The only other thing in life I couldnt comprehend was looking at the moon and knowing there were men walking on it.. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. In the division finals, however, Philadelphia fell to Boston. 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. 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 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. Media in category "Billy Cunningham" The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. The 1996 dunk competition boasted great ballers like the 76ers Jerry Stackhouse and the Suns Michael Finley, and nobody really expected the Lakers guard to triumph. In 1968-69, Cunningham broke loose, scoring 24.8 ppg and recording 12.8 rpg while earning his first of four consecutive All-Star appearances and the first of three successive berths on the All-NBA First Team. Do you have a blog? RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. 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. With an average height of 64, Arizin had fantastic ball handling skills, played a mean defense, and had some seriously bouncy feet. But while Cunningham was reaching his peak, the 76ers were beginning to crumble. His entire head and neck were above the rim. Jackie Jacksons all-around game, by most accounts, was only fair. Could this be Gods way of telling us its time to raise the hoop? In The Finals, however, Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and the Lakers were too much. Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 30 years, beginning in 1983. No. It was an effort, but I could do it., There is no documented proof of a man ever taking off from behind the free-throw line, 15 feet from the backboard, and dunking. Thats how much air was between Connaughton and those shiny floorboards at the NBA Combine in 2015. His departure had a disastrous effect. Ive never felt another feeling like it, being able to go up in the air, over someone much bigger, and stay up there. People swear he cleared it by a foot, said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idahos basketball coach. Its even been called hellicious.. Some of the guys started dunking. His departure had a disastrous effect on the 76ers, who posted a 9-73 record in 1972-73, the worst mark in NBA history. His fame began while he was playing at St. Rose of Lima and later Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn,[1] where he was the MVP in the Brooklyn League in 1961. It is near the University of Idaho campus, where the legendary Gus Johnson once played. The ABA wasnt about dignity, it was about style. Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. 1 draft choice. Though he portrayed a large woman in "You have to Walk it like . They took about 10 jumps each. Or write about sports? Buffman and Cunningham decided to team up in the venture, and they brought in Lewis Schaffel and Ted Arison. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cunningham-william-john-billy, "Cunningham, William John ("Billy") He inherited a team of underachievers led by Julius Erving. Then he transferred to Arizona State, clashed with then-coach Steve Patterson and wound up quitting the team. billy cunningham vertical jump. Billy can jump up to 29-31 inches (vertical leap). They were trying to touch the top of the board, Nissalke said. Although he had never coached, he was popular in Philadelphia, and his competitiveness, toughness and intelligence seemed right for the job. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. However, none of the other basketball-playing Barry brothers Scooter, Jon, and Drew - can claim to be the only white man in history to win the Slam Dunk contest, though. He told me, Sonny, no. . Thats the outer space were dealing with today, the sky above the hoop, the rare air inhabited by only a select group of humans, the legendary leapers. Cunningham achieved a career trifecta in law, business, and government. [8] During his tenure, the team featured Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Moses Malone, and Julius Erving. Can the old Elevator still ascend? Current Grand Canyon Antelopes coach and the Phoenix Suns favourite former shooting guard/small forward is an NBA All Star, an Olympian, and World Team member. At Carolina, he was reunited with the coach Larry Brown, who had been a UNC teammate. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Moral of this story: dont count the white guys out of this sport just yet. And the man has pulled out some pretty crazy surprise dunks. They swept the Knicks in the conference semis and topped the Bucks in five games to reach another Finals, where they swept longtime nemesis L.A. for the championship. In his UNC career, he scored 1,709 points (24.8 points per game), and grabbed 1,062 rebounds (15.4 rebounds per game). He said he was afraid he would cut himself. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. "The beauty part of playing basketball," he once said, "is that your mind is occupied with playing basketball and nothing else, and you're having fun.". During his playing career, he was a 4-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA First Team selection. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid youve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. 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. . That said, you can see his leaping ability when he takes off. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? [9] In 1996, Cunningham was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary. Last season, there were 5,757 NBA dunks by 246 players. Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. Anybodv can win the lottery.. Here's a number: 44 inches. It is. "We just helped knock on doors and pull people out of their homes last night. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Claims of sergeants in the mid- and high 40s are common. Do you have a sports website? By word of mouth, you would get to know who the best dunkers were, and by the end of the season it was pretty much agreed the best two were a Portland guy named Claude English and me. They couldnt, of course, because those things are so much harder than they look. This guy wasnt a leaper, but it will show you what I mean. Cade Cunningham Vertical Jump Height. Posted by; Date June 12, 2022; Comments . "Cunningham Quits; Loughery Dropped,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Cunningham&oldid=1135516255, 3-year letter winner (in his day, freshmen were ineligible for, His number 32 jersey is retired by the Philadelphia 76ers; however, he allowed it to be worn by, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 03:41. Sure, Casper and friends tend to dominate less vertically challenging sports like golf, hockey, and tennis, but they have also held their own on the floorboards. It was like, Legend has it that 20 men are buried in Boot Hill because of this guy. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Brooks suspended after receiving 16th technical foul, Grizzlies' Clarke (torn achilles) out indefinitely, Ja will be away from team for 'at least' 2 games, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for 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. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. "I lived there that summer," he later recalled. 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. We sure are glad he picked basketball! Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. 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. When they were not taking everything off, the dancing was more alluring. "In a way the injury made things easy for me," he said later. In 1967, he teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title. Billy Cunningham found success as a coach in the NBA after his playing days were through. Select from premium Billy Cunningham 76ers of the highest quality. He led Philadelphia to the playoffs in every year as coach, and advanced to the NBA Finals 3 times, in the 197980, 198182 and 198283 seasons. Connie Hawkins, another of the elite leapers of that era, was blackballed from the NBA because of involvement with gamblers when he was in college. amc gremlin for sale washington state billy cunningham vertical jump. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. Close to the superleaper class in Kupchaks book, but a shade short, are Charles Barkley, Larry Nance, Orlando Woolridge, Roy Hinson, Tom Chambers and Akeem Olajuwon. . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Throughout his life, Cunningham excelled at all aspects of the game he loved. The University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll there. [4], Cunningham signed a threeyear contract on August 5, 1969 to begin play with the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars in 197172. He had tested thousands of Navy pilots during the war, and he said Griffiths was the highest he ever measured.. His jersey number "32" was later retired by Philadelphia. During a game in 1963 against Clemson University, he grabbed a record twenty-seven rebounds. Cade Cunningham has a vertical jump of 41 inches. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He was so good, Red Auerbach saw him play in a schoolyard game and invited him to camp with the Celtics. There is a tavern called the Corner Club, in Moscow, Ida. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Its unbelievable. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. They outlawed that, but I wouldnt have done it in a game, anyway. This guy that was also selected for the MLB draft, spent time with the Orioles, and pitched an impressive 96 mph. billy cunningham vertical jump - a portrait of the artist as filipino - a portrait of the artist as filipino - Cunningham could not even crack the starting lineupwhich . However, the date of retrieval is often important. Browse 310 billy_cunningham stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. He was a role player on the 1967 title team in . Chamberlain remembers other playground legends: Boy named Helicopter (real name: Herman Knowings) had incredible wingspan. However, you can take all the sergeant numbers of all the jumping jacks, put the numbers in a manure spreader and sprinkle them on your lawn or garden. He got kudos for his smooth-sounding, incisive work with the play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton. Not a great deal is known about Jackie, which is good, because nothing dims a legend faster than facts. I also think, in Joeys case, he gets up so high it hurts his shooting technique., Clarke said: When other players were shooting jump shots in their back yards, Joey was practicing dunks.. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Thunder Dan has more than made friends with the rim and earned his name! And that performance in Denver was the national coming-out party for Dr. J, the godfather of dunk. In the six years of the NBAs slam dunk contest, only one white player has been invited to compete, 6-10 Tom Chambers in 1986. Many of the legendary leapers of that era didnt play NBA ball because all they could do was leap. Most of these leapers were from the inner city, where they suffered from overexposure to drugs and underexposure to formal education. The white guys listed below are heroes of the basketball world. When I went to Kansas, they had a 12-foot basket in the gym, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket. Gus was a colorful thunder dunker and a breaker of backboards. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. They annihilated the opposition all season and finished with a 68-13 record. After that season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA with the Carolina Cougars. Billy Cunningham (Billy; The Kangaroo Kid) Position: Forward 6-6 , 210lb (198cm, 95kg) School: North Carolina (Men) Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft SUMMARY Career G 69 PTS 24.8 TRB 15.4 AST - FG% 47.3 FT% 62.8 Cunningham Overview More Cunningham Pages More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference Its almost like burlesque dancing. He reached both the 300 and 400-win milestones faster than any coach in NBA history. Keith Smart always reported he had a 44. He said he was tired and tight. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. In the exhibition season he was assigned to bring the ball up the court against Bostons K.C. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. In the 19701971 season he again was an All-Star starter and finished ninth in the NBA with 23.0 points per game. Seniors Are Getting Freaking And A New Loofah Code Lets Everyone Know. It was legendary, however, and cemented young Majerle as one of the best white dunkers of all time. Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") ( b. He was a five-time All Star, 1972-73 MVP, and received recognition for numerous goals, throws, rebounds, and assist plays. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Kareem came the closest. Legends abound of the truly great leapers who could touch the top of the board. This guys been compared to celebrated center-man Dwight Howard for his max vertical, and to NBA/Olympic legend Oscar Robertson for his triple-doubles. Wilt Chamberlain claims that his sergeant, during his prime, was 46 to 48 inches, easy. Of course, Wilt also claims he once averaged 50 points for an entire NBA season, so his credibility is suspect. Upon his retirement on May 28, 1985,[13] his 454 wins as a head coach were the 12th best in NBA history. As Cunningham was adjusting to the professional game, the 76ers were becoming a powerhouse. American basketball player It doesnt take a detective to see these were obviously a foreshadowing of plays to come. Artis (A-Train) Gilmore, George (Ice) Gervin and Larry (Big Cat) Kenon all dunked admirably. for once. Since his slamming days in the NBA, hes continued with the sport as a scout, director, analyst, commentator, and even vice president of player personnel. 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. billy cunningham vertical jump. Gus once said, When I dunked that ball and heard that shot for the first time, I said to myself, Oh, oh, Gus. [6] He announced on June 15, 1972, that he was going to play with the Cougars beginning with the upcoming season at press conferences in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina which occurred almost simultaneous to the Sixers' introduction of Roy Rubin as its new head coach.[7]. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. It's like walking on air. Joey averaged 19.5 points at Southern Idaho and led the team to a national junior college title. 44 is only four inches less than the NBAs all-time record by His Airness, Michael Jordan, and also by Darrell Griffith. The Memphis forward sustained the injury Friday night during the 1st quarter of the Grizzlies 113-97 loss to the Nuggets. The ABA folded after that season, but the slam-off was such a hit with the media that the concept was eventually ripped off by the NBA. If they play the game far above the rim, it is because they are tall. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. In his first playoff appearance, he led the Sixers to a 4-game sweep against the Knicks,[12] before bowing down to the Bullets in six games. Cunningham, though, tore up the ABA. As a rebounder and jump shooter he averaged 18.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Before his senior year, White happened to work out with some Atlanta Hawks players and they went to coach Richie Guerin with tales of this amazing leaper. Position: Knowing he was inexperienced, Cunningham assembled a group of veteran ex-coaches as assistants, including Chuck Daly, who later to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons. 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Free, Darryl Dawkins and Bobby Jones. Manigault, for instance, developed an addiction to heroin, stole to get it, did time in two prisons. Its almost like you were floating, like there was no such thing as gravity. There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. And there was a dog. Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA draft, More Cunningham pages at Sports Reference, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. In Cunninghams debut year the team went 55-27 and won the Atlantic Division before losing to eventual-champion Washington in the Eastern Conference finals. 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. In 1987, Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator (alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton) for CBS' NBA telecasts. They think they could track down what the announcer calls a routine fly ball. Curtis Bunn, a 6-1 reporter for Newsday, has a very decent repertoire of slams. All the teams did that. Cunningham was part of a group that helped to secure an NBA franchise for Miami in the late 1980s. Nope. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. That's because like many players expected to be picked very high in the draft, they do not attend the Draft Combine or its measurements. He spent several years as one of the owners of the Miami Heat and the team quickly became a contender. Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. home/away, monthly, etc More Billy Cunningham Basketball Reference pages, Compare Billy Cunningham to other players. ! How tall is Billy Cunningham? Its a remarkable life.. Thats about half the height of Michael Jordan. Then he went to North Carolina and was an All-American. His show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. That swagger had to come from somewhere. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. Its a rush, a thrill, said the Elevator from Decatur. Judging by a still shot the DukeMBB videographer took during the testing, Williamson cleared a vertical leap mark of 40 inches. He was six or eight inches away. When Joey was a high school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa, Ariz., for a prep tournament. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. I asked Kareem if he ever did, and he could jump a little bit. 1964 UNC at Duke, tip-off.jpg 1,454 1,750; 377 KB. Chamberlain was asked, werent there any great leapers of the white persuasion? Nobody ever played the game could rise any better than Jackie. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. At Southern Idaho, the legend grew. I see kids in the eighth grade, kids 5-11, dunking behind their heads, said Rod Thorn, former National Basketball Assn. "I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face" about when to retire. Bobby Jones could swoop and soar. And the problem these days is inflation. Not only could he dunk, but he had a serious white boy swagger. Cunningham led the league in steals with 216 and was fourth in scoring with a 24.1 points-per-game average. Most of the players had between 29 and 33, so I dont believe any of that stuff in the 40s.. Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Herb was not drafted, but was invited to Hawks camp after his senior year and made the 1970-71 team as a point-guard backup and road roommate of another rookie, Pete Maravich. Or write about sports? The players who fly through this thin air are not simply remembered by hoop fans. But who has seen him? . Joey? A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success. The most frequent flyers? Weary of the NBA lifestyle, Cunningham retired. Against Tulane University on 10 December 1964, he set a UNC record by scoring forty-eight points. These are true royalty: Sir Jamalot, Sir Slam, the Prince of Midair. He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. 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. During both is college and NBA career, this guy leapt like nobodys business. When I went to Kansas, they had a 12-foot basket in the gym, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket. White started five games, but was mostly a mop-up guy, then was injured and finished his career in a pro league in Mexico. One boy did dunks of a monster nature, so they named him after the only monster they knew that could fly--Rodan. A fabulous collegian and pro player Cunningham shot to stardom when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966. I get a rebound and Im driving up the floor, ready to go coast to coast. [10] In October 2021, he was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[11]. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine.
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