Find out more. Yep. 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. The greatest jumper today? Chamberlain couldnt remember the players name, but Rod Thorn did. 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. Joey walked up to the wall, one foot planted, no rocking, jumped up and missed the nail. 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. He was called the Kangaroo Kid for his prodigious leaping ability. 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. Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. [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. It didnt make no difference to him.. 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. At halftime of one Southern Idaho game, Joey was pursuaded to give a brief high-jump demonstration. The ABA folded after that season, but the slam-off was such a hit with the media that the concept was eventually ripped off by the NBA. 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. Hawkins is now vice president of communications for the Dodgers. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. VIDEO: Giant Space Slingshot In Action. 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. Cunningham grew up in Brooklyn and on his fifth birthday he received a basketball. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny OFFICIAL TRAILER! He was a tough, intense, competitive player who used his intelligence as much as his physical talents. Billy Cunningham - Basketball-Reference.com 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!) Current Grand Canyon Antelopes coach and the Phoenix Suns favourite former shooting guard/small forward is an NBA All Star, an Olympian, and World Team member. People swear he cleared it by a foot, said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idahos basketball coach. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. He ran to the nearest school, three blocks away, and started shooting baskets. It was like, Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy. 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. Its even been called hellicious.. 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. His standing vertical was 37.5 inches. It doesnt take a detective to see these were obviously a foreshadowing of plays to come. Midway through the previous season the club had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors, and in his first full campaign with the Sixers, he helped them to the Eastern Division title. 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 greatest leaper I ever saw was Jackie. 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. They were trying to touch the top of the board, Nissalke said. David Robinson, future NBA Hall-of-Famer and leader of the San Antonio Spurs, was born in Key We, Chamberlain, Wilt At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. Legends profile: Billy Cunningham | NBA.com In 1967, he teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title. I was right there and it wasnt a foot. In the NBA, where everyone can dunk--you wouldnt even want to rule out David Stern--there are really only a few top guns. Gus once said, When I dunked that ball and heard that shot for the first time, I said to myself, Oh, oh, Gus. We should be glad he doesnt demand his own useum. He was all but unknown at the University of Massachusetts, then played five seasons in the semi-secret ABA. In The Finals, however, Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and the Lakers were too much. Under Cunningham, the team reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1978 and the NBA finals in 1980 and 1982. 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. That year, he was the First-Team All-New York They think they could track down what the announcer calls a routine fly ball. Latrell Sprewell, a rising NBA star, would be known more for his off-court antics than his bas, Erving, Julius 1950 They were a winning team the next two seasons but could not repeat as champions, and Cunningham retired after the 19841985 season. For his eleven-year career, Cunningham averaged 21.2 points per game. Bill Cunningham (talk show host) - Wikipedia Back when he played for the Phillies, they had him dribbling alongside Wilt The Stilt Chamberlain for two seasons, and when Chamberlain left in 69, the 76ers had a Kangaroo as their star. "Rubin Quits L. I. U. to Pilot 76ers,", Goldaper, Sam. It was so much air that it tied young Pat for the spot of second-highest vertical leap recorded up to that point. Category:Billy Cunningham - Wikimedia Commons Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. Its a feeling of power and freedom Ive never gotten from anything else. 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. Who would he share a wing with? Cunningham played with visible enthusiasm. They took about 10 jumps each. For three days, Rabbit put on a show like theyve never seen before. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. If youre looking for scale, thats taller than most baby elephants. 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. And that performance in Denver was the national coming-out party for Dr. J, the godfather of dunk. He said he was afraid he would cut himself. Stanfords 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. My sergeant was higher than Jordans. Basketball was just a game they played for fun. So I did a 360, two handed, and he conceded.. After playing for Philadelphia from 1965 to 1972, he signed a free agent contract with the ABA's . 22 Feb. 2023 . Is Billy Cunningham married? Some are best at soaring up for a three-pointer, some rock at the jump shots, some can perform slam dunks like nobodys business, and they all work their butts off to prove that they belong in this black mans sport. His masterpiece was a backboard shattering dunk over Kansas City forward Bill Robinzine. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. In the twentieth game of the 19751976 season, Cunningham's career suddenly and inexplicably ended. Shoots: He was a No. He was named Most Valuable Player in the ABA. And some colleges and pro teams were not ready to take chances on what went along with those guys. 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. Ill give you an example. So maybe his African American genes are a little stronger than his Caucasian ones after all? Artis (A-Train) Gilmore, George (Ice) Gervin and Larry (Big Cat) Kenon all dunked admirably. 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. [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. David came the closest, Kupchak said. Jerry West could get up. But he was over by a good six to eight inches. Then they took out Boston in the Eastern Division finals San Francisco in the NBA Finals. In fact, his hockey-head-ish hair might even be as famous as his dunk. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. Until recently, nobody ever tried to keep track of dunks on any league-wide scale. He was an incredible shot blocker. Jump to navigation Jump to search Billy Cunningham American basketball player and coach. 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. His daddy was also a professional ball player, which means his skill and confidence are ate least somewhat genetic. Cunningham began his second basketball career on Nov. 4, 1977, when he was hired to replace Gene Shue at the Sixers helm. The Leaping Legends of Basketball : Some of The Names Will Jump Out at 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. This story is not that important. Instant green. 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. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. The following season, with the ABAs future in jeopardy, Cunningham returned to the 76ers. They are enshrined in a mythical Museum of Leap. 1924- In 1997 Cunningham became the expert commentator for the CBS television network's coverage of NBA games. 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. He finally got a pro tryout with the Utah Stars of the ABA at 25, but by then his fabulous springs were sprung. And Dirk Nowitzki who no doubt has walls plastered top to bottom with awards and achievements. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. 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. The team finished 42-40 and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. billy cunningham vertical jump. In 1996 he was voted one of the top fifty players at the NBA's fiftieth anniversary. Weve all heard the saying: white men cant jump. Ron Shelton even made a (fantastic) movie about it in the 90s! High School and became known as the Kangaroo Kid for his impressive jumping ability. The greatest nicknames in basketball are reserved for those who attain the greatest altitude. 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. Griffin was born of half Afro-Haitian descent and half Caucasian. A few of the big-time leapers did make it--Jumpin Johnny Green, Pogo Joe Caldwell and Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins, who was a Laker rookie when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960. This guy couldshoot AND dunk. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. 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. Showing all 5 items. After that season, he earned the first of what would be three straight All-NBA First Team selections. In a way the injury made things easy for me, he added. The obvious question is, why didnt more of these guys play in the NBA? 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. People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. Billy Cunningham played fiercely, coached intensely, and won frequently. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy) Cunningham, her stepdaughter and her fiance all jumped into action. Philadelphia won 62 games the next season, but the Celtics upset the 76ers in the playoffs. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. In his first ABA season, Cunningham averaged 24.1 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, and led the league in total steals. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. The Cougars' attempt to file an injunction against him was denied in United States District Court on September 24, 1971. Data Provided By The future never came, but Dawkins broke new ground in power dunking, backboard shattering and dunknaming.