Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. . It was so much air that it tied young Pat for the spot of second-highest vertical leap recorded up to that point. Joey was a good player at Banning High in Wilmington and spent two years at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college. That swagger had to come from somewhere. Cunningham also set a single-game North Carolina record with 48 points against Tulane on December 10, 1964. He was a five-time All Star, 1972-73 MVP, and received recognition for numerous goals, throws, rebounds, and assist plays. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. 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. Then he enters into the [NBA] expansion pursuit and gets it. I told him Id read he had a 44. A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. He ran to the nearest school, three blocks away, and started shooting baskets. 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. 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. Theres not room for both of us. The next day Red let Rabbit go. (2000). 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. This story is not that important. 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. His man takes him into the key, gives a head fake and sends Jackie skyward. He and Hal Greer were the only key players from the 1967 championship team still playing vital roles. Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. In 1972-73, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the American Basketball Association and he scored 18 points in the ABA All-Star Game. Left, Born: White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. Who would he share a wing with? Many of the great leapers of that era inhabited the fringes of reality as we know it. "I don't know anything he has done that hasn't worked," said the Orlando, Florida, executive Pat Williams. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. Before the game, English and I went back and forth. 22 Feb. 2023 . Cunningham reached 200, 300, and 400 wins faster than any previous coach in NBA history. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Still, the Sixers finished 34-48, only the second losing season of Cunninghams career. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. 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. In his rookie season of 19651966 Cunningham was at first assigned to be a guard, then switched positions, becoming a small forward. Cunningham again led the team in scoring in 1970-71, ranking ninth in the NBA with 23.0 ppg. ." He finally got a pro tryout with the Utah Stars of the ABA at 25, but by then his fabulous springs were sprung. One explanation for the reverence accorded the big jumpers is offered by psychologist-sportscaster Bob Costas, who once did play-by-play for the Spirit of St. Louis, a team in the now-defunct American Basketball Assn., where every game was a jam-boree. Watch even half of any of his highlight reels and youll understand why he made this list. High Griffinition Blake joined the Oklahoma Sooners and became one of their most impressive players of all time. Billy Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. Billy Cunningham played fiercely, coached intensely, and won frequently. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. Hes set records for leading the NBA in dunks during his very first year playing pro. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The two teams waged a court battle, each claiming the rights to Cunningham, but the new league won. The following season Philadelphia won sixty-two games and the Eastern Division title but lost to the Celtics in the playoffs. After the 19711972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. Soon Greer would be alone. Note that this is not the official NBA measurement. I said to myself, Ive got to try. I angled to the right. 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. Okay, so LaVine is technically not 100% Caucasian. 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. Ill give you an example. In 1976-77, the season before Cunningham took the helm, the Sixers reached The Finals, only to fall to the Portland Trail Blazers. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . I could. Its like walking on air. 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. Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. And Dirk Nowitzki who no doubt has walls plastered top to bottom with awards and achievements. But who has seen him? . 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. This guy wasnt a leaper, but it will show you what I mean. I see kids in the eighth grade, kids 5-11, dunking behind their heads, said Rod Thorn, former National Basketball Assn. As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. He walked into the gym one morning and there was a TV crew set up. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. He was a high school superstar. Lets add Billy Hoyle as an honourary #16 to this list, shall we? [9] In 1996, Cunningham was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary. Gus was a colorful thunder dunker and a breaker of backboards. Encyclopedia.com. He was a consummate team player, and he used the same unifying concept and enthusiasm to become a successful head coach. We should be glad he doesnt demand his own useum. About a year ago, I was in a playground game with some black guys. Last season, there were 5,757 NBA dunks by 246 players. If thats not impressive enough for you, he also played on two NBA championship teams and later coached the Philadelphia 76ers for eight seasons. of 6. Now they take everything off and it takes a lot more to get people excited.. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Athletics are in this guys genes; daddy Rick Barry produced a total of four bball loving sons. Has Joey Johnson simply outleaped the game of basketball? Though he portrayed a large woman in "You have to Walk it like you talk it or You'll Lose that Beat" (1971), he is best known as an American former professional basketball player and coach. Stanford's 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. He also became an NBA broadcaster on national television and later a part-owner of the Miami Heat. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. But with a leaper, everybody instantly knows they couldnt do it, that only the tiniest fraction of humans can jump that high.. Browse 1,052 billy cunningham stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. They are enshrined in a mythical Museum of Leap. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. 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. 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. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. His jump was absolutely awesome. [8] During his tenure, the team featured Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Moses Malone, and Julius Erving. Airy, Maryland. 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 show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. Theyve run like the wind, ducked like a water fowl, flown like jet planes, and scored more points than Cassanova in a disco. Seniors Are Getting Freaking And A New Loofah Code Lets Everyone Know. He scored 16,310 points and pulled down nearly 8,000 rebounds. He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. He didnt just score, he scored OVER people, including all 68 of Plastic Man Stacey Augmon. He had wide shoulders--he was built like Orlando (Woolridge), 6-7 or 6-8. Also, his dunk on Dwight Howard during the 2008 Olympic finals was unreal. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. However, the date of retrieval is often important. City, and a member of the Parade Magazine All-America Team. us, High School: He told me, Sonny, no. . Free, Darryl Dawkins and Bobby Jones. There was a guard from Harlem named Rabbit. 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. 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.