Dave Bing’s legacy is solidified as a basketball player. A banner in his honor hangs from the rafters in the Carrier Dome, and his number was retired by the Detroit Pistons. As a senior at SU in 1966, Bing averaged 28.4 points per game. He then went on to average 20.3 points and six assists per contest in 12 NBA seasons. In 1996, Bing was named one the league’s best 50 players of all time.

But sports were always secondary to Bing’s larger goals in life.

After his playing days, he became a very successful businessman. In 1980, Bing founded the Bing Group, an automotive supply company in Detroit that employs about 500 people. Very active within Detroit, Bing estimated that he has invested more than $40 million in the city through several business endeavors. After the city’s mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, resigned amidst a slew of scandals last year, Bing vaulted himself into the recall race. Bing, 65, is the leader among 15 candidates for mayor of Detroit. The primary is Feb. 24, and the general election is May 5.

He recently talked to The Daily Orange by phone about his rise in the business spectrum and current race for mayor.

Detroit isn’t exactly in the best shape right now. Why have you decided to run for mayor of the city?

The city, in my opinion, is very void of leadership. We’ve had some terrible things happen to us from a political standpoint with the mayor. We need to get somebody in the office that people can trust, number one, and number two, that will do something to change the city in a positive direction. I think I am capable of doing that.

When you were at Syracuse and through your NBA career, did your love for business – and something beyond basketball – grow?

Without a doubt. I always tried to prepare myself for a second career, because it was quite obvious to me that someday I wouldn’t be able to play anymore. If you didn’t prepare yourself for a second career then you were going to be left out in the cold, so it was based on a strong education and the training was necessary to understand how to run a business. I worked every offseason, not only so I could make more money, but more importantly, so I could meet the right people and get myself ready for my own company one day.

What particularly during those offseasons did you do that jump-started your vision?

In my first seven years here in Detroit I worked at a bank, and I think that was really, really a good experience for me, because I learned about finance and credit. I met a lot of people that continued to stay in the bank even after I left and moved up in the ranks, and there were people I could go to when I was ready to start my business. Then I was at a car dealership with Chrysler for another three offseasons, and that’s how I got very interested in the automobile business.

What are the biggest issues people are facing in Detroit?

Everybody is concerned about their jobs, number one. Number two, with the credit market being what it is, a lot of people are concerned about losing their homes. In an urban city like Detroit and most other cities, crime is always a high priority. Also, the school system is huge.

Have you been able to get back to Syracuse much during your business endeavors?

I don’t get back as much as I used to, but I’m still in contact with Jimmy (Boeheim). We’re still good friends. I’m really good friends with (assistant coach) Bernie Fine. We were all there together, so there’s a bond that keeps us together. I follow them, as they follow me. I root for them, as I’m sure they root for me.’

How much has your basketball career helped you out as a businessman and currently during your campaign?

You want to win, you want to compete. Nobody likes losing, nobody likes being around a loser. But if you’re going to be successful, there’s a lot of practice and preparation. It doesn’t matter if it’s sports, business or politics. You’ve got to pay the price.

When the Detroit public schools were going to cancel sports in 1989, you helped save them by writing a $250,000 personal check and fundraising more than $150,000. What prompted you to do this?

I knew what sports meant to me in high school. If I wasn’t involved in sports in high school, I’m not sure what I would have done with my free time. I would have started to look for things to do, and nine times out of 10, you make bad choices. You make mistakes. Basketball and sports kept me from making bad choices. I wanted to make sure the kids here had an opportunity like I did. I think I was able to not only write a personal check to help out, but I was also in a position to raise money and we saved the program.

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on February 16, 2009 at 12:00 pm