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Show notes:
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; 75th Anniversary team in 2021
Best known for his finger roll shot, extending it out to the free throw line
ACCOLADES:
12x All Star, 1 All Star MVP, 2x All-ABA, ABA All-Time Team, 7x All-NBA, 4x Scoring Champ
All time leaders in blocked shots among guards
At the time of his retirement he held all of the scoring records in SAS history
