In Memoriam: Donnie Forman

Donnie Forman, member of the 1948-49 BAA champion Minneapolis Lakers, has died at the age of 92.

Biography

Obituary

Donald J. Forman, guard for the NYU Violets and the Minneapolis Lakers basketball teams, and later successful tax attorney, passed away peacefully on May 10th. He died at 92 of natural causes at his home in Naples, FL. He was a Third Team All-American guard for NYU and First Team All-City guard and All-City High Scorer for Boys High in Brooklyn, NY. In his one season playing for the Lakers, the team won the 1949 BAA (NBA) Championship. He contributed meaningfully to the 4-2 series' win over the Washington Capitals, with his defense against veteran play-maker Sonny Hertzberg. His basketball career ended immediately following the Championship win when he elected to participate actively in an eponymously named clothing retailer that had recently opened in Greenwich Village. His equally passionate and considerably longer career as a tax attorney spanned over 40 years, from the late 1950s until the early 2000s. After earning a JD from the University of Florida Law School ('51-'54) and an LLM in Tax from NYU ('56), he worked for the IRS in Chicago where he tried cases for six years. Following his work at the IRS, Forman went into private practice in Dallas, TX with Geary, Bryce, and Lewis; and later, as a partner at Ginsberg and Forman. He is survived by his wife of 19 years Paula Mannon Forman; three children, Emily Erna Jourdan, Adam Smith Forman, and Mark Andrew Forman; two grandsons, Asa Nance Forman and Asher Marks Forman; and two sisters, Francine Greenes and Phyllis Reisman. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 21 years, Nancy Smith Forman, who died in 1982 at 48. He is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and was a generous donor to NYU.