All Things Basketball with GD - Week 12 Player Spotlight, George Gervin

George Gervin: 6'7", 180 lb (00:29)

Played some small forward but mostly shooting guard

Born in Detroit, MI on April 27, 1952

Comes from a family of 6; dad left home in his early years; grew up in poverty

Started playing basketball at a young age with his cousin & neighborhood kid named Ralph Simpson

In his sophomore year at Martin Luther King HS, he tried out for the team

Willie Meriweather, the JV coach & a father figure to him, convinced the head coach to keep him on the team

Also befriended the school's janitor Mr Winters who gave him access to the school's gym

His basketball skills improved, but his grades weren't that good

Experienced a growth spurt to 6'4" as a senior; averaged 31 PPG & 20 RPG leading team to state quarterfinals; became All-State (1970)

Received a scholarship to Cal State - Long Beach; became homesick then left school after 1st semester

Transferred to Eastern Michigan for 1 1/2 seasons; for 39 games he averaged 26.8 PPG & 14.4 RPG

In a divisional semifinals, tempers flared with a Roanoke VA player & he punched out the player

Costs the head coach his job & George being kicked off the team & suspended for next season; Olympics & Pan Am games invites also revoked

Took his talents to the Eastern Basketball Association, a semi-pro league where he averaged 40 PPG (paid $300/week)

Was discovered by scout Johnny Kerr of the Virginia Squires who saw him score 50 pts in a game

Got signed to a $40K/year contract for VIR in 1973

Spent a little over a year with the team; had teammates Julius Erving & Swen Nater

Teammate Fatty Taylor 1st gave him the nickname Iceberg Slim; nickname evolves into the Iceman

While playing in his 1st All Star game during his 2nd year, VIR deals him to SAS for $228K

ABA's leading office called deal into question; eventually allowed it to go thru

Finished the 2nd half of the season with SAS; was drafted by the NBA's PHO in 1976 (3rd rd, 40th) but chose to stay in the ABA

For the next 2 seasons he ranked among the ABA's top 10 in scoring while making 2 All Star games

In the 1975 All Star game he was reunited with his childhood friend Ralph Simpson on the same team

Appeared in the 1st ever Slam Dunk contest in 1976 at the halftime of that All Star game along with Julius Erving, David Thompson, Artis Gilmore & Larry Kenon

Upon the NBA-ABA merger bringing in SAS there was a prevailing thought on whether he could score like he did in that league, especially after averaging just 23.1 PPG after his 1st NBA season

Went on to not only score but lead the league in that category 4 of the next 5 seasons as well as making 9 straight All Star games

The most famous scoring title came in 1977-78 between him & David Thompson (DEN) which came down to the very last day

David scored 73 pts in an early game while George needed 58 pts to become the scoring champ (27.22 to 27.15)

He ends up scoring 63 pts, including a 33 pt quarter which set the record that was set earlier by Thompson

In 1978-79 he had what was his most successful season with another scoring title (29.6 PPG), finishing 2nd in the MVP voting (lost to Moses Malone) & had his best run to a NBA title losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to WAS

The hiring of Cotton Fitzsimmons in 1984-85 pretty much marked the nearing of the end of George's stay in SAS

Get dealt the following season to CHI for David Greenwood

Played one season there; team also had Michael Jordan who played only 18 games because of a broken foot

Retired from the NBA in 1986 but played in Europe for a few seasons

Inducted into the Hall of Fame & named to the 50th Anniversary team in 1996

Best known for his finger roll shot, extending it out to the free throw line

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