Pistol Pete Maravich

[Colonel_Reb]

I was listening to a regional sports talk show this afternoon, and actually heard some undiluted praise for a white player. The host asked his co-host how many SEC basketball players have scored 50 points in a game since 1989. The co-host said probably 2 or so. The host said how about 0. Then he asked do you know how many times Pistol Pete scored 50 in his 3 years starting for LSU? The answer he said was 27! Unreal!
An average of 9 50 point games in the era of no 3 pointers. No one has come close since, and the host said so. Image what he would have scored if there had been the three, not to mention his NBA career. Many of his college points came at three point range. He was the first white player to be asked to join the Harlem Globetrotters, and he declined. I'm glad he did. He surely didn't need them. Just thought I'd share that piece of good broadcasting with you.

 

[JD074]

Recently I saw a rare moment of blunt honesty about race in
the sports world. Woody Paige, on ESPN, said that Atlanta was
a terrible team for Pistol Pete because "it was the first black
NBA team," and the other guys didn't like him, didn't want to
pass the ball to him, etc. No argument from the two guys he
was talking to. He still managed to average about 24 ppg
during his four years there.

A little trivia about his 3 point shooting: his last season in the
NBA was 79-80, the first year that they implemented the
three-point line. He played limited minutes in 43 games, and
went 10-15 from behind the arch. Not a large sample, but
given that he averaged 44% from the field and 82% from the
free throw line, and his great work ethic, he would've taken full
advantage of the 3-point line.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

He was and still is a legend! No one comes close.

 

[Carolina Speed]

He was and still is a legend! No one comes close.

Didn't see many replies to this thread on Pistol Pete Maravich, so I thought I'd give him his due. Hope you guys don't mind.

First as Freethinker mentioned on the next Larry Bird thread, had Maravich had the 3-point line in college, he would have averaged an estimated 57 PPG! That would equate to 4,731 points. He still holds the NCAA record of 3,667 points in just 3 years and 83 games! Amazingly, had he played 4 years and had the 3-point line he could have scored over 6,000 points!

One of the youngest players ever inducted to The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich was regarded as possibly the " Greatest Creative Offensive Talent in history".

Sadly, Maravich passed away at the young age of 40 while playing in a pick-up basketball game at a church with some friends including Focus on the Family's James Dobson. Dobson said in the last minutes before his death, Maravich said,"I feel great".

And lastly, but most important, after dabbling in many different religions including Hinduism, before he died, he became a "Christian". A few years before his death, he said, "he wanted to be remembered as a Christian not a basketball player".

 

[dwid]

Pistol Pete is a legend down here to the point of where someone like a mechanic would say "I once worked on Pistol Pete's car". Loved seeing his old highlights, haven't found any games though.

What was depressing though, I noticed it somewhat as a kid, but noticed even more, was the caste message in the movie about Pistol Pete. The dad is talking about a new kind of basketball offense for "athletes" (which meant blacks, and I guess Pete), because there was one scene where they played an all black team and lost and he is like "yeah...we're the best WHITE team", implying that the team couldn't keep up with blacks.

I dunno, just got the impression from the movie that Pete was " just dominating stiff white boys" but was "good enough to hang with the black players".

But he was one of a kind. Magic Johnson even said it himself, he modeled his game after Pistol Pete.

needs some videos in this thread

[video=youtube;n8qUZILi8IM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8qUZILi8IM[/video]

 

[dwid]

Heres a vid of Pete doing it in a league with plenty of blacks. Magic Johnson saying Pete was where he got his moves from, and of course a black guy saying "white boy" and "must have had some black in him". Nope, all White. And of course they say he was an outcast in Atlanta because of his "showboating"....yeah sure, with one clip of him doing a no look pass hitting a teammate in the face. Its not his fault he wasn't ready for it, should be paying attention.

[video=youtube;XHmgWeY7heM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmgWeY7heM[/video]

Its not talked about on the video, but Ive heard rumors that he was a big alcoholic and probably could have done even better when he was playing pro ball.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Heres a vid of Pete doing it in a league with plenty of blacks. Magic Johnson saying Pete was where he got his moves from, and of course a black guy saying "white boy" and "must have had some black in him". Nope, all White. And of course they say he was an outcast in Atlanta because of his "showboating"....yeah sure, with one clip of him doing a no look pass hitting a teammate in the face. Its not his fault he wasn't ready for it, should be paying attention.

[video=youtube;XHmgWeY7heM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmgWeY7heM[/video]

Its not talked about on the video, but Ive heard rumors that he was a big alcoholic and probably could have done even better when he was playing pro ball.

Wow dwid, great video. Thanks a lot man. I'm so thankful you posted this and it mentions his becoming a Christian! I hope every member of this forum as well as our guests sees this!

 

[Riggins44]

Top 20 White Basketball Players of All Time

I made this list of the best 20 White players of all time. They are ranked in order. Tell me with whom you agree or disagree. What I am using to judge is if you had to put together a team of 20 white players to take on a team of the 20 best black players of all time, and you just needed the best players in their prime.

1. Larry Bird
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Rick Barry
4. Bill Walton
5. Steve Nash
6. John Stockton
7. Jerry West
8. John Havlicek
9. Pete Maravich
10. Arvydas Sabonis
11. Kevin McHale
12. Bob Petit
13. Dave Cowens
14. Billy Cunninham
15. Dolph Schayes
16. George Mikan
17. Bob Cousy
18. Manu Ginobilli
19. Jerry Lucas
20. Chris Mullin

 

[Carolina Speed]

I made this list of the best 20 White players of all time. They are ranked in order. Tell me with whom you agree or disagree. What I am using to judge is if you had to put together a team of 20 white players to take on a team of the 20 best black players of all time, and you just needed the best players in their prime.

1. Larry Bird
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Rick Barry
4. Bill Walton
5. Steve Nash
6. John Stockton
7. Jerry West
8. John Havlicek
9. Pete Maravich
10. Arvydas Sabonis
11. Kevin McHale
12. Bob Petit
13. Dave Cowens
14. Billy Cunninham
15. Dolph Schayes
16. George Mikan
17. Bob Cousy
18. Manu Ginobilli
19. Jerry Lucas
20. Chris Mullin

I'm not sure if he's top 20 or not, but you might need Mark Eaton, Utah, for his shot blocking ability. He may still hold the single season record, 456, 5.6/game, back during the 84-85 season!

 

[icsept]

Tom Chambers and Mark Price are on my list. I would have Stockton ahead of Nash. Bird is clearly number 1, Stockton number 2. Stockton is NBA career leader in steals and assists, by a mile. I didnt see some of the older players live, but Rick Barry and Jerry West were amazing. Kevin McHale was awesome, cut short by injuries. Dirk is an all-time great, for sure. Pistol Pete definitely the most ridiculously talented white or black player ever - his college career has never been matched.

 

[Awake in America]

I made this list of the best 20 White players of all time. They are ranked in order. Tell me with whom you agree or disagree. What I am using to judge is if you had to put together a team of 20 white players to take on a team of the 20 best black players of all time, and you just needed the best players in their prime.

1. Larry Bird
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Rick Barry
4. Bill Walton
5. Steve Nash
6. John Stockton
7. Jerry West
8. John Havlicek
9. Pete Maravich
10. Arvydas Sabonis
11. Kevin McHale
12. Bob Petit
13. Dave Cowens
14. Billy Cunninham
15. Dolph Schayes
16. George Mikan
17. Bob Cousy
18. Manu Ginobilli
19. Jerry Lucas
20. Chris Mullin

I can't really disagree much with the 20. I think Kevin Love should be in there, but I don't know who I would displace. I would put Maravich behind only Bird, but I have been accused of over-valuing offense. Any list on which Chris Mullin is #20 is a strong list. That guy just kept on scoring, toting around that lunch pail the whole time. Should DeBusschere be on there? Fun topic.

 

[icsept]

Honorable mention to Pau Gasol.

 

[sport historian]

Heres a vid of Pete doing it in a league with plenty of blacks. Magic Johnson saying Pete was where he got his moves from, and of course a black guy saying "white boy" and "must have had some black in him". Nope, all White. And of course they say he was an outcast in Atlanta because of his "showboating"....yeah sure, with one clip of him doing a no look pass hitting a teammate in the face. Its not his fault he wasn't ready for it, should be paying attention.

[video=youtube;XHmgWeY7heM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmgWeY7heM[/video]

Its not talked about on the video, but Ive heard rumors that he was a big alcoholic and probably could have done even better when he was playing pro ball.

He admitted after his playing days to being "a big alcoholic."

 

[Riggins44]

Tom Chambers and Mark Price are on my list. I would have Stockton ahead of Nash. Bird is clearly number 1, Stockton number 2. Stockton is NBA career leader in steals and assists, by a mile. I didnt see some of the older players live, but Rick Barry and Jerry West were amazing. Kevin McHale was awesome, cut short by injuries. Dirk is an all-time great, for sure. Pistol Pete definitely the most ridiculously talented white or black player ever - his college career has never been matched.

Eaton would be a very valuable player to have to clog up the lane. Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq would all be bothered by him. Mark Price would be a good add; he may displace Cousy. Chambers of course was a great physical talent and could create his own shots, kind of like an earlier version of Dirk. Maravich of course may have been the best at this, but he wasn't as good as Bird, Dirk, Barry, and Walton at playing as a team in crunch time and winning when it mattered. That's why all those guys won NBA championships and were Finals MVPs. Those are the guys you want on the court at the end. For that matter you'd want Havlicek and Jerry West on the court at crunch time also in the back court. Those guys were proven shot makers and winners.

 

[Average American]

but he wasn't as good as Bird,..

Riggins, nice list. I always appreciate the knowledge & research posters bring to this forum.

I got Bird in my number one spot.. West probably at #2.
I think/agree Pistol Pete is top 10. I understand bcuz of expectations, Pete's career is viewed in terms of unfulfilled potential, but he still had some really good seasons in the mid '70s.

A guy I always liked, but is probably not list-worthy here, was Dan Majerle. Big dude with good outside range. And Dirk is still climbing this list, no ?

 

[Riggins44]

Riggins, nice list. I always appreciate the knowledge & research posters bring to this forum.

I got Bird in my number one spot.. West probably at #2.
I think/agree Pistol Pete is top 10. I understand bcuz of expectations, Pete's career is viewed in terms of unfulfilled potential, but he still had some really good seasons in the mid '70s.

A guy I always liked, but is probably not list-worthy here, was Dan Majerle. Big dude with good outside range. And Dirk is still climbing this list, no ?

West was a bit before my time, but I have seen some old footage of him, and he was amazing. He had several games I believe in the Finals in the late 60's where he went for over 40 points. That's why they put his silhouette on the NBA logo. Pistol Pete of course was a legend. It's so cool to watch those old collections of him on Youtube. He set the standard for creativity with creating shots and making passes.

"Thunder" Dan Majerle was a great talent. John Thompson had him starting on the 1988 Olympic team, and he, David Robinson and Danny Manning were the first three options.

Dirk is still adding to his legacy for sure. It would be great to see him break into the top 5 scoring all time. Too bad about his wife, but the kids can still emulate his game.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

I made this list of the best 20 White players of all time. They are ranked in order. Tell me with whom you agree or disagree. What I am using to judge is if you had to put together a team of 20 white players to take on a team of the 20 best black players of all time, and you just needed the best players in their prime.

1. Larry Bird
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Rick Barry
4. Bill Walton
5. Steve Nash
6. John Stockton
7. Jerry West
8. John Havlicek
9. Pete Maravich
10. Arvydas Sabonis
11. Kevin McHale
12. Bob Petit
13. Dave Cowens
14. Billy Cunninham
15. Dolph Schayes
16. George Mikan
17. Bob Cousy
18. Manu Ginobilli
19. Jerry Lucas
20. Chris Mullin

Pretty good list. I might think of replacing Mark Price for Ginobillii & Jack Sikma for Sabonis. For "Honorable Mention", I'd include Drazen Petrovic, Bill Laimbeer, Jeff Horacek, Danny Ainge, Tom Chambers & Mark Eaton.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

A newer video on Pete. What a phenom!! RIP to one of the ALL TIME greats!

 

[Extra Point]

Here's Hall of Fame center Bill Walton's comments on Pete Maravich. Clearly Maravich was one of the all-time greats.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Bumping this thread of Pistol Pete with a recent dedicatory video and some stats below it. Great compliments from SO many who saw him play (real content starts at 2:18):

• 5× NBA All-Star (1973, 1974, 1977–1979)
• 2× All-NBA First Team (1976, 1977)
• 2× All-NBA Second Team (1973, 1978)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (1971)
• NBA scoring champion (1977)
• NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
• No. 44 retired by Atlanta Hawks
• No. 7 retired by Utah Jazz
• No. 7 retired by New Orleans Pelicans
• 2× National college player of the year (1969, 1970)
• 3× Consensus first-team All-American (1968–1970)
• 3× SEC Player of the Year (1968–1970)
• 3× NCAA season scoring leader (1968–1970)
• NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader
• No. 23 retired by LSU Tigers
• First-team Parade All-American (1965)

 

[jacknyc]

Top 20 White Basketball Players of All Time

I made this list of the best 20 White players of all time. They are ranked in order. Tell me with whom you agree or disagree. What I am using to judge is if you had to put together a team of 20 white players to take on a team of the 20 best black players of all time, and you just needed the best players in their prime.

1. Larry Bird
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Rick Barry
4. Bill Walton
5. Steve Nash
6. John Stockton
7. Jerry West
8. John Havlicek
9. Pete Maravich
10. Arvydas Sabonis
11. Kevin McHale
12. Bob Petit
13. Dave Cowens
14. Billy Cunninham
15. Dolph Schayes
16. George Mikan
17. Bob Cousy
18. Manu Ginobilli
19. Jerry Lucas
20. Chris Mullin

Nicola Jokic and Luka Doncic would definitely be on this list now, and very high up.

Meanwhile, Maravich was incredible offensive talent. Maybe the best offensive player on this list. Unfortunately he never played on very good teams. And I'm not sure whether he was, or would have been, a good team player, even though his passing was incredible. He was always relied on to score.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Meanwhile, Maravich was incredible offensive talent. Maybe the best offensive player on this list. Unfortunately he never played on very good teams. And I'm not sure whether he was, or would have been, a good team player, even though his passing was incredible. He was always relied on to score.

Yes, Maravich was the best offensive talent on the list for 7 seasons and then suffered a major knee injury that curtailed his career. After only playing 7 full seasons, he made the HOF and is still considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Although he was an amazing talent, one of which we haven't seen since, he finally found peace in his life by repenting and confessing and trusting The Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. That's what I'll remember most about Pete Maravich.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Yes, Maravich was the best offensive talent on the list for 7 seasons and then suffered a major knee injury that curtailed his career. After only playing 7 full seasons, he made the HOF and is still considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Although he was an amazing talent, one of which we haven't seen since, he finally found peace in his life by repenting and confessing and trusting The Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. That's what I'll remember most about Pete Maravich.

Yes indeed CS. And he was very open about his faith. Very committed. Thanks for posting that.

 

[Don Wassall]

Maravich was one of the most famous athletes in the country when he played for LSU. It was a much different time, when great White athletes were still given their due and the Caste System was only in its beginning stages. It's hard to believe there aren't other potential "Pistol Petes" out there, of course there are, but as with Whites in sprinting and at most positions in football, the power structure doesn't want them and does everything possible to stifle and waylay them. Add in all the vicious anti-White hate taught in schools and spewed by the fake news media, and it's really only White kids from intact, loving, well-grounded families who have a chance these days to reach their potential, and even then they face tough odds.

 

[white lightning]

Pistol Pete Maravich was one of a kind. Similar to Larry Bird as he was quiet off the court but let his playing do the talking. Oh how I
wish we could relive those days again. He is the greatest NCAA College Player of All Time. It's not even close. The NBA was already
starting their anti white attacks when he came into the league. He is lucky he got out of Atlanta as his teammates were so jealous of his
incredible abilities. When Pete was a kid he took the basketball everywhere he went. He could dribble blindfolded. Amazing player and
an even better person. I salute one the All Time Greatest Basketball Legends to ever walk the earth. It was an honor for the fans.