Cunningham played with visible enthusiasm. Chamberlain couldnt remember the players name, but Rod Thorn did. Destined to become one of the first of basketball's most talented big men, as a young man George Mikan, Sprewell, Latrell 1970 We ask the player to stand next to a wall, flat-footed, one arm stretched to its maximum, and mark the apex of his fingers. Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona States coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. These guys will never forget the blur of that mullet-ed head flying past them. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The rim was two inches low. 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. 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. of 6. 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. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. Posted by; Date June 12, 2022; Comments . His colourful tattoos and hairstyles are about as famous as his skills too, with hairdos including mohawks, spikes, and shoulder-length shag. Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York, Draft: Billy Cunningham played fiercely, coached intensely, and won frequently. In the NBA, where everyone can dunk--you wouldnt even want to rule out David Stern--there are really only a few top guns. That Sixers team has since been hailed as the greatest ever assembled. The ABA wasnt about dignity, it was about style. In the six years of the NBAs slam dunk contest, only one white player has been invited to compete, 6-10 Tom Chambers in 1986. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. When they were not taking everything off, the dancing was more alluring. Select from premium Billy Cunningham 76ers of the highest quality. //]]>. Then an All-Star. Why isnt this guy in the hall of fame yet? Thats about the height of the average 4-year-old. The 1996 dunk competition boasted great ballers like the 76ers Jerry Stackhouse and the Suns Michael Finley, and nobody really expected the Lakers guard to triumph. Find out more. Herb White was moved to write a poem about an eagle that had lost its ability to soar. But the final came down to David Thompson vs. Julius Erving--the Skywalker vs. the Doctor. After this historic 2015 event, Twitter lit up with the hashtag #WhiteMenCanJump (the up in lit up is so well placed, right?). His masterpiece was a backboard shattering dunk over Kansas City forward Bill Robinzine. It was those antsy feet that made him unstoppable, resulting in his inclusion on 10 All-Star Games, achieving the 1952 All-Star Game MVP, and nabbing 5 MVP Award shares. However, the poet laureate of leap is Darryl Dawkins. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. Philadelphia went 47-35, second in the newly formed Atlantic Division, but was ousted again in the first round of the playoffs. Griffin has been one of the most electrifying dunkers in the NBA for the past eight years. Shoots: As a rookie in 1965-66, he pulled down 7.5 rpg, scored 14.3 ppg and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. (2000). His standing vertical was 37.5 inches. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Billy Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. As an owner and commentator, he also made a favorable impression. Look up. 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. He was with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers for 17 years . 1964 UNC at Duke, tip-off.jpg 1,454 1,750; 377 KB. There is no full-length biography of Cunningham, but he is mentioned in most authoritative histories of basketball and in several magazine and online profiles. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. In the 197374 season, Cunningham and the Cougars finished third in the Eastern Division and lost again to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division semifinals. We sure are glad he picked basketball! 22 Feb. 2023 . 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. The other measurement of leap is the money exchange at the top of the backboard, which is exactly 13 feet above the floor and three feet above the rim. Joey? married Sondra; they had two daughters. He was an NBA champion both as a player (1967) and as a coach (1983). For his eleven-year career, Cunningham averaged 21.2 points per game. inBrooklyn,New York Hawkins is now vice president of communications for the Dodgers. He would get up in the air and spread those wings, hed be swoopin. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. His show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. In his final season, he was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. During one game he went THROUGH and OVER the 77 Manute Bol of the Golden State Warriors to ALMOST score. 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. Its a feeling of power and freedom Ive never gotten from anything else. "In a way the injury made things easy for me," he said later. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. After that season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA with the Carolina Cougars. After the 197374 season, Cunningham returned to the 76ers, where he played until torn knee cartilage and ligaments ended his career as an active player early in the 197576 season. On December 20, 1970, Cunningham scored 31 points and grabbed a career-high 27 rebounds en route to a 134132 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Known as 'The Kangaroo Kid,' Billy Cunningham was a high-flying scorer who won an NBA title as a player and coach with the 76ers. It is. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Thats about half the height of Michael Jordan. They couldnt, of course, because those things are so much harder than they look. Gus was a colorful thunder dunker and a breaker of backboards. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). If the Land of Leap had a national holiday, it would be Feb. 8, the anniversary of the legendary 1976 ABA All-Star games first--and last--slam dunk contest. During both is college and NBA career, this guy leapt like nobodys business. Dont send letters, leapers. He and Hal Greer were the only key players from the 1967 championship team still playing vital roles. The most frequent flyers? Do you have a sports website? There is a tavern called the Corner Club, in Moscow, Ida. He averaged 24.1 ppg (fourth best in the league) and 6.3 apg (fifth best), leading the Cougars to a 57-27 record, tops in the ABAs Eastern Division. Detroits Adrian Dantley, 6-foot-4, and Clevelands Phil Hubbard, 6-8, were the only front-court starters to go through the season dunkless. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . . The future never came, but Dawkins broke new ground in power dunking, backboard shattering and dunknaming. It's like walking on air. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. star and now the leagues vice president of operations. Philadelphia won 62 games the next season, but the Celtics upset the 76ers in the playoffs. There are celebrity dunk-offs. 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. Cunningham hit for 18.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Thats a white head, remember. They swept the Knicks in the conference semis and topped the Bucks in five games to reach another Finals, where they swept longtime nemesis L.A. for the championship. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Robinson, David 1965 Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. I was right there and it wasnt a foot. Dunk-off of the Network Superstars? I dont want anyone ripping rib-cage muscles or wrenching spinal disks. Do you have a sports website? Okay, so LaVine is technically not 100% Caucasian. Cunningham reached 200, 300, and 400 wins faster than any previous coach in NBA history. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. It was legendary, however, and cemented young Majerle as one of the best white dunkers of all time. Cunningham would never play again. When I was a freshman, I fooled around with shooting free throws this way: For some reason, I thought you had to stay within the top half of that free-throw circle, so I would step back to just inside the top of the circle, take off from behind the line and dunk. His playing days ended on one play in the 1975-76 season. Everybody dunks. One of the more recent players on this list, Chris Birdman Anderson is known for his celebratory arm flapping and his intriguing tattoos. Learn more and register. That year, he was the First-Team All-New York Its a rush, a thrill, said the Elevator from Decatur. I get a rebound and Im driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. Now they take everything off and it takes a lot more to get people excited.. If accurate, that would have put him as the 10th-highest max vertical leaper (not standing, but with a short running start) in the NBA Draft, just behind Grayson Allen's number of 40.5 inches. Then he transferred to Arizona State, clashed with then-coach Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team. Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. Rosters Cut,", "1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers", Goldaper, Sam. I told him Id read he had a 44. Dean Smith, the new coach at the University of North Carolina, was not as impressed, at least not immediately. In 1974 Cunningham returned to the 76ers. The 6-2 product of the Harlem slums could dunk, catch the ball with his opposite hand and dunk it again, all in the same leap. The college boys are no doubt wide eyed and gape-mouthed when they meet this coach for the first time. Dunk is cheap. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. In 1987, the NBA Board of Governors awarded the group an expansion franchise to begin play in 1988-89 and thus the Miami Heat was born. Close to the superleaper class in Kupchaks book, but a shade short, are Charles Barkley, Larry Nance, Orlando Woolridge, Roy Hinson, Tom Chambers and Akeem Olajuwon. Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy, "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") 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. At six feet, seven inches tall and 220 pounds, Cunningham was a consistent scorer and fierce rebounder. I mean, what next? The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. If youre looking for scale, thats taller than most baby elephants. Watch even half of any of his highlight reels and youll understand why he made this list. In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the, Mikan, George 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. There. His show is on the air from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. What type of shoes did Billy Cunningham wear? Then theres Jerry Mr. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. Michael Jordan has stopped just short of holding the ball in his mouth, uncoiling his tongue in mid-flight and inventing the Anteater Slam. He ran to the nearest school, three blocks away, and started shooting baskets. Judging by a still shot the DukeMBB videographer took during the testing, Williamson cleared a vertical leap mark of 40 inches. Billy can jump up to 29-31 inches (vertical leap). The next season, Phily finished 47-35, but lost to the Spurs in the conference semis. White is a regular at Hawk games and a fan of Wilkins. Cunningham left CBS Sports the following season to join the Miami Heat expansion franchise as a minority owner; he ultimately sold his interest of the Heat on August 12, 1994. Somebody done gotcha. But man, that was sweet music. Professional football player And there was a dog. He came up with four: Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Clyde (the Glide) Drexler. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Seniors Are Getting Freaking And A New Loofah Code Lets Everyone Know. "We just helped knock on doors and pull people out of their homes last night. By the time Dr. J got to the NBA, in 1976 at the age of 26, more than 25% of his leg spring--by his estimate--was shot. Some of the guys started dunking. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. My mother has a bar here in southern Idaho, and shes got a nail where Joey touched, at 11-9 1/2.. Terrell Owens Gets Into Fight Outside CVS. Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 30 years, beginning in 1983. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. There have been--and are--very good white jumpers. The difference between the two marks, in inches, is the players sergeant jump, as in, Joe Smith has a 29-inch sergeant.. The obvious question is, why didnt more of these guys play in the NBA? After acquiring the talented Moses Malone for the 19821983 season, Philadelphia won sixty-five regular season games and then the league championship, losing one of thirteen play-off games. One expert, Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers assistant general manager, was asked to name the games bona fide super leapers. Buffman and Cunningham decided to team up in the venture, and they brought in Lewis Schaffel and Ted Arison. His man takes him into the key, gives a head fake and sends Jackie skyward. I defy anyone to say they took change off the top of the backboard, Chamberlain said. Upload media Wikipedia. When Dominique (the Human Highlight Film) Wilkins was in college, a 5-9 laundry man named Leroy Nowells would saunter into the Georgia gym and match slams with Wilkins. 1936-1999 Anybodv can win the lottery.. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. In his first ABA season, Cunningham averaged 24.1 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, and led the league in total steals. 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Yep. Cunningham became a top analyst for CBSs broadcasts of NBA games. High Griffinition Blake joined the Oklahoma Sooners and became one of their most impressive players of all time. He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. Joey? Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. And the man has pulled out some pretty crazy surprise dunks. Dont try a big leap. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. A lot of great leapers dont bother to perfect those skills, because they are treated with such awe. 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. Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ZbxZ3AJWWjyZL0HXDpABwVdW.7p3rtLrWMEsK2FPL0A-86400-0"}; An influential figure on the game at large, Julius Erving won a 1983 NBA title in Philadelphia and was the face of the ABA as well. He was a No. Joey didnt even have his shoes laced, Clarke said. Billy Cunningham found success as a coach in the NBA after his playing days were through. Lift up an arm and hop once or twice to get a feel for how far away the rim is. Send us your videotape. All the teams did that. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He says it came by accident, that in his early days they often played on dance floors, which were often slippery, so he started jumping to avoid sliding and faceplanting. Can the old Elevator still ascend? Since his slamming days in the NBA, hes continued with the sport as a scout, director, analyst, commentator, and even vice president of player personnel. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. (b. That's because like many players expected to be picked very high in the draft, they do not attend the Draft Combine or its measurements. It doesnt take a detective to see these were obviously a foreshadowing of plays to come. I cant put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. Joey averaged 19.5 points at Southern Idaho and led the team to a national junior college title. Imagine yourself lifting off the blacktop, up and up, until you can reach into the air far above the rim. He was called the Kangaroo Kid for his prodigious leaping ability. They were like jazz musicians in sneakers. Dawkins named it, Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. Billy Cunningham of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a jump shot against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1968 at the Boston Garden in Boston,. Those Sixers advanced to the East finals before losing in five games to the Celtics. Then he went to North Carolina and was an All-American. During the post-season, the Cougars defeated the New York Nets in five games in the Eastern Division Semifinals to advance to the Eastern Division Finals. Ginoblili is 39 years old and recently won a jump ball against the 22-year-old Nerlens Noel, who has a good five inches on the Argentinian-Italian. Claims of sergeants in the mid- and high 40s are common. In the JC championship game, an opponent fired a jump shot at the buzzer. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Hailing from Argentina and a family chock full of ball players, Ginobili uses his signature Euro Step to fake out the defense and get him where he needs to go. [2] At the conclusion of the season he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Legends abound of the truly great leapers who could touch the top of the board. Julius, Gus (Johnson), Pogo Joe Caldwell. [10] In October 2021, he was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[11]. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. Spencer Haywood, for one, claims to have been to the top. We played Portland in the last game of the season. He ran out of his house and to the hoop at St. Rose of Lima grammar school, three blocks away. On a good day, he said. > Archive 75: Billy Cunningham| 75 Stories: Billy Cunningham. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. The Doc won it with a long run, a leap from two inches inside the free throw line and a dramatic, powerful windmill slam. Professional basketball player, sports administrator Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. In 1987, Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator (alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton) for CBS' NBA telecasts. And that performance in Denver was the national coming-out party for Dr. J, the godfather of dunk. In a way the injury made things easy for me, he added. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He was about a foot from the top.. Wilt meets me at mid-court and says, Na, na, na, not this time.. In the Museum of Leap, Wilt (the Big Dipper) Chamberlain has his own wing. [4], Cunningham signed a threeyear contract on August 5, 1969 to begin play with the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars in 197172. 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. The University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll there. Hes said to be the greatest white dunker in all of basketball history. ." 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. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. 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. He recorded 14 triple doubles in the NBA and 5 in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. By word of mouth, you would get to know who the best dunkers were, and by the end of the season it was pretty much agreed the best two were a Portland guy named Claude English and me. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny OFFICIAL TRAILER! Fiery and volatile, he would pace the sidelines, driving his team relentlessly. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Philadelphia then became a member of the leagues elite. 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. A lot of them, you have to understand, werent able to get into college, Chamberlain said. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. . We present them here for purely educational purposes. Jack Gardner, a former college coach, did our testing, Nissalke said. "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") 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. No discussion of legendary leapers is complete without heated debate. 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. He was named Most Valuable Player in the ABA. In 1966 Cunningham Uh oh! Find Billy Cunningham 76ers stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. The next season, the consistent Cunningham scored 23.3 points per game and was selected as an All-Star for the fourth time. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy) Cunningham, her stepdaughter and her fiance all jumped into action. In our museum of hoop flight, there is a special wing for the charter members, the dinosaurs of dunk. Cade Cunningham has a vertical jump of 41 inches. "I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face" about when to retire. He cant quite jump out of the gym, but he has come close to jumping out of a bar or two. In fact, his hockey-head-ish hair might even be as famous as his dunk. Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") ( b. They took about 10 jumps each. In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. Carolina lost to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division rinals, but Cunninghams regular-season performance earned him the ABA MVP. Really, though, hed have to in order to make it look like he belonged there among all the African American bball greats. [5] The reversal of that judgment in the United States Court of Appeals .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}6+12 months later on April 5, 1972, meant that Cunningham was obligated to honor his Cougars contract until its expiration in October 1974.
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