24.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 44 FG%, 67 3FG%, 82 FT%
“NBA Hall of Famer “Pistol Pete” Maravich was a spectacular showman who helped open up the game of basketball in the 1970s. After a legendary college career at Louisiana State, he played 10 productive seasons in the NBA, earning five trips to the NBA All-Star Game and one league scoring title.
Maravich wasn’t the first player to dribble behind his back or make a deft between-the-legs pass. But his playground moves, circus shots, and hotdog passes were considered outrageous during his era and, perhaps because he cultivated a freewheeling image, some basketball purists felt he was more style than substance. But Maravich produced huge numbers, first as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history and later as a potent force for both the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Jazz.
As a youth Pete Maravich was the quintessential gym rat. After a successful high school career in North Carolina he enrolled at Louisiana State University. NCAA rules at the time prohibited first-year students from playing at the varsity level, so Maravich played for LSU’s freshman team in 1966-67 and scored a monstrous 43.6 points per game.” [Read]
(Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-reference.com)
(Photo by Wen Roberts/NBAE/Getty Images)
August 31st, 2008 at 3:43 am
Nobody in basketball history turns assists in art like Pistol Pete and Magic Johnson, but Pistol were before.
One of the greatest players of NCAA history and NBA history.