[9] In 1996, Cunningham was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. Hes earned a list of nicknames, including LaVine The Machine as well as being part of the Bounce Brothers duo with Minnesota Timerwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins. Pregame warmups were his showtime. In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the, Mikan, George Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The Memphis forward sustained the injury Friday night during the 1st quarter of the Grizzlies 113-97 loss to the Nuggets. (2000). Note that this is not the official NBA measurement. Midway through the previous season the club had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors, and in his first full campaign with the Sixers, he helped them to the Eastern Division title. Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft, NBA Debut: October 16, 1965▪ABA Debut: October 12, 1972, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1986 (Full List), More Billy Cunningham pages at Sports Reference. 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Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Cunningham in the first round of the 1965 NBA Draft, figuring the 6-foot-6 bony and mobile player would be a guard. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Look up. Wilt Chamberlain claims that his sergeant, during his prime, was 46 to 48 inches, easy. Of course, Wilt also claims he once averaged 50 points for an entire NBA season, so his credibility is suspect. Thompson, as a consolation prize, won the MVP award in the All-Star game itself. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. Detroits Adrian Dantley, 6-foot-4, and Clevelands Phil Hubbard, 6-8, were the only front-court starters to go through the season dunkless. I made a left turn at the baseline, flew under the basket to the other side, put it through his arms, and dunked it with two hands over my head. No man, I dont believe, has been up that far., With Chamberlain over 50--years of age, not points per game--Nissalke feels safe in saying, That would be the ultimate challenge: Bet any amount of money, and you wouldnt find anyone who could come close to the top of the board.. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. He would perform a reverse dunk-dunk with two balls. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. "Cunningham Quits; Loughery Dropped,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Cunningham&oldid=1135516255, 3-year letter winner (in his day, freshmen were ineligible for, His number 32 jersey is retired by the Philadelphia 76ers; however, he allowed it to be worn by, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 03:41. [10] In October 2021, he was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[11]. He was named Most Valuable Player in the ABA. So much has been written and said about Julius Erving over the years that i, Allen, Marcus 1960 window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ZbxZ3AJWWjyZL0HXDpABwVdW.7p3rtLrWMEsK2FPL0A-86400-0"}; Destined to become one of the first of basketball's most talented big men, as a young man George Mikan, Sprewell, Latrell 1970 The rim was two inches low. American basketball player for once. These men have their own ancient orders, such as Phi Slama Jama, the mythical fraternity created during the 1982-83 college season by Houston scribe Thomas Bonk, now a Times writer, to honor the dunk-happy University of Houston Cougars. He succeeded Gene Shue as head coach of the 24 76ers on November 4, 1977. They think they could track down what the announcer calls a routine fly ball. Cunningham returned to Philadelphia in 1977 to become the coach of the 76ers, replacing Gene Shue. As a professional he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, an NBA All-Star, All-NBA First and Second Team, an ABA All-Star, All-ABA First Team, and the ABA Most Valuable Player. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Kareem came the closest. Can the old Elevator still ascend? Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. Then he goes into coaching and, percentage-wise, becomes one of the best ever. Joe Vanilla Sky Alexander has restless, jumpy feet that propel him way up to block shots and confound his opponents. "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") Chamberlain couldnt remember the players name, but Rod Thorn did. (b. The Smooth Criminal, as he was called when he played for Spain, didnt stick with the NBA for too long, but sure made an impact. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy, "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which also featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson. That Sixers team has since been hailed as the greatest ever assembled. Even back in his Florida State days, where he was ACC Rookie of the year for the 1991-92 season, it was obvious that he loved to run, jump, and make friends with the rim. Some may say that getting off the ground quickly is more important than how much height you get, but its a safe bet that these same people cant match Alexanders pre-draft 38.5 inch max vertical. As a player and then a coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was part of two NBA championship teams. How in the world can this kid play ball? He would get up in the air and spread those wings, hed be swoopin. Last season, there were 5,757 NBA dunks by 246 players. > Archive 75: Billy Cunningham| 75 Stories: Billy Cunningham. [6] He announced on June 15, 1972, that he was going to play with the Cougars beginning with the upcoming season at press conferences in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina which occurred almost simultaneous to the Sixers' introduction of Roy Rubin as its new head coach.[7]. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. In fact, he set the record for most blocks and field goal percentage in a season at his high school, Linganore High in Mt. Mike Conley, who is 6-2 and a triple jumper, won the Foot Locker Slam Dunk Contest last weekend, with 6-2 Raider receiver Tim Brown finishing third and swimmer Matt Biondi in the top five. 22 Feb. 2023 . Cunningham played with visible enthusiasm. Thats a mouthful. A fabulous collegian and pro player Cunningham shot to stardom when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966. However, the poet laureate of leap is Darryl Dawkins. Other notable dunks include his shot on the Sonics seriously ticked off Robert Reid, and another on the Knicks flabbergasted Patrick Ewing. The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. He was a tough, intense, competitive player who used his intelligence as much as his physical talents. Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Family (1) Overview (3) Born: June 3, 1943 in New York, USA: Birth Name: William John Cunningham: Height: 6' 7" (2.01 m) Mini Bio (1) William John "Billy" Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. Billy Cunningham tells broadcaster John Andariese about his early success with the 76ers. Some of them were pretty damn eccentric. The 76ers lost to the Lakers in 1980 and 1982, but after acquiring Moses Malone, they finally got past the Lakers in 1983, winning the franchise's third (and most recent) NBA Championship as part of a 121 playoff run. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Most of the players had between 29 and 33, so I dont believe any of that stuff in the 40s.. Michael Jordan has stopped just short of holding the ball in his mouth, uncoiling his tongue in mid-flight and inventing the Anteater Slam. Chris Wallace, the college talent scout, said: I dont believe measurements. Thunder Dan has more than made friends with the rim and earned his name! When they were not taking everything off, the dancing was more alluring. High School and became known as the Kangaroo Kid for his impressive jumping ability. Somebody done gotcha. But man, that was sweet music. Encyclopedia.com. A lot of young men soar into the NBA but are quickly weighted down by injuries and the 82-game grind, such as Darrell (Dr. Dunkenstein) Griffith of the Utah Jazz. As a freshman he went out for the track team, worked out a total of 10 hours, then high-jumped 7-3 7/8. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. During one game he went THROUGH and OVER the 77 Manute Bol of the Golden State Warriors to ALMOST score. "It's a remarkable life.". In 1962, Johnson jumped and touched a spot high on the wall, and a nail was driven into the spot to commemorate the unbelievable leap. In the 19701971 season he again was an All-Star starter and finished ninth in the NBA with 23.0 points per game. After that season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA with the Carolina Cougars. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Cunningham led the league in steals with 216 and was fourth in scoring with a 24.1 points-per-game average. Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face.. Billy Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. star and now the leagues vice president of operations. Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. Knowing he was inexperienced, Cunningham assembled a group of veteran ex-coaches as assistants, including Chuck Daly, who later to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Philadelphia switched Cunningham to small forward, a position that allowed him to use his tenacity and jumping ability around the boards. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Here's a number: 44 inches. Officially, his nickname originated from a 2002 summer league in Salt Lake City, where other players commented on his jumps and grabs, saying he could fly like a bird. Dont get him confused with Larry Bird though. After the 19711972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. Cade Cunningham has a vertical jump of 41 inches. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. Whats unfortunate is that most people regard the great leapers as being only the short guys who could dunk, said the 7-1 1/16 Chamberlain. Connie Hawkins, another of the elite leapers of that era, was blackballed from the NBA because of involvement with gamblers when he was in college. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. Hes sought advice from Tim Duncan on how to be a great leader and win with his team. They asked him to show how high he could jump, so with no warmup of any kind, in his school clothes, Joey stood there, jumped up and put his chin on the rim. "I lived there that summer," he later recalled. Instead he went to Georgia as a white player and was a so-so power forward. It didnt make no difference to him.. All rights reserved. Wilt meets me at mid-court and says, Na, na, na, not this time.. Chamberlain played for the Globetrotters in the 58-59 season and said: Jumpin Joe Buckhalter and I would line up on opposite sides of the free throw lane when Meadowlark Lemon was shooting a free throw. 1943 The ONLY white man. [14] He then returned for one last year to help cover the 1991 NCAA men's basketball tournament, partnered with Dick Stockton once again. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. Nobody ever played the game could rise any better than Jackie. In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. In 1987, Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator (alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton) for CBS' NBA telecasts. Some nights, when your legs were really there and you had total command, you felt nobody was going to get any higher than you were. He spent several years as one of the owners of the Miami Heat and the team quickly became a contender. William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. We Have Fusion Energy! 3 June 1943 in Brooklyn, New York ), professional basketball player known for his vertical leap who was a top scorer and rebounder in the 1960s and 1970s, and who later became a winning coach, television commentator, and team owner. Boston kept Philadelphia out of The 1981 Finals, but the Sixers roared back to the 1982 before falling to the Lakers again. Athletic Club, has worked with most of the great L.A. prep stars of the last two decades. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. His jump was absolutely awesome. In The Finals, however, Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and the Lakers were too much. Find out more. Uh oh! I dont know anything he has done that hasnt worked. When I went to Kansas, they had a 12-foot basket in the gym, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket. If they play the game far above the rim, it is because they are tall. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. One of basketball's all-time greats, Cunningham was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and honored by selection to both the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams as one of its legendary players, as well as to the ABA All-Time Team. He had a baseball cap on, and he turned the bill sideways. They annihilated the opposition all season and finished with a 68-13 record. They were a winning team the next two seasons but could not repeat as champions, and Cunningham retired after the 19841985 season. Spencer Haywood, for one, claims to have been to the top. White is a regular at Hawk games and a fan of Wilkins. Joey was a good player at Banning High in Wilmington and spent two years at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college. This guy that was also selected for the MLB draft, spent time with the Orioles, and pitched an impressive 96 mph. Select from premium Billy Cunningham 76ers of the highest quality. Joey didnt even have his shoes laced, Clarke said. If youve got a good imagination, imagine yourself wearing a baseball cap, and leaping so high, arms at your side, that you flick your head sideways and dunk your cap. And Dirk Nowitzki who no doubt has walls plastered top to bottom with awards and achievements. To think that we can thank a bunch of sweaty dancers for this fundamental basketball maneuver. He finished well out of the running--or jumping--when he clanged at least one attempt off the rim. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Joey? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. I loved it instantly." Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona States coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. Pretty darn safe. Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. He became a three-time NBA champion, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, three-time Three-Point Shootout Champion, and two-time member of the 50-40-90 club. I have seen everybody, Hill said. So I did a 360, two handed, and he conceded.. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. Billy Cunningham wasnt nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. As if this wasnt impressive enough, it was during a practice with the LA Lakers about a month after the Combine that he flew up 46 inches, creating a new pre-draft record. Thats a white head, remember. My perception is, with players that rely on their jumping ability, they reach a certain level of competition where their fundamental skills have to kick in, they have to become a basketball player, he said. Curtis Bunn, a 6-1 reporter for Newsday, has a very decent repertoire of slams. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. He is six feet seven inches tall. Against Tulane University on 10 December 1964, he set a UNC record by scoring forty-eight points. And there was a dog. A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. Injuries limited Cunningham to only 32 games in 1973-74, but he still averaged 20.5 ppg. The next season, Phily finished 47-35, but lost to the Spurs in the conference semis. I cant put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. He ran out of his house and to the hoop at St. Rose of Lima grammar school, three blocks away. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid youve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. Thats about the height of the average 4-year-old. Dunk is cheap. Thompson was on a par with Erving but after five great NBA seasons, his career hit a quick decline, caused in part by cocaine problems. As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") ( b. The color barrier and the sex barrier of slam-dunk have fallen: Many white guys and a few women can dunk. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. Its a remarkable life.. It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. "Rubin Quits L. I. U. to Pilot 76ers,", Goldaper, Sam. Sura strutted and slammed his stuff in both the 1997 Slam Dunk Competition and the All Star Weekend, and his jumps were recorded to be about 39 inches. People swear he cleared it by a foot, said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idahos basketball coach. He finally got a pro tryout with the Utah Stars of the ABA at 25, but by then his fabulous springs were sprung. Blonde hair. Cunningham could not even crack the starting lineupwhich . home/away, monthly, etc More Billy Cunningham Basketball Reference pages, Compare Billy Cunningham to other players. A few of the big-time leapers did make it--Jumpin Johnny Green, Pogo Joe Caldwell and Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins, who was a Laker rookie when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960. It's a move in which a player drives past a defender by stepping one way and then quickly taking a big lateral step in the other direction, and its become pretty popular. Almost always the feat involves money--claims that the player could grab a dollar bill off the top of the board, or could pluck off a quarter and leave two dimes and a nickel change. . But listen to Wilt. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. 1964 UNC at Duke, tip-off.jpg 1,454 1,750; 377 KB. Said Trenkle: He can take the ball with his right hand, go up, put it between his legs and dunk it behind his head with his left hand. He scored 16,310 points and pulled down nearly 8,000 rebounds. During his playing career, he was a 4-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA First Team selection.
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