His daddy was also a professional ball player, which means his skill and confidence are ate least somewhat genetic. Theres no greater feeling than going up in a crowd, over guys a foot taller., Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins said: If you can think about Peter Pan, thats the feeling. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Join our linker program. I was right there and it wasnt a foot. Then he went to North Carolina and was an All-American. Griffin has been one of the most electrifying dunkers in the NBA for the past eight years. The 6-2 product of the Harlem slums could dunk, catch the ball with his opposite hand and dunk it again, all in the same leap. As Cunningham was adjusting to the professional game, the 76ers were becoming a powerhouse. A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. He played nine seasons for the Baltimore Bullets, beginning in 63, and he died last year. Legends abound of the truly great leapers who could touch the top of the board. 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. Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. Billy can jump up to 29-31 inches (vertical leap). 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. 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. It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. ." Joe Vanilla Sky Alexander has restless, jumpy feet that propel him way up to block shots and confound his opponents. In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. One day he received a call from Zev Buffman, who needed a well-known basketball personality to help secure an NBA franchise for Miami. "It's a remarkable life.". As an owner and commentator, he also made a favorable impression. It didnt happen, though, and Fernandez remains playing with Real Madrid, where he feels he is a better player.This, however, is debatable. During a game in 1963 against Clemson University, he grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds. His departure had a disastrous effect on the 76ers, who posted a 9-73 record in 1972-73, the worst mark in NBA history. In the division finals, however, Philadelphia fell to Boston. After Chamberlain left the team in 1968, Cunningham became the 76ers' franchise player. Why not simply whip out a tape measure and measure the leapers leaps, take the guesswork out of whos the greatest? 1964 UNC at Duke, tip-off.jpg 1,454 1,750; 377 KB. [2] At the conclusion of the season he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. 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. Learn more and register. 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. He finally got a pro tryout with the Utah Stars of the ABA at 25, but by then his fabulous springs were sprung. I get a rebound and Im driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. Were playing in Philadelphia, against Wilt, Hawkins relates. why did michael jackson wrote heal the world; lionel richie las vegas 2022 Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. 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. Ive never felt another feeling like it, being able to go up in the air, over someone much bigger, and stay up there. All rights reserved. The Philadelphia team Cunningham inherited featured Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Doug Collins, Lloyd B. Thats a white head, remember. These guys will never forget the blur of that mullet-ed head flying past them. If accurate, that would have put him as the 10th-highest max vertical leaper (not standing, but with a short running start) in the NBA Draft, just behind Grayson Allen's number of 40.5 inches. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. One of the more recent players on this list, Chris Birdman Anderson is known for his celebratory arm flapping and his intriguing tattoos. Last season, there were 5,757 NBA dunks by 246 players. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy. All the teams did that. Herb was not drafted, but was invited to Hawks camp after his senior year and made the 1970-71 team as a point-guard backup and road roommate of another rookie, Pete Maravich. Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall That swagger had to come from somewhere. 1936-1999 As a freshman he went out for the track team, worked out a total of 10 hours, then high-jumped 7-3 7/8. Cunningham hit for 18.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. 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. billy cunningham vertical jump. Cunningham scored 18.9 points per game. People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. > Archive 75: Billy Cunningham| 75 Stories: Billy Cunningham. Then he transferred to Arizona State, clashed with then-coach Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team. 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. His colourful tattoos and hairstyles are about as famous as his skills too, with hairdos including mohawks, spikes, and shoulder-length shag. The white guys listed below are heroes of the basketball world. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. American basketball player Stand underneath a basketball hoop, a regulation 10-footer. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. Shoots: for once. 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. 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. Now thats something to brag about at Sunday family dinners. 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. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. I said to myself, Ive got to try. I angled to the right. . Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. As if this wasnt impressive enough, it was during a practice with the LA Lakers about a month after the Combine that he flew up 46 inches, creating a new pre-draft record. In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. So I did a 360, two handed, and he conceded.. Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. 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. Theres not room for both of us. The next day Red let Rabbit go. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). Hes said to be the greatest white dunker in all of basketball history. Earl Manigault was another fabulous flyer off the Eastern blacktop in the late 50s and early 60s. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The man waits and waits for Jackie to start coming down, but waits too long. amc gremlin for sale washington state billy cunningham vertical jump. Many of the great leapers of that era inhabited the fringes of reality as we know it. He was All-ACC, the ACC Player of the Year, and an All-American in college, later named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty best players in Atlantic Coast Conference history. His performance in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest was nothing less than stellar, and some say he was robbed of the chance to move to the next round. It didnt make no difference to him.. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. He was an incredible shot blocker. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. billy cunningham vertical jump. I saw him come down the floor once, in the Eastern League, on a fast break. Here's a number: 44 inches. Theyll all be going through and over their mountainous opponents in no time! American basketball player He didnt just score, he scored OVER people, including all 68 of Plastic Man Stacey Augmon. He is six feet seven inches tall. In 1976-77, the season before Cunningham took the helm, the Sixers reached The Finals, only to fall to the Portland Trail Blazers. However, the poet laureate of leap is Darryl Dawkins. These are professional men: Dr. J, Dr. Dunkenstein, Dr. Jam. Billy Cunningham, Actor: You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. Free, Darryl Dawkins and Bobby Jones. At the 1991 Slam Dunk Competition he came in third. He got kudos for his smooth-sounding, incisive work with the play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton. But the final came down to David Thompson vs. Julius Erving--the Skywalker vs. the Doctor. 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. I said, What the hell, Im 40. . His man takes him into the key, gives a head fake and sends Jackie skyward. In the 19691970 season he averaged a career high of 26.1 points, the fourth highest in the league, and was again selected as an All-Star. Cunningham achieved a career trifecta in law, business, and government. "The beauty part of playing basketball," he once said, "is that your mind is occupied with playing basketball and nothing else, and you're having fun.". He would find a way to beat you., Billy Cunningham discovered the game after receiving a basketball for his fifth birthday. "Cunningham Quits; Loughery Dropped,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Cunningham&oldid=1135516255, 3-year letter winner (in his day, freshmen were ineligible for, His number 32 jersey is retired by the Philadelphia 76ers; however, he allowed it to be worn by, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 03:41. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. Philadelphia then became a member of the leagues elite. 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. Curtis Bunn, a 6-1 reporter for Newsday, has a very decent repertoire of slams. So much has been written and said about Julius Erving over the years that i, Allen, Marcus 1960 Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. He coached eight years with 76ers, never finishing lower than second place in the Atlantic and posted a career record of 454-196 (.698). Home Depot Is Selling A Giant 89-Pound Crab Statue For $1,500. They were trying to touch the top of the board, Nissalke said. He had wide shoulders--he was built like Orlando (Woolridge), 6-7 or 6-8. In the 2005 NBA pre-draft camp he gained 34.5 inches of air. 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. Cunningham was part of a group that helped to secure an NBA franchise for Miami in the late 1980s. [1] His first regular show on the station was at night, generally from 9:00 p.m. until midnight. But listen to Wilt. us, High School: It sure did make me feel good inside.. Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. star and now the leagues vice president of operations. Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona States coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. Lets add Billy Hoyle as an honourary #16 to this list, shall we? He ran to the nearest school, three blocks away, and started shooting baskets. The next year he exploded for 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds and he was named a first-team All-Star. 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. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. . Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Cunningham arrived in Chapel Hill just as Dean Smith was taking over as the head basketball coach of the UNC Tar Heels. Granted, the majority of the NBAs highest flying players have been African Americans, but some of the white guys get their share of air time. In the Museum of Leap, Wilt (the Big Dipper) Chamberlain has his own wing. 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. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ZbxZ3AJWWjyZL0HXDpABwVdW.7p3rtLrWMEsK2FPL0A-86400-0"}; Its even been called hellicious.. The two teams waged a court battle, each claiming the rights to Cunningham, but the new league won. What time is Billy Cunningham's Sunday night show on? In fact, his hockey-head-ish hair might even be as famous as his dunk. Now they take everything off and it takes a lot more to get people excited.. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. I defy anyone to say they took change off the top of the backboard, Chamberlain said. Professional basketball player A lot of them, you have to understand, werent able to get into college, Chamberlain said. 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. Imagine yourself lifting off the blacktop, up and up, until you can reach into the air far above the rim. The difference between the two marks, in inches, is the players sergeant jump, as in, Joe Smith has a 29-inch sergeant.. The players who fly through this thin air are not simply remembered by hoop fans. The new generation of jumpers, ushered in by Julius Erving, has pushed the dunk to new artistic heights. Many of the legendary leapers of that era didnt play NBA ball because all they could do was leap. Find out more. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. He walked into the gym one morning and there was a TV crew set up. Professional basketball player, sports administrator If youre looking for scale, thats taller than most baby elephants. I also think, in Joeys case, he gets up so high it hurts his shooting technique., Clarke said: When other players were shooting jump shots in their back yards, Joey was practicing dunks.. In 1966-67, the 76ers dominated the NBA. Known as "The Kangaroo Kid," Billy Cunningham was a high-flying scorer who won an NBA title as a player and coach with the 76ers. 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. Uh oh! 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. Billy Cunningham of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a jump shot against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1968 at the Boston Garden in Boston,. How in the world can this kid play ball? Even so, Erving was the NBAs most dazzling aerial star until he retired in 1987 and passed the title to Michael Jordan. Joey? Its almost like you were floating, like there was no such thing as gravity. 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. Skywalker, Helicopter, Elevator, Clyde the Glide, Air Jordan, the Hawk, Rodan, Pogo Joe, Honeycomb, Sidecar, the Big Dipper, the Human Highlight Film, Sky King, Kangaroo Kid. Cunningham became a playground regular, a gym rat, and a high school star, leading Erasmus Hall to the New York City Championship in 1961. Chamberlain remembers other playground legends: Boy named Helicopter (real name: Herman Knowings) had incredible wingspan. Well find out next season. 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. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. Really, though, hed have to in order to make it look like he belonged there among all the African American bball greats. Cunningham, though, tore up the ABA. 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.