining years of his career with the Boston Celtics. During his next-to-last season, the Celtics won the 1974 NBA Championship.