We sure are glad he picked basketball! He was a No. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. As a player and then a coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was part of two NBA championship teams. He was a consummate team player, and he used the same unifying concept and enthusiasm to become a successful head coach. The University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll there. Mike Conley, who is 6-2 and a triple jumper, won the Foot Locker Slam Dunk Contest last weekend, with 6-2 Raider receiver Tim Brown finishing third and swimmer Matt Biondi in the top five. Billy Cunningham wasnt nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. Browse 310 billy_cunningham stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. The 1996 dunk competition boasted great ballers like the 76ers Jerry Stackhouse and the Suns Michael Finley, and nobody really expected the Lakers guard to triumph. They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. With a dad who played basketball center for Northwestern Oklahoma University, and a childhood that included playing baseball, football, AND hoops, Blake Griffin was destined for greatness. Media in category "Billy Cunningham" The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. home/away, monthly, etc More Billy Cunningham Basketball Reference pages, Compare Billy Cunningham to other players. Also, his dunk on Dwight Howard during the 2008 Olympic finals was unreal. Nope. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Chess Robot Grabs And Breaks Finger Of Seven-Year . 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. A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success. He did prefer ball to hockey, after all. His departure had a disastrous effect on the 76ers, who posted a 9-73 record in 1972-73, the worst mark in NBA history. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . He came on back to Harlem. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. So maybe his African American genes are a little stronger than his Caucasian ones after all? billy cunningham vertical jump. There have been--and are--very good white jumpers. These are not necessarily great basketball players, understand, but their ability to jump has made them objects of something much deeper than profound respect. 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. Although he had never coached, he was popular in Philadelphia, and his competitiveness, toughness and intelligence seemed right for the job. You dont play with a red, white and blue ball if youre into dignity. It was the Human Highlight Film vs. a Selected Short. When Cunningham got off the bus in Chapel Hill in the fall of 1961, he was all skin and bones, a freckle-faced redhead with a clumsy, pigeon-toed gait. 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. billy cunningham vertical jump. I could. For his college career he averaged 24.8 points per game and set a school record with 1,062 rebounds. I have seen everybody, Hill said. Before the game, English and I went back and forth. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. And despite the proliferation of dunkers, there is a very elite group of leapers. Said Trenkle: He can take the ball with his right hand, go up, put it between his legs and dunk it behind his head with his left hand. Cade Cunningham Vertical Jump Height. Chris Wallace, the college talent scout, said: I dont believe measurements. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. After the 19711972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. We played Portland in the last game of the season. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. During his playing career, he was a 4-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA First Team selection. His departure had a disastrous effect. Jackie Jacksons all-around game, by most accounts, was only fair. Cunningham played with visible enthusiasm. I was phoning the Charlotte Hornets to reach David (Skywalker) Thompson, who now works in the teams front office, when a female secretary said: Ive only seen two players who did things that I watched and I didnt believe--David, and Michael Jordan. Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. Imagine yourself lifting off the blacktop, up and up, until you can reach into the air far above the rim. Rosters Cut,", "1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers", Goldaper, Sam. It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. The color barrier and the sex barrier of slam-dunk have fallen: Many white guys and a few women can dunk. 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. Eight players dunked in triple figures: Barkley of Philadelphia, 188; Jordan of Chicago, 156; Otis Thorpe of Golden State, 150; Pat Ewing of the Knicks, 146; Karl Malone of Utah, 142; Drexler of Portland, 130; Wilkins of Atlanta, 126, and Olajuwon of Houston, 118. Jerry West could get up. 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. Showing all 5 items. Cunningham became a playground regular, a gym rat, and a high school star, leading Erasmus Hall to the New York City Championship in 1961. And some colleges and pro teams were not ready to take chances on what went along with those guys. It sure did make me feel good inside.. 1 draft choice. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. Or write about sports? Yes, he married a former judge. Find Billy Cunningham 76ers stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Some of them were pretty damn eccentric. 1924- No discussion of legendary leapers is complete without heated debate. He may be the greatest leaper of all time. Technicalities, you know. . Philadelphia fans showed surprisingly little bitterness toward Cunningham, who rewarded them with 19.5 ppg in 1974-75. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. Billy Cunningham was a standout scorer for the Philadelphia 76ers. Wed been on the bus eight hours by then, Trenkle said. Upon his retirement on May 28, 1985,[13] his 454 wins as a head coach were the 12th best in NBA history. They think they could track down what the announcer calls a routine fly ball. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. White is a regular at Hawk games and a fan of Wilkins. The college boys are no doubt wide eyed and gape-mouthed when they meet this coach for the first time. All rights reserved. Billy Cunningham was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft. VIDEO: Giant Space Slingshot In Action. can arthur get a girlfriend rdr2; cook county jail roster; zip code validation rule in salesforce; first coast security ehub; billy cunningham vertical jump. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. Then he went to North Carolina and was an All-American. Under Cunningham, the team reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1978 and the NBA finals in 1980 and 1982. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. Yep. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. In 1968-69, Cunningham broke loose, scoring 24.8 ppg and recording 12.8 rpg while earning his first of four consecutive All-Star appearances and the first of three successive berths on the All-NBA First Team. Its a remarkable life.. He stood below the basket, no run, just jumped straight up with his arms at his sides, flipped his head sideways and dunked his cap.. Very easily.. 1936-1999 Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York. 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. Never got off the bench, but in warmups he could dunk better than anyone Ive ever seen.. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. Professional basketball player Professional football player He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. It is. Cunningham could not even crack the starting lineupwhich . Artis (A-Train) Gilmore, George (Ice) Gervin and Larry (Big Cat) Kenon all dunked admirably. With Maurice Cheeks and Lionel Hollins adding vitality to the backcourt, the Sixers roared to a 59-23 record in the 1979-80 regular season and then defeated favored Boston with rookie sensation Larry Bird in the Eastern Conference finals. and inspired headlines everywhere to scream White Men CAN Jump! Seriously, though. Weve all heard the saying: white men cant jump. Ron Shelton even made a (fantastic) movie about it in the 90s! In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. Keith had a 32. As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. I told him Id read he had a 44. Cunningham again led the team in scoring in 1970-71, ranking ninth in the NBA with 23.0 ppg. Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall 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. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). As a rebounder and jump shooter he averaged 18.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. 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. 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. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. There. Carolina lost to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division rinals, but Cunninghams regular-season performance earned him the ABA MVP. Against Tulane University on 10 December 1964, he set a UNC record by scoring forty-eight points. Buffman and Cunningham decided to team up in the venture, and they brought in Lewis Schaffel and Ted Arison. Browse 1,052 billy cunningham stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. This guys been compared to celebrated center-man Dwight Howard for his max vertical, and to NBA/Olympic legend Oscar Robertson for his triple-doubles. Billy Cunningham, Actor: You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat. People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. He said he was tired and tight. Joey averaged 19.5 points at Southern Idaho and led the team to a national junior college title. Wilt Chamberlain claims that his sergeant, during his prime, was 46 to 48 inches, easy. Of course, Wilt also claims he once averaged 50 points for an entire NBA season, so his credibility is suspect. High Griffinition Blake joined the Oklahoma Sooners and became one of their most impressive players of all time. During one game he went THROUGH and OVER the 77 Manute Bol of the Golden State Warriors to ALMOST score. During a game in 1963 against Clemson University, he grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. ." Can you do that? Billy Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York and UNC. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. amc gremlin for sale washington state billy cunningham vertical jump. The obvious question is, why didnt more of these guys play in the NBA? June 3, The rim was two inches low. 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. The following is a list of the NBA's All-Time Top 50 Team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere . The next season, Philly plummeted to 30-52 and missed the postseason and Cunningham (23.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg) was in the last of his four All-Star years. Other notable dunks include his shot on the Sonics seriously ticked off Robert Reid, and another on the Knicks flabbergasted Patrick Ewing. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
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