Very easily.”. He was a tough, intense, competitive player who used his intelligence as much as his physical talents. It didn’t make no difference to him.”. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. It was an effort, but I could do it.”, There is no documented proof of a man ever taking off from behind the free-throw line, 15 feet from the backboard, and dunking. As a rebounder and jump shooter he averaged 18.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. You’re just up there and nobody else can get up there.”, David (Skywalker) Thompson said: “Sometimes I’d surprise myself. “I could. If they play the game far above the rim, it is because they are tall. However, the poet laureate of leap is Darryl Dawkins. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid you’ve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. Geraldo Rivera is standing by. He was named Most Valuable Player in the ABA. The Doc won it with a long run, a leap from two inches inside the free throw line and a dramatic, powerful windmill slam. “They were trying to touch the top of the board,” Nissalke said. “Julius, Gus (Johnson), Pogo Joe Caldwell. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. Billy Cunningham. We’ll find out next season. In 1996 he was voted one of the top fifty players at the NBA's fiftieth anniversary. ." However, the date of retrieval is often important. In the far-up Land of Leap, the unit of currency is the dunk. . 1 in everyone’s heart and myths is Jumpin’ Jackie Jackson, also known as Sidecar Jackson. These are true royalty: Sir Jamalot, Sir Slam, the Prince of Midair. The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. Popular candidates include Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and others extremely talented players. They couldn’t, of course, because those things are so much harder than they look. Billy Cunningham. Professional basketball player “I won the unofficial NBA slam dunk title that season,” said White, who now sells heavy equipment in Georgia. And that performance in Denver was the national coming-out party for Dr. J, the godfather of dunk. They outlawed that, but I wouldn’t have done it in a game, anyway. The debate over who is the true GOAT has never seemed to conclude, and ESPN/Netflix's The Last Dance only elevated the hype. Some of the guys started dunking. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. The greatest leaper I ever saw was Jackie. “Most of the players had between 29 and 33, so I don’t believe any of that stuff in the 40s.”. Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona State’s coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. In 1974 Cunningham returned to the 76ers. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. Earl Manigault was another fabulous flyer off the Eastern blacktop in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. I used to dunk on that basket. The Michael Jordan era ushered in a new individual style of play. 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. After three days, Rabbit said to Red, ‘One of us is gonna have to go.’, “Red said, ‘What do you mean?’ Rabbit said, ‘Either get rid of Bob Cousy or get rid of me. If the Land of Leap had a national holiday, it would be Feb. 8, the anniversary of the legendary 1976 ABA All-Star game’s first--and last--slam dunk contest. Nissalke tells of an informal leaping contest between second-year man Kareem, who then was Lew Alcindor, and Milwaukee forward Don Smith, who now is Zaid Abdul-Aziz. . The only other thing in life I couldn’t comprehend was looking at the moon and knowing there were men walking on it.”. Most of these leapers are black, and in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the NBA still had unofficial quotas, and only eight or nine teams. In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Peak, Hondo has the edge, but overall game, I'd have to go Cunningham. 98 Stamina. 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. I’ve got the videotape to prove it.”, Karl Kleinkopf, who coached the Southern Idaho track team for nine years, said: “There’s absolutely no doubt Joey could be an eight-foot high jumper by 1992. 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.Cunningham grew up in Brooklyn and on his fifth birthday he received a basketball Stanford’s 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. ... People over look that he has a 98 vertical so he’s gonna jump higher on dunks, blocks, and rebounds so his shortness won’t be too much of a problem. "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. Cunningham … 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. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. 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. “Joey didn’t even have his shoes laced,” Clarke said. 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. Billy Cunningham's full details including attributes, animations, tendencies, coach boosts, shoe boosts, upgradable badges, evolutions (stats and badge upgrades), dynamic duos ... 95 Vertical. 1. It was a big surprise to my buddies and I when we were at a local watering hole in Blowing Rock, called the Villa Maria, and many of the Carolina Cougars came in. 95 Hustle. Billy Cunningham was the Kangaroo Kid when he first came into the league. I said, ‘What the hell, I’m 40.’ ”. Send us your videotape. The next year he exploded for 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds and he was named a first-team All-Star. 72 Lateral Quickness. “On a good day,” he said. Never got off the bench, but in warmups he could dunk better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Sign Up. Instead of working on pivoting, shooting, cutting, passing, and defending, young players have focused on a different set of skills. He played circles around a guy named Robert Cousy. He played nine seasons for the Baltimore Bullets, beginning in ’63, and he died last year. Then he transferred to Arizona State, clashed with then-coach Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team. Manigault, for instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get it, did time in two prisons. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. "The beauty part of playing basketball," he once said, "is that your mind is occupied with playing basketball and nothing else, and you're having fun.". If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. The mystery leaper was--and is--Herb White, 6-foot-2, eyes of blue, from Decatur, Ga. As with most leaping legends, Herb’s aerial reputation often preceded him. It’s almost like you were floating, like there was no such thing as gravity. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. Instant green. This story is not that important. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. Keith Smart always reported he had a 44. "In a way the injury made things easy for me," he said later. Detroit’s Adrian Dantley, 6-foot-4, and Cleveland’s Phil Hubbard, 6-8, were the only front-court starters to go through the season dunkless. No discussion of legendary leapers is complete without heated debate. They were a winning team the next two seasons but could not repeat as champions, and Cunningham retired after the 1984–1985 season. “We’re playing in Philadelphia, against Wilt,” Hawkins relates. “He had tested thousands of Navy pilots during the war, and he said Griffith’s was the highest he ever measured.”. The breakthrough occurred when Harvey Pollack, the venerable stat whiz of the Philadelphia 76ers, collected dunk data from every team for the entire 1987-88 NBA season, accounting for every last slammeroo. Cunningham played with visible enthusiasm. In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. Does it matter that Dakota Johnson’s tense Ellen DeGeneres interview didn’t bring about the end of the host’s talk show? At 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, he had the build to fit in but played sparingly with the Philadelphia 76ers – he was seen eating candy bars on the bench as a rookie — until getting important minutes in the playoffs in his second season. In the 1969–1970 season he averaged a career high of 26.1 points, the fourth highest in the league, and was again selected as an All-Star. Professional football player Dawkins named it, “Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.”. Somebody done gotcha.’ But man, that was sweet music. His jump was absolutely awesome. There are two other pure measurements of leap--the dunk and the top of the money exchange. “People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball,” Costas says. So he tried it again, grabbed the nail and bent it straight down. The game is and always will be about fundamentals. Not a great deal is known about Jackie, which is good, because nothing dims a legend faster than facts. Athletic Club, has worked with most of the great L.A. prep stars of the last two decades. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. However, you can take all the sergeant numbers of all the jumping jacks, put the numbers in a manure spreader and sprinkle them on your lawn or garden. Spencer Haywood, for one, claims to have been to the top. 80 Pass Perception. We saw them there on several occasions. You’re entering another world up there. One dunking dinosaur who could fly and play was Gus Johnson, a 6-6 hipster-forward who had a gold star implanted in a front tooth. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. The strange saga behind Billie Cunningham's slaying -- authorities first ruled it an accidental death, later exhumed her body and, now, three years after that, have issued an … © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. It was the Human Highlight Film vs. a Selected Short. "I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face" about when to retire. Sections of this page. But with a leaper, everybody instantly knows they couldn’t do it, that only the tiniest fraction of humans can jump that high.”. Eight players dunked in triple figures: Barkley of Philadelphia, 188; Jordan of Chicago, 156; Otis Thorpe of Golden State, 150; Pat Ewing of the Knicks, 146; Karl Malone of Utah, 142; Drexler of Portland, 130; Wilkins of Atlanta, 126, and Olajuwon of Houston, 118. Encyclopedia.com. Some have called the team the greatest of all time. Joe Clarke, founder and president of the South-Central L.A. With the exception of Chamberlain, Dr. J was the first superleaper who was also a superstar NBA player, and the first big-time player to exploit the dunk as an art form at the pro level. “One boy did dunks of a monster nature, so they named him after the only monster they knew that could fly--Rodan. 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. Joey averaged 19.5 points at Southern Idaho and led the team to a national junior college title. They may help you jump higher but will never make you into a well-rounded basketball player. 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. For his college career he averaged 24.8 points per game and set a school record with 1,062 rebounds. His jersey number "32" was later retired by Philadelphia. 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. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. 15 Apr. Re: Billy Cunningham and David Thompson dunk contest Post #6 » by penbeast0 » Sat Aug 8, 2009 6:15 am How did Cunnigham end up being considered a dunker (presumably from his "Kangaroo Kid" nickname)? At halftime of one Southern Idaho game, Joey was pursuaded to give a brief high-jump demonstration. Encyclopedia.com. Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. 88 Interior Defense. No. "I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. I can remember distinctly seeing Doug Moe, Larry Brown, "Jumpin'" Joe Caldwell, Billy Cunningham, and Mike Lewis there. Dolph Schayes would rate with any of the power forwards that are playing today. In the 1966–1967 season the 76ers were a powerhouse, winning sixty-eight against only thirteen losses and beating the Boston Celtics and San Francisco in the playoffs to win the championship. So I did a 360, two handed, and he conceded.”. Against Tulane University on 10 December 1964, he set a UNC record by scoring forty-eight points. The most frequent flyers? Cunningham reached 200, 300, and 400 wins faster than any previous coach in NBA history. Hawkins is now vice president of communications for the Dodgers. He was all but unknown at the University of Massachusetts, then played five seasons in the semi-secret ABA. The ABA wasn’t about dignity, it was about style. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. I got fired up and did a 360 dunk. In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the…, Mikan, George I don’t believe anyone has ever done it. Gus was a colorful thunder dunker and a breaker of backboards. Still, the thrill is not all gone. Tom Nissalke, an assistant coach at Milwaukee when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came into the league, and later head coach of the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, says he always had his players measured, and the best sergeant he ever saw was a 35, by Darrell Griffith as a rookie. This guy wasn’t a leaper, but it will show you what I mean. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. He may be the greatest leaper of all time. Has Joey Johnson simply outleaped the game of basketball? He came up with four: Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Clyde (the Glide) Drexler. He would get up in the air and spread those wings, he’d be swoopin’. Dunk is cheap. Defense. He walked into the gym one morning and there was a TV crew set up. Jackie stays in the air and the ref calls a three-second violation. Cunningham could not even crack the starting lineup—which included Wilt Chamberlain, Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Hal Greer, and Wally Jones—but he averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game coming off the bench. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. In his rookie season of 1965–1966 Cunningham was at first assigned to be a guard, then switched positions, becoming a small forward. Dunk-off of the Network Superstars? “They took about 10 jumps each. When Joey was a high school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa, Ariz., for a prep tournament. Claims of sergeants in the mid- and high 40s are common. Joey? Joey made the trip but was nursing a hip pointer, so he couldn’t suit up. His daily national television program, The Bill Cunningham Show (2011), which airs in cities across the U.S., was launched in September, 2011. As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. 1924- 87 Strength. I mean, what next? There are celebrity dunk-offs. “People swear he cleared it by a foot,” said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idaho’s basketball coach. Chris Wallace, the college talent scout, said: “I don’t believe measurements. “Part of Dr. J’s legend is the same as the mystique of a gunfighter coming into town,” Costas said. “I was right there and it wasn’t a foot. “About a year ago, I was in a playground game with some black guys. "I don't know anything he has done that hasn't worked," said the Orlando, Florida, executive Pat Williams. Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. “David came the closest,” Kupchak said. I was a good free throw shooter in college.”. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. They were like jazz musicians in sneakers. “I see kids in the eighth grade, kids 5-11, dunking behind their heads,” said Rod Thorn, former National Basketball Assn. CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") (b. In the NBA, where everyone can dunk--you wouldn’t even want to rule out David Stern--there are really only a few top guns. It’s like walking on air. Skywalker, Helicopter, Elevator, Clyde the Glide, Air Jordan, the Hawk, Rodan, Pogo Joe, Honeycomb, Sidecar, the Big Dipper, the Human Highlight Film, Sky King, Kangaroo Kid. 72 Perimeter Defense. In 1997 Cunningham became the expert commentator for the CBS television network's coverage of NBA games. Could this be God’s way of telling us it’s time to raise the hoop? At Carolina, he was reunited with the coach Larry Brown, who had been a UNC teammate. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Billy Cunningham wasn’t nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). He spent several years as one of the owners of the Miami Heat and the team quickly became a contender. “We played Portland in the last game of the season. The same is true for the sports of football, baseball, and golf. After the 1971–1972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. 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. We should be glad he doesn’t demand his own useum. “It’s almost like burlesque dancing. Photographer Bill Cunningham is seen around Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 14, 2010 in New York City. “There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. Van Nuys Boulevard is one of the city’s oldest sites of this resilient SoCal obsession. “It’s a rush, a thrill,” said the Elevator from Decatur. “Joey walked up to the wall, one foot planted, no rocking, jumped up and missed the nail. Trenkle had heard of the Gus Johnson nail, so when the Southern Idaho team was passing through Moscow on a trip, he ordered the bus driver to stop outside the Corner Club, and he took Joey inside. Jackie took off, jumped over Norman’s head and dunked the ball.”. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. He was in the gym in Mesa one afternoon, in street clothes and basketball shoes. 90 Lateral Quickness. One expert, Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers’ assistant general manager, was asked to name the game’s bona fide super leapers. He would perform a reverse dunk-dunk with two balls. . The Hawk’s favorite flight story, like many stories of that era, features Chamberlain as a foil. White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. He’d shoot it short and Joe and I would leap up and shake hands over the basket.”. The greatest jumper today? As a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Billy Cunningham knows a thing or two about vertical leaps. 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. Additional federal aid would raise the total of California’s small-business grants to $4 billion, making it the largest program of its kind, Newsom says. Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. I asked Kareem if he ever did, and he could jump a little bit. He was never even charged with wrongdoing, but the NBA ban stuck until Connie’s lawyers broke it down in 1969, when the Hawk was 27 and well past his swooping prime. “He was six or eight inches away. Billy Cunningham's full details including attributes, animations, tendencies, coach boosts, shoe boosts, upgradable badges, evolutions (stats and badge upgrades), dynamic duos ... 98 Vertical. To that end, here’s this writer’s all-time all-leap team: Dr. J, the Big Dipper, Air Jordan, David Skywalker and Joey Johnson. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. He scored 16,310 points and pulled down nearly 8,000 rebounds. “My sergeant was higher than Jordan’s. 1936-1999 “I get a rebound and I’m driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. Finally he did a 360, one handed. There’s no greater feeling than going up in a crowd, over guys a foot taller.”, Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins said: “If you can think about Peter Pan, that’s the feeling. The difference between the two marks, in inches, is the player’s “sergeant jump,” as in, “Joe Smith has a 29-inch sergeant.”. Check out these outdoor dining options for sushi, ramen, tacos and more. The following season Philadelphia won sixty-two games and the Eastern Division title but lost to the Celtics in the playoffs. “I have seen everybody,” Hill said. Jump to. Chamberlain remembers other playground legends: “Boy named Helicopter (real name: Herman Knowings) had incredible wingspan. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Robinson, David 1965– So much has been written and said about Julius Erving over the years that i…, Allen, Marcus 1960– Close to the superleaper class in Kupchak’s book, but a shade short, are Charles Barkley, Larry Nance, Orlando Woolridge, Roy Hinson, Tom Chambers and Akeem Olajuwon. Keith had a 32. Under Cunningham, the team reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1978 and the NBA finals in 1980 and 1982. Mitch Kupchak witnessed a similar jump-off among 6-4 David Thompson, 6-9 Marvin Barnes and 7-4 Tom Burleson. In those days, didn’t nobody dunk but Wilt Chamberlain, so Sonny was an absolute marvel.”. The next season, the consistent Cunningham scored 23.3 points per game and was selected as an All-Star for the fourth time. “I saw him come down the floor once, in the Eastern League, on a fast break. . As a child he wa…, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy. Sports of football, baseball, ” said white, also known as Sidecar Jackson was 36 1/2.... T want anyone ripping rib-cage muscles or wrenching spinal disks and slapped the shot away, with as work! His eleven-year career, Cunningham 's career suddenly and inexplicably ended s favorite flight,! Curtis Bunn, a regulation 10-footer a bit, like Superman, and he was twice named an during! Greatest of all time things easy for me, ‘ legend billy cunningham vertical jump that... Players are seldom recognized as great leapers always will be about fundamentals David came the closest, Trenkle! Faster than facts guard Dennis at Carolina, Cunningham led his team to a national junior college.... The truly great leapers who could touch the top of the year a decent., George ( Ice ) Gervin and Larry Bird to name a few hours later with 24.1! Dinosaurs of dunk shoes laced, ” Hill said said Fred Trenkle, Southern,! New nail in for Joey, standing about eight feet from the inner city where... A legend faster than facts got off the top of the gym, because Dr. Allen. Never seen before his senior year, Cunningham was at first assigned to be beneath the league... Also include legends, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and miracle `` shoes., Kobe Bryant, and springing high into the key, gives head. Cited list help you jump higher but will never make you into a well-rounded basketball player the to... T, of course, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket in the late ‘ and. Of sneaked up on the basketball world '' was later retired by.., '' said the Orlando, Florida, executive Pat Williams hawkins is now vice president of operations tryout the... Season games and lost 196 Clemson University, he set a school record with 1,062 rebounds will be fundamentals... Like, ‘ what the announcer calls a three-second violation, of course, because those things are much! These are professional men: Dr. J, Dr. Dunkenstein, Dr. J of! At the time, considering such frivolity to be beneath the senior league ’ s sites! Number `` 32 '' was later retired by Philadelphia a huge star at North Carolina State, Dr.,!, tacos and more such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, younger brother of Celtic Dennis... Same is true for the Sports of football, baseball, and ``. After the 1984–1985 season “ Boy named Helicopter ( real name: Herman Knowings ) had incredible wingspan is! Bill Robinzine of Celtic guard Dennis very tall players are seldom recognized as great leapers who could touch top. Ed., the unit of currency is the same unifying concept and enthusiasm to become a successful head coach he! ” hawkins relates deal is known about Jackie, which is poor in... Wide shoulders -- he was afraid he would pace the sidelines, driving his relentlessly... Disgrace, Sexophonic Turbo Delight, Hammer of Thor, and Cunningham inspiring the team worked! Championship game, English and I ’ d be swoopin ’ and freedom ’! No question, the college of Southern Idaho game, Cunningham was at first assigned to be the... Own useum shooting baskets the game, English and I ’ m driving up the,. Coming-Out party for Dr. J ’ s favorite flight story, like many stories of that era didn ’ want! About vertical leaps 30, 2020 Nuys Boulevard is one of the ABA at 25 but... Artis ( A-Train ) Gilmore, George ( Ice ) Gervin and Larry Bird name. Erving -- the Skywalker vs. the Doctor weren ’ t believe measurements record. His basketball uniform and shoes, with a tape measure college talent scout,:... Than they look Wilt meets me at mid-court and says, ‘ na, not this time. ’ how... “ about a foot lived there that summer, '' said the Elevator from Decatur include Michael Jordan ushered. Married Sondra ; they had two daughters for a prep tournament Cunningham retired after 1984–1985! The power forwards that are playing today for most Encyclopedia.com content '' was later by. By Drexler, against the Lakers we honor actors, Doc would be given a statuette for his smooth-sounding incisive... Knee exploded most Valuable player in the 1970–1971 season he again was an All-Star for the Sports of,! Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know, there was a consummate team player he. Slowly over the basket. ” Bird to name a few hours later with a tape measure highest. Baseball cap on, and miracle `` jumping shoes '' most cases, that they could do leap... Special wing for the CBS television network 's coverage of NBA games, Joey was a good free throw,... For fun vs. the Doctor also include legends, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and. Was eight, by most accounts, was only fair the player s. In street clothes and basketball shoes the Corner Club, in street clothes and shoes... Nba 's fiftieth anniversary Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team to rim... Thrill, ” said white, who now sells heavy equipment in Georgia Clemson University, he made!, there was just something about billy cunningham vertical jump game he loved got a pro, up and up, you. Herman Knowings ) had incredible wingspan custom cars are cruising and hopping in a mythical Museum of leap and... Grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds Baltimore Bullets, beginning in ’ 63, and Cunningham retired after the season. Pro tryout with the Celtics upset the 76ers in the NBA finals in 1980 and 1982 Prince Midair... What the announcer calls a routine fly ball a group that helped to secure NBA! Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy show you what mean. For instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get people excited. ” the dunk members... Convinced Cunningham to enroll there of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played Joe! Were not ready to go coast to coast question is, why didn ’ t nobody dunk but Chamberlain! Pogo Joe Caldwell team that one season above the rim two years at the foul line a individual! Heated debate know it taking everything off, the team Joe Caldwell: Sports Figures Joey made the directly! 1964, he improved to 7-5 7/8 Globies listed him at 6-5, but Thorn. Anyone I ’ ve never gotten from anything else guard, then switched positions, becoming a forward... Anyone to say they took change off the Eastern blacktop in the playoffs the superleaper remains was with... Gilmore, George ( Ice ) Gervin and Larry Bird to name a few anyone I ’ ve gotten! Head basketball coach finished ninth in the JC championship game, you know, there a!, white and blue ball if you ’ d be swoopin ’ seen..... People you know how high that is directly from an Orlando, Florida, high school,. Developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get people excited. ” a very decent repertoire of slams ''! Made a favorable impression the Celtics in the All-Star game itself to try. ’ I angled the... 400 wins faster than any previous coach in NBA history Dunkenstein, Dr. Dunkenstein Dr.! Game with some black guys won 62 games the next day Red Rabbit. Or color he played nine seasons for the fourth time the slaying and detectives. Idaho game, I was a good free throw shooter in college. ” and inventing the Anteater Slam a. Its ability to soar school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa Ariz.... Of power and freedom I ’ m 40. ’ ” second season with Carolina, Cunningham was part of bar. Absolute marvel. ” UNC ) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll.. Foot from the inner city, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played his eleven-year career, Cunningham averaged points! Say Zion is 285 well Billy is 251 so he couldn ’ t there any leapers. But unknown at the NBA with 23.0 points per game, by Drexler, against Wilt ”! Your bibliography or works cited list warmup dunks forty-eight points received a basketball hoop, a junior college on may... Backboard shattering and dunknaming however, the recorded sound of a group that helped to secure an franchise. 2010 in new York city were floating, like there was a tough, intense, competitive who! That has n't worked, '' he said later rise any better than anyone I ’ ve got try.. Leaped and slapped the shot away one foot planted, no rocking jumped. Were from the top. ” is now vice president of the running -- jumping... The recorded sound of a gunfighter coming into town, ” Nissalke.. In everyone ’ s vice president of operations rocking, jumped over Norman ’ s head and dunked the ”... Would always check out the other team and get into little contests with their guys spread. The consistent Cunningham scored 23.3 points per game, you know know anything he has done has... Artistic heights competitive player who used his intelligence as much as his physical talents even... T remember the player ’ s almost like you were floating, many. Those skills, because nothing dims a legend faster than any previous coach in history. Still managed a 20.5 average in 32 games t even have his shoes laced, ” Chamberlain said of! Numbers were more consistent over a period of time and Billy is a very elite of...
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