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Dawkins named it, Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.. Griffin was born of half Afro-Haitian descent and half Caucasian. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid youve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. It's also available for football, hockey and baseball. I said, What the hell, Im 40. . All the teams did that. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. Or write about sports? 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. On 6 May 1986 Cunningham was elected into the NBA Hall of Fame, as one of its ten initial inductees. Hawkins is now vice president of communications for the Dodgers. He would get up in the air and spread those wings, hed be swoopin. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. us, High School: In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. Thunder Dan has more than made friends with the rim and earned his name! He prevailed in the end! Clutch West, with his awe-inspiring 60-foot shot in the 1970 NBA Final. The ABA wasnt about dignity, it was about style. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Encyclopedia.com. Okay, so LaVine is technically not 100% Caucasian. 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. 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. Jack Gardner, a former college coach, did our testing, Nissalke said. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny OFFICIAL TRAILER! The following season, with the ABAs future in jeopardy, Cunningham returned to the 76ers. But the winning wasnt over. Billy Cunningham. I said to myself, Ive got to try. I angled to the right. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. This guy wasnt a leaper, but it will show you what I mean. We Have Fusion Energy! "Shue Ousted, Cunningham Named; N.B.A. I lived there that summer, he later recalled. Thats about half the height of Michael Jordan. Thats the outer space were dealing with today, the sky above the hoop, the rare air inhabited by only a select group of humans, the legendary leapers. He had tested thousands of Navy pilots during the war, and he said Griffiths was the highest he ever measured.. When Cunningham got off the bus in Chapel Hill in the fall of 1961, he was all skin and bones, a freckle-faced redhead with a clumsy, pigeon-toed gait. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. If we were to honor dunkers as we honor actors, Doc would be given a statuette for his body of work. Blonde hair. 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. Contending that the Cougars had reneged on paying the remaining $80,000 of a $125,000 signing bonus due on May 15, 1970, he reversed himself and signed a fouryear, $950,000 contract extension to stay with the 76ers through 197475 on July 15, 1970. Wed been on the bus eight hours by then, Trenkle said. Some of them were pretty damn eccentric. Destined to become one of the first of basketball's most talented big men, as a young man George Mikan, Sprewell, Latrell 1970 With a dad who played basketball center for Northwestern Oklahoma University, and a childhood that included playing baseball, football, AND hoops, Blake Griffin was destined for greatness. Imagine yourself lifting off the blacktop, up and up, until you can reach into the air far above the rim. As an owner and commentator, he also made a favorable impression. Cunningham became a playground regular, a gym rat, and a high school star, leading Erasmus Hall to the New York City Championship in 1961. During a game in 1963 against Clemson University, he grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds. Judging by a still shot the DukeMBB videographer took during the testing, Williamson cleared a vertical leap mark of 40 inches. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The legendary player and coach was named the ABA MVP for the 1972-73 season. Look up. That said, you can see his leaping ability when he takes off. [8] For his career, he scored 16,310 points, grabbed 7,981 rebounds, and recorded 3,305 assists in both the NBA and the ABA. In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. The schools former coach, Frank McGuire, was the one who had recruited Cunningham, which left Smith with a prize recruit he had never seen. 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. "In a way the injury made things easy for me," he said later. Shoots: It was the Human Highlight Film vs. a Selected Short. Cade Cunningham has a vertical jump of 41 inches. Its unbelievable. Date of birth: 3 June 1943 . Daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham jumps into action during They think they could track down what the announcer calls a routine fly ball. Injuries limited Cunningham to only 32 games in 1973-74, but he still averaged 20.5 ppg. Before his senior year, White happened to work out with some Atlanta Hawks players and they went to coach Richie Guerin with tales of this amazing leaper. Bill Cunningham - 700WLW Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 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. Keith Smart always reported he had a 44. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Not a great deal is known about Jackie, which is good, because nothing dims a legend faster than facts. You cant accomplish that feat unless youve got some serious springs in your heels! Jerry West could get up. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. Jackie took off, jumped over Normans head and dunked the ball.. Billy Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York and UNC. Then he goes into coaching and, percentage-wise, becomes one of the best ever. Do you have a blog? His jump was absolutely awesome. [10] In October 2021, he was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[11]. Cunningham, though, tore up the ABA. Pregame warmups were his showtime. We should be glad he doesnt demand his own useum. Billy Cunningham - Wikipedia In 1966 Cunningham Then they took out Boston in the Eastern Division finals San Francisco in the NBA Finals. Thats about the height of the average 4-year-old. 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. A fabulous collegian and pro player Cunningham shot to stardom when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966. Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona States coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. It doesnt take a detective to see these were obviously a foreshadowing of plays to come. As a player and then a coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was part of two NBA championship teams. He may be the greatest leaper of all time. Category:Billy Cunningham - Wikimedia Commons Pitchin Paul is credited as being one of the first basketball players to ever use the jump shot. Bones Barry is pretty much Larry Bird, only with a slightly higher jump and significantly longer shorts. Its almost like you were floating, like there was no such thing as gravity. With an average height of 64, Arizin had fantastic ball handling skills, played a mean defense, and had some seriously bouncy feet. Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York, Draft: It was legendary, however, and cemented young Majerle as one of the best white dunkers of all time. The greatest nicknames in basketball are reserved for those who attain the greatest altitude. But the final came down to David Thompson vs. Julius Erving--the Skywalker vs. the Doctor. Finally he did a 360, one handed. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Do you have a sports website? When you think about Billys life, it is amazing, former Philadelphia 76er executive and then-Orlando Magic senior executive vice president Pat Williams told New Miami magazine in 1992. And the problem these days is inflation. [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. So goes the popular assumption. 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. During his eight seasons as the coach of the 76ers, Philadelphia won 454 regular season games and lost 196. At six feet, seven inches tall and 220 pounds, Cunningham was a consistent scorer and fierce rebounder. It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. What happens when you put stilts on kangaroo? . Joey didnt even have his shoes laced, Clarke said. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. I told him Id read he had a 44. One boy did dunks of a monster nature, so they named him after the only monster they knew that could fly--Rodan. Youd be hard pressed to find a list of Best Dunks that didnt include his legendary knee-to-the-throat jump on Mark Jackson, where he rose like a Phoenix (how clever!) A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success. (February 22, 2023). 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. Hed shoot it short and Joe and I would leap up and shake hands over the basket.. About a year ago, I was in a playground game with some black guys. That swagger had to come from somewhere. 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. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. 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. Effortless, absolutely effortless.. You get it. Media in category "Billy Cunningham" The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. 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. 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. As a high school senior, he received a scholarship offer from a Midwestern college, asking him to become the schools first black player. These are true royalty: Sir Jamalot, Sir Slam, the Prince of Midair. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. There have been--and are--very good white jumpers. Here's a number: 44 inches. Can you do that? I saw him come down the floor once, in the Eastern League, on a fast break. billy cunningham vertical jump In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. ! 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. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. Cunningham achieved a career trifecta in law, business, and government. My sergeant was higher than Jordans. Who would he share a wing with? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He led the Cougars to the best record in the league and was selected to the All-ABA First Team and was named the ABA MVP. 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. Marcus Allen was born on March 26, 1960, to Harold and Gwen Allen in San Diego, CA. I used to dunk on that basket. Stanfords 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. Cunningham scored 18.9 points per game. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. Manigault, for instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get it, did time in two prisons. As a child he wa, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy. Cunningham had just snared a defensive rebound and was dribbling to the Sixers free-throw line when, as he later recounted, his knee just exploded. No one had touched him, although Alfred Butch Beard was given a foul on the play. Anybodv can win the lottery.. I was phoning the Charlotte Hornets to reach David (Skywalker) Thompson, who now works in the teams front office, when a female secretary said: Ive only seen two players who did things that I watched and I didnt believe--David, and Michael Jordan. In his first playoff appearance, he led the Sixers to a 4-game sweep against the Knicks,[12] before bowing down to the Bullets in six games. He was in the gym in Mesa one afternoon, in street clothes and basketball shoes. 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). His entire head and neck were above the rim. > Archive 75: Billy Cunningham| 75 Stories: Billy Cunningham. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Geraldo Rivera is standing by. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. Thats a white head, remember. It's like walking on air. "I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. He finally got a pro tryout with the Utah Stars of the ABA at 25, but by then his fabulous springs were sprung. Billy Cunningham Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth Ive got the videotape to prove it., Karl Kleinkopf, who coached the Southern Idaho track team for nine years, said: Theres absolutely no doubt Joey could be an eight-foot high jumper by 1992. They are enshrined in a mythical Museum of Leap. He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. billy cunningham vertical jump - mail.edtna-erca.org He led Philadelphia to the playoffs in every year as coach, and advanced to the NBA Finals 3 times, in the 197980, 198182 and 198283 seasons. He was never even charged with wrongdoing, but the NBA ban stuck until Connies lawyers broke it down in 1969, when the Hawk was 27 and well past his swooping prime. Curtis Bunn, a 6-1 reporter for Newsday, has a very decent repertoire of slams. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. ." In 1967, he teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title. When Joey was a high school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa, Ariz., for a prep tournament. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Billy Cunningham was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft. 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. Instead he went to Georgia as a white player and was a so-so power forward. And he played it constantly. The Cougars' attempt to file an injunction against him was denied in United States District Court on September 24, 1971. why did michael jackson wrote heal the world; lionel richie las vegas 2022 1924- Billy Cunningham tells broadcaster John Andariese about his early success with the 76ers. Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. Lets add Billy Hoyle as an honourary #16 to this list, shall we? (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy) Cunningham, her stepdaughter and her fiance all jumped into action. There are two other pure measurements of leap--the dunk and the top of the money exchange. At Carolina, he was reunited with the coach Larry Brown, who had been a UNC teammate. [1] His first regular show on the station was at night, generally from 9:00 p.m. until midnight. 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. Born: June 3, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York us College: UNC High School: Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft William John "Billy" Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. Do you have a blog? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Stand underneath a basketball hoop, a regulation 10-footer. "It's a remarkable life.". 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. These guys more than held their own in a sport where they were absolutely a minority. The 1984-85 season, Cunninghams last as coach, featured the addition of rookie Charles Barkley to the team. The difference between the two marks, in inches, is the players sergeant jump, as in, Joe Smith has a 29-inch sergeant.. They took about 10 jumps each. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Why isnt this guy in the hall of fame yet? Joey walked up to the wall, one foot planted, no rocking, jumped up and missed the nail. There is a tavern called the Corner Club, in Moscow, Ida. He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. I dont know anything he has done that hasnt worked. White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. Now an NBA journeyman, Dawkins came into the NBA in 1975, straight out of high school, billed as the center of the future. He and Hal Greer were the only key players from the 1967 championship team still playing vital roles. [4], Cunningham signed a threeyear contract on August 5, 1969 to begin play with the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars in 197172. billy cunningham vertical jump - oumi-castle.net He didnt just score, he scored OVER people, including all 68 of Plastic Man Stacey Augmon. The greatest jumper today? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") It was like, Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy. 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. Yep. It was so much air that it tied young Pat for the spot of second-highest vertical leap recorded up to that point. I cant put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. In 1987, Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator (alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton) for CBS' NBA telecasts. Its almost like burlesque dancing. [CDATA[ Everybody dunks. We played Portland in the last game of the season. The single-game high was eight, by Drexler, against the Lakers. He was a high school superstar. Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. Mitch Kupchak witnessed a similar jump-off among 6-4 David Thompson, 6-9 Marvin Barnes and 7-4 Tom Burleson. His list of accolades from his time at the University of North Carolina is probably as long as his legs (hes 67, in case youre wondering), which is not surprising since anybody with the nickname Kangaroo Kid must have worked pretty hard and jumped pretty high to earn it. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. While he was dribbling down the court, his knee exploded. Until recently, nobody ever tried to keep track of dunks on any league-wide scale. The following season Philadelphia won sixty-two games and the Eastern Division title but lost to the Celtics in the playoffs. Its not just his personality that gets attention, though; hes been an NBA Champion in 2013, participated in the Slam Dunk Contest twice, and his vertical leap measures in at a not-too-shabby 37 inches. Someone would put a quarter up and Id snatch it down. Not too shabby at all, right? Upload media Wikipedia. Select from premium Billy Cunningham 76ers of the highest quality. In 1969-70, Cunningham averaged a career-best 26.1 points, fourth-highest in the league behind Jerry West, Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Elvin Hayes. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Billy Cunningham The NBA had no such contest at the time, considering such frivolity to be beneath the senior leagues dignity. 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. Professional football player Hes said to be the greatest white dunker in all of basketball history. He finished well out of the running--or jumping--when he clanged at least one attempt off the rim. Cunningham would never play again. He also had stellar 3-pointer abilities, but after that 1996 air show, most of his other accomplishments were left in the dust. He said he was afraid he would cut himself. Most of these leapers were from the inner city, where they suffered from overexposure to drugs and underexposure to formal education.