Marty Blake ‘The Godfather of NBA Scouting’ Has Died


Marty Blake, the former Director of Scouting for the NBA and once the GM of the Milwaukee Hawks, has passed away at the age of 86. NBA.com has the full obit of the trailblazer: “Today, NBA scouting is a complex amalgamation of exhaustive film analysis, analysis based on advanced metrics and background profiling that borders on forensic psychology. Before all that, there was Marty Blake. In the 1950s, when basketball was played in dark, cramped, smoke-filled war memorials, Blake was busy applying the tools of player evaluation that he learned in minor league baseball to a still-fledgling league, the newly-named National Basketball Association. Blake, who died Sunday, April 7, at the age of 86 in suburban Atlanta, was a basketball trailblazer, promoter, ambassador and Renaissance man. His quick mind and acerbic wit yielded unforgettable one-liners, stories with details of games and players long forgotten as well as trenchant analysis of players’ strengths and weaknesses. He is regarded by many seasoned basketball observers as ‘The Godfather of NBA Scouting.’ He became general manager of an NBA team at the age of 27 in 1954, and he later presided as the NBA’s Director of Scouting for more than 35 years, in later years training his son Ryan to take his place. He worked well past the age of 80 and retired just a couple of years ago. ‘Marty began his lifetime of service to basketball at a time when the league was still in its infancy,’ said NBA Commissioner David Stern. ‘His work as a general manager and then as Director of Scouting for the NBA first helped the teams to understand the value of scouting. Marty’s dedication not just to the NBA but to basketball was extraordinary and we will forever be indebted to him.'”