Lift up an arm and hop once or twice to get a feel for how far away the rim is. 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. The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. Other notable dunks include his shot on the Sonics seriously ticked off Robert Reid, and another on the Knicks flabbergasted Patrick Ewing. Sure, Casper and friends tend to dominate less vertically challenging sports like golf, hockey, and tennis, but they have also held their own on the floorboards. Cunningham returned to Philadelphia in 1977 to become the coach of the 76ers, replacing Gene Shue. Julius, Gus (Johnson), Pogo Joe Caldwell. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. 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. Billy Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York and UNC. 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. Its almost like burlesque dancing. The players who fly through this thin air are not simply remembered by hoop fans. 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. (2000). Its even been called hellicious.. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. Browse 1,052 billy cunningham stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Cunningham, though, tore up the ABA. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. 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. The next season, Phily finished 47-35, but lost to the Spurs in the conference semis. Learn more and register. In fact, his hockey-head-ish hair might even be as famous as his dunk. Geraldo Rivera is standing by. There. They asked him to show how high he could jump, so with no warmup of any kind, in his school clothes, Joey stood there, jumped up and put his chin on the rim. 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. Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. Showing all 5 items. Join our linker program. Is Billy Cunningham married? Jack Gardner, a former college coach, did our testing, Nissalke said. One boy did dunks of a monster nature, so they named him after the only monster they knew that could fly--Rodan. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. In todays semifinals, folks, well see Gary (Up in the Airy) Coleman vs. Bea (the Flea) Arthur, and Jumpin Johnny Carson vs. Pogo Stick Peter Jennings. In 1974 Cunningham returned to the 76ers. Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York. Very easily.. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. The ONLY white man. Though he portrayed a large woman in "You have to Walk it like . Detroits Adrian Dantley, 6-foot-4, and Clevelands Phil Hubbard, 6-8, were the only front-court starters to go through the season dunkless. 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. 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. Look up. Cunningham grew up in Brooklyn and on his fifth birthday he received a basketball. Cunningham arrived in Chapel Hill just as Dean Smith was taking over as the head basketball coach of the UNC Tar Heels. Dunk is cheap. Although he had never coached, he was popular in Philadelphia, and his competitiveness, toughness and intelligence seemed right for the job. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft, More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. Its not just his personality that gets attention, though; hes been an NBA Champion in 2013, participated in the Slam Dunk Contest twice, and his vertical leap measures in at a not-too-shabby 37 inches. Athletics are in this guys genes; daddy Rick Barry produced a total of four bball loving sons. He was finished as a player. Professional basketball player, sports administrator A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. All the teams did that. Cunningham attended Erasmus Hall He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. June 12, 2022 . Many of the legendary leapers of that era didnt play NBA ball because all they could do was leap. William John "Billy" Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. I loved it instantly.. Some of the guys started dunking. Carolina lost to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division rinals, but Cunninghams regular-season performance earned him the ABA MVP. Boston kept Philadelphia out of The 1981 Finals, but the Sixers roared back to the 1982 before falling to the Lakers again. He played circles around a guy named Robert Cousy. American basketball player "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") Billy Cunningham weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. It was so good that Cunningham, a future Hall of Famer, came off the bench. 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. In 1966-67, the 76ers dominated the NBA. 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Do you have a blog? Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 30 years, beginning in 1983. Its a remarkable life.. Joey? I loved it instantly." Or write about sports? Find Billy Cunningham 76ers stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him). Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. He came up with four: Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Clyde (the Glide) Drexler. A fabulous collegian and pro player Cunningham shot to stardom when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966. Somebody done gotcha. But man, that was sweet music. And despite the proliferation of dunkers, there is a very elite group of leapers. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. Professional basketball player Billy Cunningham tells broadcaster John Andariese about his early success with the 76ers. They were a winning team the next two seasons but could not repeat as champions, and Cunningham retired after the 19841985 season. And after all, The sun even shines on a dog's a** some days. He told me, Sonny, no. . Can you do that? [8] For his career, he scored 16,310 points, grabbed 7,981 rebounds, and recorded 3,305 assists in both the NBA and the ABA. Billy Cunningham (Billy; The Kangaroo Kid) Position: Forward 6-6 , 210lb (198cm, 95kg) School: North Carolina (Men) Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft SUMMARY Career G 69 PTS 24.8 TRB 15.4 AST - FG% 47.3 FT% 62.8 Cunningham Overview More Cunningham Pages More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference Spencer Haywood, for one, claims to have been to the top. Billy Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. 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,. Now thats something to brag about at Sunday family dinners. Then he transferred to Arizona State, clashed with then-coach Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team. Midway through the previous season the club had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors, and in his first full campaign with the Sixers, he helped them to the Eastern Division title. And he played it constantly. That year, he was the First-Team All-New York for once. Cunningham again led the team in scoring in 1970-71, ranking ninth in the NBA with 23.0 ppg. In his basketball uniform and shoes, with a short, unmeasured run-up, he soared over seven feet. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He had wide shoulders--he was built like Orlando (Woolridge), 6-7 or 6-8. It sure did make me feel good inside.. ." 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. At the 1991 Slam Dunk Competition he came in third. His show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. Also, his dunk on Dwight Howard during the 2008 Olympic finals was unreal. A lot of great leapers dont bother to perfect those skills, because they are treated with such awe. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. The Doc won it with a long run, a leap from two inches inside the free throw line and a dramatic, powerful windmill slam. 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. Dunk-off of the Network Superstars?
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