Pete Maravich, one of the most remarkable athletes in the history of all of sports. In an era when players were only eligible for three years – and there was no three-point shot – Pistol Pete became, and remains, the highest scoring player in the history of college basketball.
After leaving LSU, he went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star and he is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
He’s the All-Time NCAA Career Scoring Leader with **3,667 points**, an average of **44.2 points** for **83 games**. Ranks first, fourth and fifth for most points in a single season in NCAA history. Averaged **44.5 points** in 1970, **44.2 points** in 1969 and **43.8 points** in 1968.
The Atlanta Hawks made Maravich the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. He spent four years with the Hawks, the last two being All-Star seasons. When the New Orleans Jazz came into the league as an expansion team in 1974, they needed to find a player who could fill the seats. Nobody in Louisiana had more drawing power than Maravich, who was beloved in the city from his days at LSU.
The Jazz traded for Maravich, who spent six years with the franchise, earning a scoring title in 1977. A knee injury slowed him down at the end of his career. He ended his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, playing 26 regular-season games and appearing in the playoffs.
Maravich retired after the 1979-80 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Maravich died on Jan. 5, 1988, while playing a game of pickup basketball. He was 40.
As Maravich’s career wound down because of his knee injury, players and coaches reflected on Pistol Pete’s career. Many had nothing but praise.
“Pete is the best,” said then-Portland Trail Blazers coach Jack Ramsay in a 1978 Sports Illustrated article. “A great player, a great competitor. Of course, he could play with us. He could adapt to whatever was necessary to win.”
“He’s a team player,” NBA center Bob Lanier said then. “Give Pistol another forward and a center, and he’d be all-everything. He’s the only player I’d pay money to see.”
Bill Fitch, then the Cleveland Cavaliers coach, said Maravich would have been the missing piece for getting his team a championship.
“We’d win the whole thing with Pete in the lineup,” Fitch said.
**Pat Riley**, who played nine years in the NBA, averaging 7.4 points, wasn’t as complimentary. Riley, who went on to become a successful coach with the Lakers and Miami Heat, **thought Maravich was overrated and played lousy defense.**
“**Maravich is the most overrated superstar who ever came down the pike**,” Riley said then. “Every guard in the league wants to send a limo to pick Pete up at the airport and play against his soft defense. I not only don’t think Pete could play any other way. I don’t think he wants to” – (1978).
FoFoAndFo
I dunno if this is just a mediocre highlight package but it was a lot less impressive than I was expecting. The behind the back dribble is a trick anybody in the league has (besides a few screen and roll bigs). The fake behind the back at the very end was awesome but there’s a lot of passes that could have been made much more simply and a bunch of open mid-range shots.
ycyc7339
Could he play defense? Stats are for Losers.
GAV17
The T-Mac of his generation in some aspects. Played for bad teams, never winning a playoffs series (he actually has only 1 above 0.500) and still being a legend of the game. Sadly one of the weakest NBA careers in the top 75 NBA list because of this.
People complained about AD or Dame being on the list above Dwight, but the reality is that there are a lot of older players that had much worse careers and by the rules cannot be taken out of the list.
4 Comments
Pete Maravich, one of the most remarkable athletes in the history of all of sports. In an era when players were only eligible for three years – and there was no three-point shot – Pistol Pete became, and remains, the highest scoring player in the history of college basketball.
After leaving LSU, he went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star and he is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
He’s the All-Time NCAA Career Scoring Leader with **3,667 points**, an average of **44.2 points** for **83 games**. Ranks first, fourth and fifth for most points in a single season in NCAA history. Averaged **44.5 points** in 1970, **44.2 points** in 1969 and **43.8 points** in 1968.
The Atlanta Hawks made Maravich the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. He spent four years with the Hawks, the last two being All-Star seasons. When the New Orleans Jazz came into the league as an expansion team in 1974, they needed to find a player who could fill the seats. Nobody in Louisiana had more drawing power than Maravich, who was beloved in the city from his days at LSU.
The Jazz traded for Maravich, who spent six years with the franchise, earning a scoring title in 1977. A knee injury slowed him down at the end of his career. He ended his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, playing 26 regular-season games and appearing in the playoffs.
Maravich retired after the 1979-80 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Maravich died on Jan. 5, 1988, while playing a game of pickup basketball. He was 40.
As Maravich’s career wound down because of his knee injury, players and coaches reflected on Pistol Pete’s career. Many had nothing but praise.
“Pete is the best,” said then-Portland Trail Blazers coach Jack Ramsay in a 1978 Sports Illustrated article. “A great player, a great competitor. Of course, he could play with us. He could adapt to whatever was necessary to win.”
“He’s a team player,” NBA center Bob Lanier said then. “Give Pistol another forward and a center, and he’d be all-everything. He’s the only player I’d pay money to see.”
Bill Fitch, then the Cleveland Cavaliers coach, said Maravich would have been the missing piece for getting his team a championship.
“We’d win the whole thing with Pete in the lineup,” Fitch said.
**Pat Riley**, who played nine years in the NBA, averaging 7.4 points, wasn’t as complimentary. Riley, who went on to become a successful coach with the Lakers and Miami Heat, **thought Maravich was overrated and played lousy defense.**
“**Maravich is the most overrated superstar who ever came down the pike**,” Riley said then. “Every guard in the league wants to send a limo to pick Pete up at the airport and play against his soft defense. I not only don’t think Pete could play any other way. I don’t think he wants to” – (1978).
I dunno if this is just a mediocre highlight package but it was a lot less impressive than I was expecting. The behind the back dribble is a trick anybody in the league has (besides a few screen and roll bigs). The fake behind the back at the very end was awesome but there’s a lot of passes that could have been made much more simply and a bunch of open mid-range shots.
Could he play defense? Stats are for Losers.
The T-Mac of his generation in some aspects. Played for bad teams, never winning a playoffs series (he actually has only 1 above 0.500) and still being a legend of the game. Sadly one of the weakest NBA careers in the top 75 NBA list because of this.
People complained about AD or Dame being on the list above Dwight, but the reality is that there are a lot of older players that had much worse careers and by the rules cannot be taken out of the list.