Bradley, Bill

Bradley, Bill (William Warren Bradley), 1943–, American athlete and politician, b. Crystal City, Mo. He first gained wide attention as an All-America basketball player at Princeton. Graduating in 1965, he attended Oxford Univ. as a Rhodes Scholar and in 1967–77 starred for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. In 1979 he became a U.S. senator from New Jersey. Before retiring from the Senate in 1997, he gained a reputation as a reform-minded Democrat, influential especially on environmental, labor, and income-tax issues. Often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, he did not commit himself to a particular course of action at the time of his retirement. In 1999, however, Bradley announced his candidacy for the 2000 Democratic presidential nomination, but subsequently he was defeated in the primaries by Al Gore and bowed out of the race.

Bibliography

See his account of his Knicks years, Life on the Run (1976), and his memoir, Time Present, Time Past (1996).

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Bradley, Bill

 in full William Warren Bradley

(born July 28, 1943, Crystal City, Mo., U.S.) U.S. basketball player and politician. Bradley attended Princeton University (1961–65), where, as a playmaker and high-scoring forward 6 ft 5 in. (196 cm) tall, he was named College Player of the Year in 1964–65. In a semifinal game he scored 58 points, an NCAA tournament record. In 1964 he helped the U.S. team win the Olympic gold medal. He studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, then returned to play with the New York Knicks until 1977, helping them win two NBA championships (1970, 1973). As a prominent U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–97), he sought to raise public awareness of race relations and poverty and was a critic of campaign-financing practices. In 1999–2000 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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Bradley, (William Warren) Bill (1943–  ) basketball player, U.S. senator; born in Crystal City, Mo. A three-time All-American forward at Princeton University (1961–65), he attended Oxford University for two years as a Rhodes Scholar before joining the National Basketball Association New York Knicks (1967–77). Elected to the U.S. Senate (Dem., N.J.; 1979), he gained recognition as an expert in energy conservation and as an advocate for civil rights. Although often mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, he seemed personally reluctant to make the necessary commitment. He was elected to basketball's Hall of Fame in 1983.