Sonny Hertzberg, 82; played for Celtics, Knicks

NEW YORK -- Sonny Hertzberg, captain of the New York Knicks in the team's inaugural 1946-47 season and the leading scorer for the Boston Celtics in the 1949-50 season, died Monday at his home in Woodmere, Long Island, four days shy of his 83d birthday. His daughter, Lois Nevitt, said he died of heart failure.

''He was a top guy, no question. He never gave anybody any trouble. He was always helpful on the court," Ralph Kaplowitz, another of the original Knicks, said Monday. ''We've been friends since 1945 and would talk every day."

Mr. Hertzberg ended his career with the Celtics, helping rookie and fellow guard Bob Cousy acclimate to the pros.

Born Sidney Hertzberg in Brooklyn on July 29, 1922, he had a stellar career at City College of New York. Nat Holman, the team's legendary coach, once said that Mr. Hertzberg was ''one of the five best players" he ever had.

Mr. Hertzberg was a teammate of Knicks Hall of Fame coach William ''Red" Holzman when the CCNY Beavers advanced to the NIT semifinals in the 1940-41 season before losing to Ohio.

When Mr. Hertzberg joined the Knicks, they were part of the fledgling Basketball Association of America, the precursor to the NBA. The 5-foot-9 guard immediately made his mark, leading the team in scoring with 515 points that season. He also had a team-high 14 points in the Knicks' first home opener in front of 17,205 fans at the old Garden on 49th Street. The Knicks made the playoffs, only to lose to the Philadelphia Warriors in the semifinals.

Mr. Hertzberg played in only four games for the Knicks the following year before being sent to the Washington Capitols.

''He was one of those good, intelligent players," said Harry Gallatin, who joined the Knicks the year after Mr. Hertzberg left. ''He could shoot the ball, and he reminded me of a lot of the great guards in that day like Holzman."

Added Carl Braun, a member of the '47 Knicks team: ''The thing I remember is that he was a very fine person. He had a good set shot and adequate defense, but more important than ball-playing, he was a gentleman."

Following his basketball career, Mr. Hertzberg worked as a scout and assistant coach for the Knicks, was a basketball analyst for NBC and WPIX, and rose to the rank of managing director at Bear Stearns, the global investment banking and brokerage firm.

''He always said he had a very full life," said Mr. Hertzberg's son, Howard. ''He was the captain of the Celtics and spent his final year [1951-52] teaching Bob Cousy. But he was a Knick always. He loved going to Madison Square Garden."

In addition to his daughter and son, Mr. Hertzberg leaves his wife, Irene; a son-in-law; a daughter-in-law; and four grandchildren.