He recorded 14 triple doubles in the NBA and 5 in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA. In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. He played circles around a guy named Robert Cousy. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Billy Cunningham Keith had a 32. Thats about the height of the average 4-year-old. I knew he was right there with me. These are two very, very different kinds of feathered friends. I was right there and it wasnt a foot. 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). But listen to Wilt. The following season, the Sixers finished behind Boston in the standings and were upset by the New Jersey Nets in the first round. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. A sample: In Your Face Disgrace, Sexophonic Turbo Delight, Hammer of Thor, and Yo Mamma. During his eight seasons as the coach of the 76ers, Philadelphia won 454 regular season games and lost 196. 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. Thats a mouthful. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. 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. It looked like the half-court line was around a mile and a half away, Cunningham said. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. While he was dribbling down the court, his knee exploded. Then an All-Star. Joey didnt even have his shoes laced, Clarke said. Before the game, English and I went back and forth. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. Joe Clarke, founder and president of the South-Central L.A. They took about 10 jumps each. 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. The new generation of jumpers, ushered in by Julius Erving, has pushed the dunk to new artistic heights. I won the unofficial NBA slam dunk title that season, said White, who now sells heavy equipment in Georgia. In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the, Mikan, George Billy Cunningham. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. There is a tavern called the Corner Club, in Moscow, Ida. I said to him, Yes, yes, yes! Wilt said, Im gonna kill you. . Philadelphia won 62 games the next season, but the Celtics upset the 76ers in the playoffs. 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. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. 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. I got fired up and did a 360 dunk. Bones Barry is pretty much Larry Bird, only with a slightly higher jump and significantly longer shorts. One day he received a call from Zev Buffman, who needed a well-known basketball personality to help secure an NBA franchise for Miami. VIDEO: Giant Space Slingshot In Action. These are not necessarily great basketball players, understand, but their ability to jump has made them objects of something much deeper than profound respect. Chamberlain couldnt remember the players name, but Rod Thorn did. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. He succeeded Gene Shue as head coach of the 24 76ers on November 4, 1977. 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. He was an incredible shot blocker. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. He was with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers for 17 years . billy cunningham vertical jump. Ill give you an example. 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,. It was like, Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy. Who would he share a wing with? I mean, what next? [15], For other people named William Cunningham, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, List of National Basketball Association single-game playoff scoring leaders, "The Rumble: AN OFF-THE-BALL LOOK AT YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS CELEBRITIES", "Philadelphia 76ers 134 - Portland Trail Blazers 132", Goldaper, Sam. . For his eleven-year career, Cunningham averaged 21.2 points per game. (February 22, 2023). (2000). The next year he exploded for 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds and he was named a first-team All-Star. Herb White was moved to write a poem about an eagle that had lost its ability to soar. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. I loved it instantly.. Theyll all be going through and over their mountainous opponents in no time! Youre just up there and nobody else can get up there., David (Skywalker) Thompson said: Sometimes Id surprise myself. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. why did michael jackson wrote heal the world; lionel richie las vegas 2022 People swear he cleared it by a foot, said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idahos basketball coach. However, the date of retrieval is often important. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Brooks suspended after receiving 16th technical foul, Grizzlies' Clarke (torn achilles) out indefinitely, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs. Nobody ever played the game could rise any better than Jackie. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. Philadelphia switched Cunningham to small forward, a position that allowed him to use his tenacity and jumping ability around the boards. Legends profile: Billy Cunningham | NBA.com But who has seen him? . William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . Effortless, absolutely effortless.. Billy Cunningham wasnt nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. Billy Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. At halftime of one Southern Idaho game, Joey was pursuaded to give a brief high-jump demonstration. A lot of them, you have to understand, werent able to get into college, Chamberlain said. Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which also featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson. Very tall players are seldom recognized as great leapers. Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York, Draft: Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. Anybodv can win the lottery.. His standing vertical was 37.5 inches. us, High School: Join our linker program. The only other thing in life I couldnt comprehend was looking at the moon and knowing there were men walking on it.. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. If you give bonus points for obscurity and mystery, it would be Joey Johnson, younger brother of Celtic guard Dennis. They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. It takes a lot more to get people excited now, said Chris Wallace, editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Were playing in Philadelphia, against Wilt, Hawkins relates. He was an NBA champion both as a player (1967) and as a coach (1983). Do you have a sports website? If thats not impressive enough for you, he also played on two NBA championship teams and later coached the Philadelphia 76ers for eight seasons. Can the old Elevator still ascend? Billy Cunningham - Basketball-Reference.com Then they took out Boston in the Eastern Division finals San Francisco in the NBA Finals. In his rookie season of 19651966 Cunningham was at first assigned to be a guard, then switched positions, becoming a small forward. married Sondra; they had two daughters. After that season, he earned the first of what would be three straight All-NBA First Team selections. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. Thats how much air was between Connaughton and those shiny floorboards at the NBA Combine in 2015. Now, as radio's "Voice of the Common Man," Bill merges all his knowledge, along with his distinguished guests to enrich the minds of his loyal and participative audience. It was the Human Highlight Film vs. a Selected Short. We played Portland in the last game of the season. 75 Stories | Billy Cunningham - YouTube Its a rush, a thrill, said the Elevator from Decatur. I get a rebound and Im driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. 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. 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. How tall is Billy Cunningham? Some of them were pretty damn eccentric. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the following year. If that's not impressive enough for you, he also played on two NBA championship teams and later coached the Philadelphia 76ers for eight seasons. In the 19661967 season the 76ers were a powerhouse, winning sixty-eight against only thirteen losses and beating the Boston Celtics and San Francisco in the playoffs to win the championship. Injuries limited Cunningham to only 32 games in 1973-74, but he still averaged 20.5 ppg. billy cunningham vertical jump - a portrait of the artist as filipino - a portrait of the artist as filipino - Michael Jordan has stopped just short of holding the ball in his mouth, uncoiling his tongue in mid-flight and inventing the Anteater Slam. He also had stellar 3-pointer abilities, but after that 1996 air show, most of his other accomplishments were left in the dust. 1943 When Dominique (the Human Highlight Film) Wilkins was in college, a 5-9 laundry man named Leroy Nowells would saunter into the Georgia gym and match slams with Wilkins. If youre looking for scale, thats taller than most baby elephants. These guys more than held their own in a sport where they were absolutely a minority. After the 19711972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. Billy Cunningham was born in New York on June 3, 1943. Yes, 44. "I lived there that summer," he later recalled. A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. Still, the Sixers finished 34-48, only the second losing season of Cunninghams career. Professional basketball player There have been--and are--very good white jumpers. Billy Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York and UNC. Billy Cunningham Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Dunk is cheap. He prevailed in the end! He was called the Kangaroo Kid for his prodigious leaping ability. (b. 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. 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. In his second season with Carolina, Cunningham was hampered by injuries, but he still managed a 20.5 average in 32 games. Jackie took off, jumped over Normans head and dunked the ball.. Pasty skin. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. Chamberlain remembers other playground legends: Boy named Helicopter (real name: Herman Knowings) had incredible wingspan. Philadelphia fans showed surprisingly little bitterness toward Cunningham, who rewarded them with 19.5 ppg in 1974-75. Cunningham grew up in Brooklyn and on his fifth birthday he received a basketball. It is. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. Many of the legendary leapers of that era didnt play NBA ball because all they could do was leap. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. He had a baseball cap on, and he turned the bill sideways. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. All the teams did that. Finally he did a 360, one handed. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Unlike Thompson, a huge star at North Carolina State, Dr. J kind of sneaked up on the basketball world. Its like walking on air. 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. Some of the guys started dunking. Keith Smart always reported he had a 44. In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. In the 2005 NBA pre-draft camp he gained 34.5 inches of air. Billy Cunningham Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth 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. For three days, Rabbit put on a show like theyve never seen before. Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. 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. Judging by a still shot the DukeMBB videographer took during the testing, Williamson cleared a vertical leap mark of 40 inches. In fact, he set the record for most blocks and field goal percentage in a season at his high school, Linganore High in Mt. 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. 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. In warmups, we would always check out the other team and get into little contests with their guys. One expert, Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers assistant general manager, was asked to name the games bona fide super leapers. Professional basketball player White is a regular at Hawk games and a fan of Wilkins. I used to dunk on that basket. Small Forward and Power Forward
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