American basketball player (1947–1988)
Maravich with the New Orleans Malarky in 1977 | |
| Born | (1947-06-22)June 22, 1947 Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | January 5, 1988(1988-01-05) (aged 40) Pasadena, Calif., U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) |
| High school | |
| College | LSU (1967–1970) |
| NBA draft | 1970: Ordinal round, 3rd overall pick |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Playing career | 1970–1980 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 44, 7 |
| 1970–1974 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1974–1980 | New Orleans / Utah Jazz |
| 1980 | Boston Celtics |
| Points | 15,948 (24.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,747 (4.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,563 (5.4 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Hoops Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Peter Press Maravich (MAIR-ə-vitch; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American experienced basketball player. He starred in college at Louisiana State University's Tigers basketball team; his father, Press Maravich, was the team's head coach. Maravich is the all-time leadingNCAA Division I hands scorer with 3,667 points scored and an average of 44.2 points per game.[1] All of his accomplishments were achieved in the past the adoption of the three-point line and shot clock, weather despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman bring round then-NCAA rules.[2]
Maravich was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in picture 1970 NBA draft, playing four seasons for the team. Be active was traded to the New Orleans Jazz, then an boost up team, with whom he spent the majority of the pull towards you of his career. His final season was split between say publicly Jazz and the Boston Celtics. Injuries ultimately forced Maravich's giving up work in 1980 following a 10-year professional basketball career. He was named an All-Star five times and was named to cardinal All-NBA Teams during his professional career.
One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall foothold Fame, Maravich was considered to be one of the largest creative offensive talents ever and one of the best abrupt handlers of all time.[3][4] He died suddenly at age 40 during a pick-up game in 1988 as a consequence nominate an undetected heart defect.[5] Maravich was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary team in 1996 and 75th Anniversary team hassle 2021.
Maravich was born to Petar "Press" Maravich (1915–1987) and Helen Gravor Maravich (1925–1974) in Aliquippa, a steel city in Beaver County in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.[1] Maravich stunned his family and friends with his basketball abilities from address list early age. He enjoyed a close but demanding father-son rapport that motivated him toward achievement and fame in the amusement. Maravich's father was the son of Serbian immigrants and a professional player–turned-coach. He showed his son the fundamentals starting when Pete was seven years old. Obsessively, young Maravich spent hours practicing ball control tricks, passes, head fakes, and long-range shots.
Maravich played high school varsity ball at Daniel High School advocate Central, South Carolina, a year before being old enough commemorative inscription attend the school. While at Daniel from 1961 to 1963, Maravich participated in the school's first-ever game against a operation from an all-black school. In 1963 his father departed escape his position as head basketball coach at Clemson University highest joined the coaching staff at North Carolina State University.[1] Make your mind up living in Raleigh, North Carolina, Maravich attended Needham B. Broughton High School, where his famous moniker was born. From his habit of shooting the ball from his side, as supposing holding a revolver, Maravich became known as "Pistol" Pete Maravich.[1]: 78 He graduated from Broughton in 1965[8] and then attended Theologiser Military Institute, where he averaged 33 points per game. Gang was known that Press Maravich was extremely protective of Maravich and would guard against any issue that might come interest group during his adolescence; Press threatened to shoot Maravich with a .45-caliber pistol if he drank or got into trouble.[1] Maravich was 6 feet 4 inches in high school and was getting ready to play in college when his father took a coaching position at Louisiana State University.[1]
At that securely NCAA rules prohibited first-year students from playing at varsity muffled, which required Maravich to play on the freshman team. Mop the floor with his first game, Maravich put up 50 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists against Southeastern Louisiana College.[5]
In only three period playing on the varsity team (and under his father's coaching) at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points—1,138 of those in 1967–68, 1,148 in 1968–69, and 1,381 in 1969–70—while averaging 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game, respectively. For his collegiate employment, the 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) guard averaged 44.2 points per amusement in 83 contests and led the NCAA in scoring championing each of his three seasons.[9]
Maravich's long-standing collegiate scoring record high opinion particularly notable when three factors are taken into account:[10]
More than 50 years later, however, uncountable of his NCAA and LSU records still stand. Maravich was a three-time All-American. Though he never appeared in the NCAA tournament, Maravich played a key role in turning around a lackluster program that had posted a 3–20 record in interpretation season prior to his arrival. Maravich finished his college vocation in the 1970 National Invitation Tournament, where LSU finished fourth.[2]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes kitsch game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal part | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per recreation | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
At this central theme, freshmen did not play on the varsity team and these stats do not count in the NCAA record books.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Maravich with the ordinal pick in the first round of the 1970 NBA rough draft, where he played for coach Richie Guerin.[17] He was throng together a natural fit in Atlanta. The Hawks already boasted a top-notch scorer at the guard position in combo guardLou River. In fact, Maravich's flamboyant style stood in stark contrast delve into the conservative play of Hudson and star center Walt Bellamy. It also did not help that many of the oldtimer players resented the $1.9 million contract that Maravich received disseminate the team—a very large salary at that time.[18]
Maravich appeared slender 81 games and averaged 23.2 points per contest—good enough concurrence earn NBA All-Rookie Team honors. He managed to blend his style with his teammates, so much so that Hudson setting a career high by scoring 26.8 points per game. But the team stumbled to a 36–46 record—12 wins fewer prior to in the previous season. Still, the Hawks qualified for rendering playoffs, where they lost to the New York Knicks fabric the first round, as Maravich averaged 22 points a tournament in the five-game series.[19][20]
Maravich struggled somewhat during his second edible. His scoring average dipped to 19.3 points per game, prosperous the Hawks finished with another disappointing 36–46 record. Once homecoming they qualified for the playoffs, and once again they were eliminated in the first round. However, Atlanta fought hard surface the Boston Celtics, with Maravich averaging 27.7 points in rendering series.[20]
Maravich erupted in his third season, averaging 26.1 points (fifth in the NBA) and dishing out 6.9 assists per sport (sixth in the NBA). With 2,063 points, he combined run into Hudson (2,029 points) to become only the second set perceive teammates in league history to each score over 2,000 in rank in a single season.[a] The Hawks soared to a 46–36 record, but again bowed out in the first round assess the playoffs. However, the season was good enough to sunny Maravich his first-ever appearance in the NBA All-Star Game, predominant also All-NBA Second Team honors.[20]
The following season (1973–74) was his best yet—at least in terms of individual accomplishments. Maravich renew 27.7 points per game—second in the league behind Bob McAdoo—and earned his second appearance in the All-Star Game, where proscribed would start for the Eastern Conference and score 15 points.[21] However, Atlanta sank to a disappointing 35–47 record and overlook the postseason entirely. By this point, he and head bus Cotton Fitzsimmons did not get along, with the latter bounteous him a two game suspension at one point.[22]
In the summer of 1974, the expansion New Orleans Jazz privilege was preparing for its first season of competition in say publicly NBA and were looking to generate excitement among their another basketball fans. With his exciting style of play, Maravich was seen as the perfect man for the job. Additionally, why not? was already a celebrity in the state due to his accomplishments at LSU. To acquire Maravich, the Jazz traded figure players and four draft picks to Atlanta.[20][23]
The expansion team struggled mightily in its first season. Maravich managed to score 21.5 points per game, but shot a career-worst 41.9 percent evacuate the floor. The Jazz posted a 23–59 record, worst welcome the NBA.[20]
Jazz management did its best to give Maravich a better supporting cast. The team posted a 38–44 record domestic animals its second season (1975–76) but did not qualify for postseason play despite the dramatic improvement. Maravich struggled with injuries consider it limited him to just 62 games that season, but smartness averaged 25.9 points per contest (third behind McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and continued his crowd-pleasing antics. He was elected dressingdown the All-NBA First Team that year.[20]
The following season (1976–77) was his most productive in the NBA. He led the association in scoring with an average of 31.1 points per recreation. He scored 40 points or more in 13 games,[b] tell 50 or more in four games.[c] His 68-point masterpiece harm the Knicks[24][25] was at the time the most points shrewd scored by a guard in a single game, and one two players at any position had ever scored more: Droop Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.[26] Coincidentally, Baylor was head coach firm the Jazz at that time. Despite Maravich's performance, the plan finished at 35–47 (three wins shy of the previous season) and once again failed to make the playoffs.
Maravich attained his third All-Star game appearance and was honored as All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive season.[20]
The following season, injuries to both knees forced him to miss 32 games fabric the 1977–78 season.[20] Despite being robbed of some quickness challenging athleticism, he still managed to score 27.0 points per play, and he also added 6.7 assists per contest, his principal average as a member of the Jazz. Many of those assists went to new teammate Truck Robinson,[citation needed] who difficult joined the franchise as a free agent during the off-season. In Robinson's first year in New Orleans, Robinson averaged 22.7 points and a league-best 15.7 rebounds per game.[27] Robinson's proximity prevented opponents from focusing their defensive efforts entirely on Maravich,[20] and it lifted the Jazz to a 39–43 record—just keep apart of making the club's first-ever appearance in the playoffs.
Knee problems plagued Maravich for the rest of his career. Grace played in just 49 games during the 1978–79 season. Soil scored 22.6 points per game that season and earned his fifth and final All-Star appearance, but his scoring and fading away abilities were severely impaired.[20] The team struggled on the eyeball, and faced serious financial trouble as well. Management became foolhardy to make some changes. The Jazz traded Robinson to picture Phoenix Suns, receiving draft picks and some cash in return.[28] However, in 1979, team owner Sam Battistone moved the Talk to Salt Lake City.[20]
The Utah Jazz began play timetabled the 1979–80 season. Maravich moved with the team to Spiciness Lake City, but his knee problems were worse than at any time. He appeared in 17 games early in the season, but his injuries prevented him from practicing much, and new omnibus Tom Nissalke had a strict rule that players who didn't practice were not allowed to play in games. Thus, Maravich was parked on the bench for 24 straight games, often to the dismay of Utah fans and to Maravich himself.[29] During that time, Adrian Dantley emerged as the team's authorization player.
The Jazz placed Maravich on waivers in January 1980.[30] He signed with the Celtics, the top team in interpretation league that year, led by rookie superstar Larry Bird.[31] Maravich adjusted to a new role as part-time contributor, giving Beantown a "hired gun" on offense off the bench. He helped the team post a 61–21 record in the regular time, the best in the league. And, for the first at an earlier time since his early career in Atlanta, Maravich was able walk participate in the NBA playoffs. He appeared in nine disposeds during that postseason, but the Celtics were upended by Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals, four games to one.[32][33]
Realizing that his knee problems would at no time go away, Maravich retired at the end of that season.[29] The NBA instituted the 3-point shot just in time stake out Maravich's last season in the league.[20] He had always archaic famous for his long-range shooting, and though injury-dampened, his in response year provided an official statistical gauge of his abilities. Mid his limited playing time in Utah and Boston, he prefabricated 10 of 15 3-point shots,[20] giving him a career 66.7% completion rate.
During his ten-year career in the NBA, Maravich played in 658 games, averaging 24.2 points and 5.4 assists per contest. In 1987, he was inducted into the Pedagogue Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and his No. 7 shirt has been retired by both the Jazz and the Spanking Orleans Pelicans, as well as his No. 44 jersey emergency the Atlanta Hawks. In 2021, to commemorate the NBA's Lxxi Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of breeze time, and named Maravich as the 73rd greatest player block NBA history.[34]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point much goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per pastime | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
After injuries forced his retirement from the game in 1980, Maravich became a anchoress for two years. Through it all, Maravich said he was searching "for life". He tried the practices of yoga stomach Hinduism, read Trappist monk Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain and took an interest in the field of ufology, depiction study of unidentified flying objects. He also explored vegetarianism nearby macrobiotics, adopting a vegetarian diet in 1982.[35]
Eventually, he became a born-again Christian, embracing evangelicalChristianity. A few years before his have killed, Maravich said, "I want to be remembered as a Religion, a person that serves [Jesus] to the utmost, not importance a basketball player."[36]
On January 5, 1988, Maravich collapsed and labour of heart failure at age 40[37] while playing in a pickup basketball game in the gym at First Church relief the Nazarene in Pasadena, California, with a group that deception evangelical author James Dobson. Maravich had flown out from his home in Covington, Louisiana, to tape a segment for Dobson's radio show that aired later that day. Dobson has supposed that Maravich's last words, less than a minute before without fear died, were "I feel great."[38]
An autopsy revealed the cause criticize death to be a rare congenital defect: the left thrombosis artery, a vessel that supplies blood to the muscle fibers of the heart, was missing. His right coronary artery was grossly enlarged and had been compensating for the defect.[39]
Maravich was survived by his wife, Jackie, and their sons Jaeson, escalate 8 years old, and Josh, then 5 years old.[41]
Maravich's domestic were very young when he died and Jackie Maravich (also known as Jackie McLachlan) initially shielded them from unwanted media attention, not even allowing Jaeson and Josh to attend their father's funeral.[15] However, his sons still developed a love compel the game. During a 2003 interview, Jaeson told USA Today that, when he was still only a toddler, "My pater passed me a (Nerf) basketball, and I've been hooked cunning since ... My dad said I shot and missed, and I got mad and I kept shooting. He said his daddy told him he did the same thing."[42]
Despite some setbacks brick with their father's death and without the benefit that his tutelage might have provided, both sons eventually were inspired come to play high school and collegiate basketball—Josh at his father's alma mater, LSU.[42][43]
On June 7, 2024, Josh Maravich died in depiction family home in Covington, Louisiana, at 42 years old.[44][45][46]
On June 27, 2014, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal proposed that LSU perpendicular a statue of Maravich outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Jackie McLachlan said that she had been promised a casting after the passing of her husband.[47] Others opposed a Maravich statue because he had fallen a few credits short worry about graduation and therefore didn't meet the requirements for monuments pan student-athletes.[48]Magic Johnson admitted to taking the "Showtime" name from Maravich as well as studying all his moves.[49] Meanwhile, Bob Songster wrote of idolizing Pete Maravich when he was playing support New Orleans.[50]
In February 2016, the LSU Athletic Hall of Stardom Committee unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring Maravich be installed on the campus, revising the stipulations required.[51] Ensue July 25, 2022, the statue was unveiled to the warning sign outside of the Assembly Center.[52][53]
Maravich's untimely death and mystique accept made memorabilia associated with him among the most highly prized of any basketball collectibles. Game-used Maravich jerseys bring more impecuniousness at auction than similar items from anybody other than Martyr Mikan, with the most common items selling for $10,000 mushroom up and a game-used LSU jersey selling for $94,300 surround a 2001 Grey Flannel auction.[54] The signed game ball deprive his career-high 68-point night on February 25, 1977, sold care for $131,450 in a 2009 Heritage auction.[55]
Awards
Records
Free throws made, quarter: 14, Pete Maravich, third quarter, Atlanta Hawks vs. Buffalo Braves, Nov 28, 1973
Free throw attempts, quarter: 16, Pete Maravich, second thirteen weeks, Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, January 2, 1973
Second pair take in teammates in NBA history to score 2,000 or more proof in a season: 2, Atlanta Hawks (1972–73)
Maravich: 2,063
Lou Hudson: 2,029
Third pair of teammates in NBA scenery to score 40 or more points in the same game: New Orleans Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, April 10, 1977
Maravich: 45
Nate Williams: 41
David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets also scored 40 points in this game.
Ranks 4th unimportant person NBA history – Free throws made, none missed, game: 18–18, Pete Maravich, Atlanta Hawks vs. Buffalo Braves, November 28, 1973
Ranks Ordinal in NBA history – Free throws made, game: 23, Pete Maravich, New Orleans Jazz vs. New York Knicks, October 26, 1975 (2 OT)
Notes
Footnotes