As the NBA moves through the Conference Semifinals this May, local historian Chuck Langerman has shared an anecdote from the golden years when physician Dr. Stanley Lorber of Elkins Park served as the first team doctor in the history of the league.

Dr. Lorber was a noted gastroenterologist at Temple University School of Medicine for 43 years and held the position with the Philadelphia Warriors and 76ers for 25 years. A number of the team’s players, including Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, and Julius Erving, became lifelong friends and were frequent guests in his home, his obituary said.

He was the physician for Philadelphia’s championship teams in 1967 (Warriors) and 1983 (76ers).

Dr. Lorber passed away in November 2014 at the age of 97. According to his obituary, he wrote more than 140 scientific articles and numerous textbook chapters, addressed the 1970 Nobel Symposium in Stockholm and consulted for the U.S. Navy, the Veterans Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Lorber’s son, Jeff, a 1970 graduate of Cheltenham High School, is an acclaimed keyboardist, composer, and record producer who was a pioneer of the smooth jazz/new adult contemporary music format.

After six previous nominations, he won his first Grammy Award in 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for “Prototype” by his band the Jeff Lorber Fusion.

In 2009, he was enshrined in the Cheltenham High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame. From their entry:

To watch a 2022 interview with Bosse Online, you can watch below:

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Photos: Inquirer, Grammy.com