George Gervin
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George Gervin today
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Position | Shooting guard |
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Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Nationality | ![]() |
Born | April 27, 1952 (age 54) Detroit, Michigan |
College | Long Beach State Eastern Michigan University |
Draft | Round 3, 1974 Phoenix Suns |
Pro career | 1973–1986 |
Former teams | Virginia Squires, (1972 – 1974) San Antonio Spurs (1974 – 1985), Chicago Bulls (1985 – 1986) |
Awards | ABA All-Rookie Team, 3-Time ABA All-Star, ABA All-Time Top 30 Team, 7-Time All-NBA Team, 9-Time NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star MVP (1980), NBA 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. |
Hall of Fame | 1996 |
George "The Iceman" Gervin (born April 27, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former professional basketball player, a shooting guard for the American Basketball Association's (ABA) Virginia Squires and San Antonio Spurs and the National Basketball Association's (NBA) San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points in all fourteen of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. Further, although not known for his defense, Gervin retired with the second-most blocks of any NBA guard.
Nicknamed Iceman (or Ice) for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring talents. He led teams at both Eastern Michigan University and Long Beach State. After leaving college due to an altercation, Gervin was set to try out for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. It is rumored that Gervin made 22 of 25 three-point attempts, after which he was signed without Virginia officials having seen him play competitively.
His first scoring crown, which took place in 1978, was one of NBA's most famed moments. He defeated David Thompson by seven hundredths of a point (27.22 to 27.15). Although Thompson came up with a memorable performance for the last game of the regular season, scoring 73 points, Gervin maintained his slight lead by scoring 63 points (including an NBA-record 33 in the second quarter alone) in a loss on his last game of the season. With the scoring crown in hand, he sat out some of the third, and all of the fourth quarter. Gervin would go on to lead the NBA in scoring average three years in a row from 1978 to 1980 (with a high of 33.1 points per game in 1979-80), and again in 1982. Prior to Michael Jordan, Gervin had the most scoring titles of any guard in league history.
When he left NBA he played several years in Europe: in Italy for Banco Roma during the 1986-87 and in Spanish National Basketball League, in TDK Manresa team (when he was already 40). At this point in his career he had lost some of his quickness, but his scoring instinct remained.
His trademark shot was the finger roll, a shot where rolls the basketball basketball along his or her fingertips. While others mimicked this style when shooting layups, Gervin was known to "finger roll" from as far as the free throw line.
Gervin was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, had his #44 jersey retired by the Spurs and was named to the NBA's fifty greatest players list. Gervin was ranked #25 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
He remains active in the San Antonio community in part through the George Gervin Youth Center. Gervin is beloved in San Antonio. Former teammate Larry Kenon, also a quality NBA player, once complained that the city of San Antonio had "Gervinitis."
Gervin's brother, Derrick Gervin, played collegiately at University of Texas at San Antonio where his number is retired.
[edit] Trivia
- Gary Payton said Gervin was his favorite player to watch as a kid. Asked to elaborate, Payton said that it was because "he was just so saucy".
- While sitting out 3 games due to injury, Gervin's replacement, Ron Brewer, averaged over 30 ppg . When Gervin returned, he scored 40+ points. When asked if he was sending a message, Gervin said, "Just the way the Lord planned it" and added, "Ice be cool" (with Ron Brewer).
- Gervin met his wife when playing high school ball. She attended an opponent's school. When rooting against Gervin in high school, she used to implore her team to "not let them throw the ball to that skinny kid."
- Gervin holds the distinction of being a former teammate of both Julius Erving (with the Squires) and Michael Jordan (with the Bulls).
- San Antonio Spurs Career Leader in Field Goals Made (9,201), Field Goal Attempts (18,111), Turnovers (2,506) and Points (23,602).
- Though a revered NBA and ABA all-star and career hall of famer, Gervin has never made an appearance with a team in the NBA, nor ABA, championship finals during his 13-year career in American professional basketball.
[edit] See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
- List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions
[edit] External links
- Gervin @ NBA.com
- George's page @ Basketball-Reference.com
- Gervin tribute @ Remember the ABA.com
- Basketball Hall of Fame profile
- Career Stats
American Basketball Association | ABA's All-Time Team |
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Marvin Barnes | Rick Barry | Zelmo Beaty | Ron Boone | Roger Brown | Mack Calvin | Darel Carrier | Billy Cunningham | Louie Dampier | Mel Daniels | Julius Erving | Donnie Freeman | George Gervin | Artis Gilmore | Connie Hawkins | Spencer Haywood | Dan Issel | Warren Jabali | Jimmy Jones | Freddie Lewis | Maurice Lucas | Moses Malone | George McGinnis | Doug Moe | Bob Netolicky | Billy Paultz | Charlie Scott | James Silas | David Thompson | Willie Wise |
Categories: 1952 births | Living people | African American basketball players | American basketball players | Basketball Hall of Fame | Chicago Bulls players | San Antonio Spurs players | Virginia Squires players | People from Detroit | Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball players | Long Beach State 49ers men's basketball players | Eastern Michigan University alumni