THE LEAGUE^©

“PISTOL PETE” MARAVICH

NBA Hall of Famer “Pistol Pete” Maravich was a spectacular showman who helped open up the game of basketball in the 1970s. After a legendary college career at Louisiana State, he played 10 productive seasons in the NBA, earning five trips to the NBA All-Star Game and one league scoring title.

Maravich wasn’t the first player to dribble behind his back or make a deft between-the-legs pass. But his playground moves, circus shots, and hotdog passes were considered outrageous during his era and, perhaps because he cultivated a freewheeling image, some basketball purists felt he was more style than substance. But Maravich produced huge numbers, first as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history and later as a potent force for both the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Jazz.

Maravich holds nearly every major NCAA scoring record, including most career points (3,667), highest career scoring average (44.2 ppg), most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166), and most career 50-point games (28). And he accomplished all this without the benefit of the three-point basket, which wasn’t introduced into the college game until the 1986-87 season.

The Atlanta Hawks selected the slender, 6-5 Maravich with the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft, behind Bob Lanier and Rudy Tomjanovich. Maravich wasn’t warmly received by the team’s veterans, who resented his $1.9-million contract-a huge amount at the time. The Hawks already had one of the NBA’s best shooters in Lou Hudson, two of its brawniest rebounders in Walt Bellamy and Bill Bridges and one of the game’s shrewdest playmakers in Walt Hazzard. Maravich replaced Joe Caldwell, who had jumped to the American Basketball Association after the 1969-70 season.

In any event, Pistol Pete made an immediate impact in his first season. He scored 23.2 ppg, good for ninth in the league, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.

Maravich suffered a sophomore slump. He missed 16 games in 1971-72 and averaged 19.3 ppg, a sharp drop-off by his standards. Lou Hudson was the Hawks’ go-to guy, scoring 24.7 ppg, while Bellamy scored 18.6 ppg on .545 shooting from the field. The team replicated the previous season’s 36-46 record and once again finished second to Baltimore in the Central Division. In the opening round of the playoffs Atlanta pushed the Boston Celtics to six games before falling. Maravich intensified his play during the postseason, averaging 27.7 ppg.

As Maravich adjusted to the pro game his numbers improved. He remained healthy in 1972-73 and helped the Hawks to a 46-36 record, the only winning season he would experience in his NBA prime. Maravich earned his first All-Star appearance and landed a spot on the All-NBA Second Team by averaging 26.1 ppg. He and Hudson (27.1 ppg) comprised a formidable offensive duo, ranking fourth and fifth in the NBA, respectively, but their styles couldn’t have been more different. Hudson was an efficient, quiet scoring machine. Maravich, on the other hand, made each basket a spectacle. His passing skills began to pay off and his career-best 6.9 assists per game ranked sixth in the league.

Atlanta again finished second to Baltimore in the Central Division, then made its usual early exit from the playoffs. Maravich averaged 26.2 ppg during the postseason as the Hawks bowed to Boston in the conference semifinals for a second straight year.

Meanwhile, the expansion New Orleans Jazz were preparing for their inaugural 1974-75 season. The team needed a marquee player, and who better to launch the franchise than the greatest basketball legend in Louisiana State history? The Jazz shipped out Dean Meminger, Bob Kauffman, two future first-round draft choices and two future second-round draft choices in order to bring Maravich back to Louisiana.

After four impressive seasons in Atlanta, the Pistol fired mostly blanks in his first year in New Orleans. He scored only 21.5 ppg but shot a career-worst .419 from the field. Maravich worked hard on other aspects of his game, however, recording career highs in rebounds (422) and steals (120) and averaging 6.2 assists per game. Not surprisingly, New Orleans endured a difficult first season. A typical expansion mix of aging veterans, journeymen and unproven young talent (22 different players wore Jazz colors during the season), the Jazz stumbled to a 23-59 record, worst in the league.

Maravich was a notorious long-range bomber during his career, but until now he had never played in a league, college or pro, that used the three-point shot. All of his many points had come on two-pointers, even when launched from a great distance. In 1979-80, the NBA finally adopted the three-point shot. In his final season-with his skills rusty, his knees creaky, and his minutes limited-Pistol Pete Maravich finally got a chance to shoot three-pointers. He went 10-for-15.

After the season Maravich faced the reality of his bad knee and retired. He ended his 10-year career with an average of more than 24 ppg. Although he had left the Jazz on less than cordial terms, the grievances were forgotten over the ensuing years and his uniform number was retired by the franchise in 1985. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

On January 5, 1988, Pete Maravich died of a heart attack while playing in a pickup three-on-three game in a California gym. He was 40 years old.

SUMMARY

Full Name: Peter Press Maravich
Born: 6/22/47 in Aliquippa, PA
College: Louisiana State
Drafted: Atlanta Hawks, 1970 (3rd overall)
Transactions: Traded to New Orleans Jazz, 5/3/74; Jazz moved to Utah, 1979; Waived by Utah, 1/17/80; Signed with Boston, 1/22/80

Nickname: Pistol Pete
Height: 6-5; Weight: 200 lbs.
High School: Daniel (Clemson, S.C.); Needham Broughton (Raleigh, N.C.); Edwards Military Institute (Salemburg, N.C.)
Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1987); All-NBA First Team (1976, ‘77); All-NBA Second Team (1973, ‘78); All-Rookie Team (1971); Five-time NBA All-Star; One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

Straight from the pages of NBA.com

Posted by meandovine on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 8:47 am.