Donald Jay Ohl is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 former professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who spent 10 seasons (1960–1970) in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

. His nickname

Nickname

A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....

 was Waxie because of his crew cut

Crew cut

A crew cut is a type of haircut in which the hair on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair at the front hairline to the shortest at the back of the crown. The hair on the sides and back of the head is usually tapered short, semi-short or medium. A...

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Professional career

Ohl played for the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

, Baltimore Bullets

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

, and St.Louis/Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

. Among the best distance shooters of his time, the 6'3", 190-pound guard scored 11,549 points and appeared in five NBA All-Star Games in his career.

Shortly after the 1963-64 campaign, Ohl was involved one of the first so-called megatrades, this one an eight-player deal between the Pistons and Bullets. On June 9, 1964, the Pistons sent Ohl, center Bob Ferry

Bob Ferry

Robert Dean "Bob" Ferry is a retired American basketball player and executive.A 6'8" center from Saint Louis University, Ferry was selected by the St. Louis Hawks with the seventh pick of the 1959 NBA Draft...

, forward Bailey Howell

Bailey Howell

Bailey E. Howell is a former professional basketball player now enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A 6'7" forward from Mississippi State University, he played 12 seasons in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia...

, forward Les Hunter

Les Hunter

For the Hollyoaks character, see Les HunterLeslie "Big Game" Hunter is a former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward/center, Hunter attended Loyola University Chicago, who won the 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship...

 and the draft rights to guard Wally (later Wali) Jones

Wali Jones

Walter "Wali" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" 180 lb guard....

 to the Bullets in exchange for forwards Terry Dischinger

Terry Dischinger

Terence Gilbert "Terry" Dischinger is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. He currently practices orthodontics.-High school career:...

 and Don Kojis

Don Kojis

Donald R. Kojis was a professional basketball player who attended Marquette University and was drafted by the Chicago Packers in the 2nd round of the 1961 NBA Draft...

 and guard Rod Thorn. The deal turned out to a fortuitous one for the Bullets, as Howell and Ohl became mainstays with the team.

Ohl experienced his finest hour in the 1965 playoffs, which saw the Bullets eliminate the St. Louis Hawks in four games in round one. In the Western Division finals, Ohl and future Hall of Fame guard Jerry West

Jerry West

Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr...

 were locked in a tense shootout that saw West and the Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 finally prevail in six games, each of which was decided by eights points or fewer. Ohl averaged 26.1 points in 10 games that post-season.

College career

Ohl attended Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois

Edwardsville, Illinois

Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...

, and the nearby University of Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

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External links

• Career stats @ basketball-reference.com
• All-Time Largest Trades in NBA History
• Catching Up With ... former Bullet Don Ohl