billy cunningham vertical jump

Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Many of the great leapers of that era inhabited the fringes of reality as we know it. One of basketball's all-time greats, Cunningham was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and honored by selection to both the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams as one of its legendary players, as well as to the ABA All-Time Team. Even back in his Florida State days, where he was ACC Rookie of the year for the 1991-92 season, it was obvious that he loved to run, jump, and make friends with the rim. They drove a new nail in for Joey, measured it at 11-7 1/2. In 1987, the NBA Board of Governors awarded the group an expansion franchise to begin play in 1988-89 and thus the Miami Heat was born. It's like walking on air. So goes the popular assumption. married Sondra; they had two daughters. He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Hed shoot it short and Joe and I would leap up and shake hands over the basket.. William John "Billy" Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. He finished well out of the running--or jumping--when he clanged at least one attempt off the rim. Joey, standing about eight feet from the shooter, leaped and slapped the shot away. With Malone in the middle, and Erving, Bobby Jones, Cheeks and Andrew Toney all playing key roles, the 76ers went 65-17 and blew through the Atlantic Division. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Cunningham in the first round of the 1965 NBA Draft, figuring the 6-foot-6 bony and mobile player would be a guard. Back when he played for the Phillies, they had him dribbling alongside Wilt The Stilt Chamberlain for two seasons, and when Chamberlain left in 69, the 76ers had a Kangaroo as their star. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. He ran to the nearest school, three blocks away, and started shooting baskets. But he was over by a good six to eight inches. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His daddy was also a professional ball player, which means his skill and confidence are ate least somewhat genetic. It was the Human Highlight Film vs. a Selected Short. The Doc won it with a long run, a leap from two inches inside the free throw line and a dramatic, powerful windmill slam. of 6. RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. In a way the injury made things easy for me, he added. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Jerry West could get up. During both is college and NBA career, this guy leapt like nobodys business. In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Billy can jump up to 29-31 inches (vertical leap). His list of honors continued in 1986 when he was elected to the Hall of Fame, in 1990 when he was one of the 10 initial inductees to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and in 1996, he was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wed been on the bus eight hours by then, Trenkle said. Its even been called hellicious.. Do you have a sports website? Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft, NBA Debut: October 16, 1965▪ABA Debut: October 12, 1972, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1986 (Full List), More Billy Cunningham pages at Sports Reference. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid youve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. In 1965 Cunningham graduated from UNC and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. In 1967, he teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title. Spencer Haywood, for one, claims to have been to the top. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Left, Born: The NBA had no such contest at the time, considering such frivolity to be beneath the senior leagues dignity. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. The team finished 42-40 and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. There are celebrity dunk-offs. For three days, Rabbit put on a show like theyve never seen before. We Have Fusion Energy! Joey made the trip but was nursing a hip pointer, so he couldnt suit up. 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. Some of them were pretty damn eccentric. As a high school senior, he received a scholarship offer from a Midwestern college, asking him to become the schools first black player. These are not necessarily great basketball players, understand, but their ability to jump has made them objects of something much deeper than profound respect. Imagine yourself lifting off the blacktop, up and up, until you can reach into the air far above the rim. If the Land of Leap had a national holiday, it would be Feb. 8, the anniversary of the legendary 1976 ABA All-Star games first--and last--slam dunk contest. In the 19661967 season the 76ers were a powerhouse, winning sixty-eight against only thirteen losses and beating the Boston Celtics and San Francisco in the playoffs to win the championship. He was called the Kangaroo Kid for his prodigious leaping ability. That said, you can see his leaping ability when he takes off. Skywalker, Helicopter, Elevator, Clyde the Glide, Air Jordan, the Hawk, Rodan, Pogo Joe, Honeycomb, Sidecar, the Big Dipper, the Human Highlight Film, Sky King, Kangaroo Kid. Now, as radio's "Voice of the Common Man," Bill merges all his knowledge, along with his distinguished guests to enrich the minds of his loyal and participative audience. A lot of great leapers dont bother to perfect those skills, because they are treated with such awe. I used to dunk on that basket. I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face.. They annihilated the opposition all season and finished with a 68-13 record. If they play the game far above the rim, it is because they are tall. Small Forward and Power Forward Pretty darn safe. We sure are glad he picked basketball! It was like, Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy. Hailing from Argentina and a family chock full of ball players, Ginobili uses his signature Euro Step to fake out the defense and get him where he needs to go. I made a left turn at the baseline, flew under the basket to the other side, put it through his arms, and dunked it with two hands over my head. Position: My sergeant was higher than Jordans. If youve got a good imagination, imagine yourself wearing a baseball cap, and leaping so high, arms at your side, that you flick your head sideways and dunk your cap. He also had a famously difficult childhood and came from very humble beginnings; it was his hometown of French Lick, Indiana, that inspired the nickname The Hick from French Lick. He was determined not to let his tiny hometown or his troubled family life hold him back though, and instead remained hardworking and classy until the end of his career. So maybe his African American genes are a little stronger than his Caucasian ones after all? Joey was a good player at Banning High in Wilmington and spent two years at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. Do you have a blog? Cunningham would later rejoin the CBS broadcast team starting with the 198586 season, again often paired with Musburger, covering both the NBA as well as NCAA men's college basketball for the network. I won the unofficial NBA slam dunk title that season, said White, who now sells heavy equipment in Georgia. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. Is Billy Cunningham married? Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Hes earned a list of nicknames, including LaVine The Machine as well as being part of the Bounce Brothers duo with Minnesota Timerwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins. I loved it instantly.. Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Family (1) Overview (3) Born: June 3, 1943 in New York, USA: Birth Name: William John Cunningham: Height: 6' 7" (2.01 m) Mini Bio (1) William John "Billy" Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. for once. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. Philadelphia won 62 games the next season, but the Celtics upset the 76ers in the playoffs. He would replace the injured and aging Luke Jackson as the starting power forward of the team, and averaged 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game during the 196869 season while leading the 76ers to 55 wins. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Gus once said, When I dunked that ball and heard that shot for the first time, I said to myself, Oh, oh, Gus. I mean, what next? A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. We know he was born in New Bern, N.C., grew up (and flew up) in Brooklyn, attended Virginia Union, then played several years for the Harlem Globetrotters and in the old Eastern League. Send us your videotape. He led the Cougars to the best record in the league and was selected to the All-ABA First Team and was named the ABA MVP. By the time Dr. J got to the NBA, in 1976 at the age of 26, more than 25% of his leg spring--by his estimate--was shot. Earl Manigault was another fabulous flyer off the Eastern blacktop in the late 50s and early 60s. Then he enters into the [NBA] expansion pursuit and gets it. . I get a rebound and Im driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. The white guys listed below are heroes of the basketball world. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. (2000). 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. Thats about half the height of Michael Jordan. Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. Wilt meets me at mid-court and says, Na, na, na, not this time.. 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. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. He was a competitor, said Lewis Schaffel, one of Cunninghams partners in the Miami Heat who grew up with him in Brooklyn. Manigault, for instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get it, did time in two prisons. In 1976-77, the season before Cunningham took the helm, the Sixers reached The Finals, only to fall to the Portland Trail Blazers. We played Portland in the last game of the season. Fiery and volatile, he would pace the sidelines, driving his team relentlessly. He was all but unknown at the University of Massachusetts, then played five seasons in the semi-secret ABA. And there was a dog. Dawkins named it, Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.. Many of the legendary leapers of that era didnt play NBA ball because all they could do was leap. He was a high school superstar. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. But with a leaper, everybody instantly knows they couldnt do it, that only the tiniest fraction of humans can jump that high.. Philadelphia then became a member of the leagues elite. Cunningham arrived in Chapel Hill just as Dean Smith was taking over as the head basketball coach of the UNC Tar Heels. The legendary player and coach was named the ABA MVP for the 1972-73 season. Youre just up there and nobody else can get up there., David (Skywalker) Thompson said: Sometimes Id surprise myself. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. 1924- Billy Cunningham weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. When Joey was a high school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa, Ariz., for a prep tournament. Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. Its unbelievable. Theres not room for both of us. The next day Red let Rabbit go. Find Billy Cunningham 76ers stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Billy Cunningham. Now they take everything off and it takes a lot more to get people excited.. Known as "The Kangaroo Kid," Billy Cunningham was a high-flying scorer who won an NBA title as a player and coach with the 76ers. He said he was tired and tight. He recorded 14 triple doubles in the NBA and 5 in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA. Join our linker program. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. When Dominique (the Human Highlight Film) Wilkins was in college, a 5-9 laundry man named Leroy Nowells would saunter into the Georgia gym and match slams with Wilkins.

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