The following season, with the ABAs future in jeopardy, Cunningham returned to the 76ers. "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") An American-Israeli boy who was actually born in Taiwan, this dude was THIS CLOSE to entering the Slam Dunk competition in 2009, but was passed over for the Portland Trail Blazers Rudy Fernandez. 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. The mystery leaper was--and is--Herb White, 6-foot-2, eyes of blue, from Decatur, Ga. As with most leaping legends, Herbs aerial reputation often preceded him. Why not simply whip out a tape measure and measure the leapers leaps, take the guesswork out of whos the greatest? "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") 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. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. He ran out of his house and to the hoop at St. Rose of Lima grammar school, three blocks away. Then an All-Star. Brooks will serve his 1-game suspension Sunday when the Grizzlies visit the Clippers. In fact, he made so much of an impact that his NBA departure in 2012 made heads spin, and rumours that he might return to the US last year were eagerly believed. Even so, Erving was the NBAs most dazzling aerial star until he retired in 1987 and passed the title to Michael Jordan. "I lived there that summer," he later recalled. Not a great deal is known about Jackie, which is good, because nothing dims a legend faster than facts. 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. 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. High Griffinition Blake joined the Oklahoma Sooners and became one of their most impressive players of all time. Philadelphia switched Cunningham to small forward, a position that allowed him to use his tenacity and jumping ability around the boards. His playing days ended on one play in the 1975-76 season. Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. These are professional men: Dr. J, Dr. Dunkenstein, Dr. Jam. . He is six feet seven inches tall. Billy Cunningham was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Player in 1986 (Full List) [CDATA[ If we were to honor dunkers as we honor actors, Doc would be given a statuette for his body of work. Is Billy Cunningham married? These are not necessarily great basketball players, understand, but their ability to jump has made them objects of something much deeper than profound respect. His fame began while he was playing at St. Rose of Lima and later Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn,[1] where he was the MVP in the Brooklyn League in 1961. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. billy cunningham vertical jump - ingenioemprendedor.com Well find out next season. They outlawed that, but I wouldnt have done it in a game, anyway. The ABA wasnt about dignity, it was about style. Could this be Gods way of telling us its time to raise the hoop? Jones, a noted defensive terror. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . Why isnt this guy in the hall of fame yet? He said he was tired and tight. But the winning wasnt over. Kareem came the closest. Known as "The Kangaroo Kid," he won an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967, then coached the team to another championship in 1983. It's also available for football, hockey and baseball. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. All the teams did that. The Memphis forward sustained the injury Friday night during the 1st quarter of the Grizzlies 113-97 loss to the Nuggets. His departure had a disastrous effect on the 76ers, who posted a 9-73 record in 1972-73, the worst mark in NBA history. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. Herb White was moved to write a poem about an eagle that had lost its ability to soar. Find out more. After that season, he earned the first of what would be three straight All-NBA First Team selections. Keith Smart always reported he had a 44. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. [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. Note that this is not the official NBA measurement. In the NBA, where everyone can dunk--you wouldnt even want to rule out David Stern--there are really only a few top guns. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. If youve got a good imagination, imagine yourself wearing a baseball cap, and leaping so high, arms at your side, that you flick your head sideways and dunk your cap. 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. //]]>. Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. Not only could he dunk, but he had a serious white boy swagger. He got kudos for his smooth-sounding, incisive work with the play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton. Not too shabby at all, right? Billy Cunningham 76ers Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Billy Cunningham - IMDb He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). In the 19701971 season he again was an All-Star starter and finished ninth in the NBA with 23.0 points per game. After that season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA with the Carolina Cougars. I mean, what next? 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. The University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll there. 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. Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which also featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Jackie stays in the air and the ref calls a three-second violation. Keith had a 32. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. // Jack Gardner, a former college coach, did our testing, Nissalke said. High School and became known as the Kangaroo Kid for his impressive jumping ability. With Malone in the middle, and Erving, Bobby Jones, Cheeks and Andrew Toney all playing key roles, the 76ers went 65-17 and blew through the Atlantic Division. 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. Though he portrayed a large woman in "You have to Walk it like . Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. Hes said to be the greatest white dunker in all of basketball history. He was twice named an All-American during his collegiate years. His departure had a disastrous effect. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. Professional basketball player I was right there and it wasnt a foot. He succeeded Gene Shue as head coach of the 24 76ers on November 4, 1977. Small Forward and Power Forward These are true royalty: Sir Jamalot, Sir Slam, the Prince of Midair. Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. As a player, he was fiery yet consistent, pulling down rebounds and scoring points. 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Do you have a blog? Its almost like you were floating, like there was no such thing as gravity. Dawkins named it, Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.. He was six or eight inches away. "It's a remarkable life.". Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Position: Cunningham grew up in Brooklyn and on his fifth birthday he received a basketball. Lets add Billy Hoyle as an honourary #16 to this list, shall we? CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") ( b. Cunningham reached 200, 300, and 400 wins faster than any previous coach in NBA history. In The Finals, however, Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and the Lakers were too much. He would replace the injured and aging Luke Jackson as the starting power forward of the team, and averaged 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game during the 196869 season while leading the 76ers to 55 wins. 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. Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York. 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. Chris Wallace, the college talent scout, said: I dont believe measurements. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. If thats not impressive enough for you, he also played on two NBA championship teams and later coached the Philadelphia 76ers for eight seasons. Robinson, David 1965 There have been--and are--very good white jumpers. So he tried it again, grabbed the nail and bent it straight down. His entire head and neck were above the rim. Manigault, for instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get it, did time in two prisons. He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. And some colleges and pro teams were not ready to take chances on what went along with those guys. Very tall players are seldom recognized as great leapers. Anybodv can win the lottery, 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. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. 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. Cunningham would later rejoin the CBS broadcast team starting with the 198586 season, again often paired with Musburger, covering both the NBA as well as NCAA men's college basketball for the network. 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. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. Do you have a sports website? But while Cunningham was reaching his peak, the 76ers were beginning to crumble. I saw him come down the floor once, in the Eastern League, on a fast break. Joe Vanilla Sky Alexander has restless, jumpy feet that propel him way up to block shots and confound his opponents. 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. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. He would find a way to beat you., Billy Cunningham discovered the game after receiving a basketball for his fifth birthday. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. In the 2005 NBA pre-draft camp he gained 34.5 inches of air. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. That swagger had to come from somewhere.
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