Has Joey Johnson simply outleaped the game of basketball? [9] In 1996, Cunningham was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary. 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. Nobody ever played the game could rise any better than Jackie. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. These guys more than held their own in a sport where they were absolutely a minority. It was so good that Cunningham, a future Hall of Famer, came off the bench. He cant even walk.. 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!) 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. They were a winning team the next two seasons but could not repeat as champions, and Cunningham retired after the 19841985 season. Theres not room for both of us. The next day Red let Rabbit go. Youre entering another world up there. But he was over by a good six to eight inches. Realizing they needed a dominant big man to contain Abdul-Jabbar, Philadelphia acquired the two-time MVP (1979 and 82) Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets (Malone would win a third MVP as a Sixer in that first season in Philadelphia) before the 1982-83 season. Weve all heard the saying: white men cant jump. Ron Shelton even made a (fantastic) movie about it in the 90s! That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. The future never came, but Dawkins broke new ground in power dunking, backboard shattering and dunknaming. During his eight seasons as the coach of the 76ers, Philadelphia won 454 regular season games and lost 196. Julius, Gus (Johnson), Pogo Joe Caldwell. I was right there and it wasnt a foot. Is Billy Cunningham married? The new generation of jumpers, ushered in by Julius Erving, has pushed the dunk to new artistic heights. He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. The following season, the Sixers finished behind Boston in the standings and were upset by the New Jersey Nets in the first round. > Archive 75: Billy Cunningham| 75 Stories: Billy Cunningham. Cunningham scored 18.9 points per game. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. I said to him, Yes, yes, yes! Wilt said, Im gonna kill you. . can arthur get a girlfriend rdr2; cook county jail roster; zip code validation rule in salesforce; first coast security ehub; billy cunningham vertical jump. He came up with four: Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Clyde (the Glide) Drexler. Why isnt this guy in the hall of fame yet? 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. Biography. Thunder Dan has more than made friends with the rim and earned his name! I said to myself, Ive got to try. I angled to the right. The following season Philadelphia won sixty-two games and the Eastern Division title but lost to the Celtics in the playoffs. Stanford's 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. us, High School: Still, the thrill is not all gone. Dunk is cheap. Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft, More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. 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. Artis (A-Train) Gilmore, George (Ice) Gervin and Larry (Big Cat) Kenon all dunked admirably. It looked like the half-court line was around a mile and a half away, Cunningham said. It is. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. And the man has pulled out some pretty crazy surprise dunks. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. No. We know he was born in New Bern, N.C., grew up (and flew up) in Brooklyn, attended Virginia Union, then played several years for the Harlem Globetrotters and in the old Eastern League. He told me, Sonny, no. . The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. But listen to Wilt. Really, though, hed have to in order to make it look like he belonged there among all the African American bball greats. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. 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 the 2005 NBA pre-draft camp he gained 34.5 inches of air. Upon graduation, his 1,062 rebounds were the best in North Carolina history and he held single-season records for most rebounds (379 in 1964) and rebound average (16.1 in 1963). He reached both the 300 and 400-win milestones faster than any coach in NBA history. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. He was discovered. ." The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. In his final season, he was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. His masterpiece was a backboard shattering dunk over Kansas City forward Bill Robinzine. Its a remarkable life.. You dont play with a red, white and blue ball if youre into dignity. In todays semifinals, folks, well see Gary (Up in the Airy) Coleman vs. Bea (the Flea) Arthur, and Jumpin Johnny Carson vs. Pogo Stick Peter Jennings. Think about Steve Nash and the beautiful game he played: flawless passes, sinking 90.4% of his free throws, point guard skills on point every time. Griffin was born of half Afro-Haitian descent and half Caucasian. For his college career he averaged 24.8 points per game and set a school record with 1,062 rebounds. The most frequent flyers? During a game in 1963 against Clemson University, he grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds. Some have called the team the greatest of all time. amc gremlin for sale washington state billy cunningham vertical jump. Philadelphia then became a member of the leagues elite. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Brooks suspended after receiving 16th technical foul, Grizzlies' Clarke (torn achilles) out indefinitely, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs. Now an NBA journeyman, Dawkins came into the NBA in 1975, straight out of high school, billed as the center of the future. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. This guy that was also selected for the MLB draft, spent time with the Orioles, and pitched an impressive 96 mph. 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. star and now the leagues vice president of operations. Billy Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. Most of these leapers were from the inner city, where they suffered from overexposure to drugs and underexposure to formal education. Billy Cunningham (Billy; The Kangaroo Kid) Position: Forward 6-6 , 210lb (198cm, 95kg) School: North Carolina (Men) Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft SUMMARY Career G 69 PTS 24.8 TRB 15.4 AST - FG% 47.3 FT% 62.8 Cunningham Overview More Cunningham Pages More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference His entire head and neck were above the rim. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. CREATIVE. Watch even half of any of his highlight reels and youll understand why he made this list. Rosters Cut,", "1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers", Goldaper, Sam. And despite the proliferation of dunkers, there is a very elite group of leapers. 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. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the following year. Before the game, English and I went back and forth. In those days, didnt nobody dunk but Wilt Chamberlain, so Sonny was an absolute marvel.. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. He was a five-time All Star, 1972-73 MVP, and received recognition for numerous goals, throws, rebounds, and assist plays. White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. In our museum of hoop flight, there is a special wing for the charter members, the dinosaurs of dunk. He was a role player on the 1967 title team in . Now, as radio's "Voice of the Common Man," Bill merges all his knowledge, along with his distinguished guests to enrich the minds of his loyal and participative audience. Ill give you an example. However, the date of retrieval is often important. home/away, monthly, etc More Billy Cunningham Basketball Reference pages, Compare Billy Cunningham to other players. snoop dogg zodiac chart New Lab; kaplan children's furniture; is there quicksand in georgia; 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. And Dirk Nowitzki who no doubt has walls plastered top to bottom with awards and achievements. Its unbelievable. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. The following season, with the ABAs future in jeopardy, Cunningham returned to the 76ers. During one game he went THROUGH and OVER the 77 Manute Bol of the Golden State Warriors to ALMOST score. Injuries limited Cunningham to only 32 games in 1973-74, but he still averaged 20.5 ppg. Billy Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. He was all but unknown at the University of Massachusetts, then played five seasons in the semi-secret ABA. 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. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. The team finished 42-40 and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. Nope. Uh oh! Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. 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. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. Do you have a blog? During his playing career, he was a 4-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA First Team selection. The rim was two inches low. Herb White was moved to write a poem about an eagle that had lost its ability to soar. 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. He was with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers for 17 years . He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. Professional football player the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 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. Michael Jordan has stopped just short of holding the ball in his mouth, uncoiling his tongue in mid-flight and inventing the Anteater Slam. As a player and then a coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was part of two NBA championship teams. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. 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. 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. He would find a way to beat you., Billy Cunningham discovered the game after receiving a basketball for his fifth birthday. A sample: In Your Face Disgrace, Sexophonic Turbo Delight, Hammer of Thor, and Yo Mamma. 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.