Other notable dunks include his shot on the Sonics seriously ticked off Robert Reid, and another on the Knicks flabbergasted Patrick Ewing. 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 returned to Philadelphia in 1977 to become the coach of the 76ers, replacing Gene Shue. 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. In 1987, Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator (alongside play-by-play man Dick Stockton) for CBS' NBA telecasts. Lift up an arm and hop once or twice to get a feel for how far away the rim is. His departure had a disastrous effect. Dawkins named it, Chocolate Thunder Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham, Bam, Glass Breaker, I Am Jam.. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. The Cougars' attempt to file an injunction against him was denied in United States District Court on September 24, 1971. "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. We sure are glad he picked basketball! of 6. "It's a remarkable life.". How in the world can this kid play ball? One expert, Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers assistant general manager, was asked to name the games bona fide super leapers. Instead he went to Georgia as a white player and was a so-so power forward. The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. Yep. Hawkins is now vice president of communications for the Dodgers. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 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. (b. Carolina lost to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division rinals, but Cunninghams regular-season performance earned him the ABA MVP. And he played it constantly. Eight players dunked in triple figures: Barkley of Philadelphia, 188; Jordan of Chicago, 156; Otis Thorpe of Golden State, 150; Pat Ewing of the Knicks, 146; Karl Malone of Utah, 142; Drexler of Portland, 130; Wilkins of Atlanta, 126, and Olajuwon of Houston, 118. One of the more recent players on this list, Chris Birdman Anderson is known for his celebratory arm flapping and his intriguing tattoos. Rosters Cut,", "1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers", Goldaper, Sam. Then we ask him to jump and we mark the highest point he touched. I told him Id read he had a 44. 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What happens when you put stilts on kangaroo? I loved it instantly." He cant even walk.. 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 At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). I said to him, Yes, yes, yes! Wilt said, Im gonna kill you. . I lived there that summer, he later recalled. Griffin was born of half Afro-Haitian descent and half Caucasian. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Small Forward and Power Forward I was phoning the Charlotte Hornets to reach David (Skywalker) Thompson, who now works in the teams front office, when a female secretary said: Ive only seen two players who did things that I watched and I didnt believe--David, and Michael Jordan. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Professional basketball player Ive got the videotape to prove it., Karl Kleinkopf, who coached the Southern Idaho track team for nine years, said: Theres absolutely no doubt Joey could be an eight-foot high jumper by 1992. He was six or eight inches away. 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. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"ZbxZ3AJWWjyZL0HXDpABwVdW.7p3rtLrWMEsK2FPL0A-86400-0"}; Youd go up, arch your back, and go up even higher. Mitch Kupchak witnessed a similar jump-off among 6-4 David Thompson, 6-9 Marvin Barnes and 7-4 Tom Burleson. Wilt meets me at mid-court and says, Na, na, na, not this time.. Philadelphia fans showed surprisingly little bitterness toward Cunningham, who rewarded them with 19.5 ppg in 1974-75. 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. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 30 years, beginning in 1983. Airy, Maryland. These guys will never forget the blur of that mullet-ed head flying past them. An American-Israeli boy who was actually born in Taiwan, this dude was THIS CLOSE to entering the Slam Dunk competition in 2009, but was passed over for the Portland Trail Blazers Rudy Fernandez. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. After Chamberlain left the team in 1968, Cunningham became the 76ers' franchise player. (2000). He said he was afraid he would cut himself. Cunningham, though, tore up the ABA. His colourful tattoos and hairstyles are about as famous as his skills too, with hairdos including mohawks, spikes, and shoulder-length shag. I defy anyone to say they took change off the top of the backboard, Chamberlain said. Wed been on the bus eight hours by then, Trenkle said. His playing days ended on one play in the 1975-76 season. All rights reserved. The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C are nicknames for Billy Cunningham. Hey, a sportswriter dunks. Weve all heard the saying: white men cant jump. Ron Shelton even made a (fantastic) movie about it in the 90s! Cunningham also set a single-game North Carolina record with 48 points against Tulane on December 10, 1964. He told me, Sonny, no. . Ive heard stories about Jackie Jackson doing it, but Ive never seen anyone (but himself) come close., Sonny Hill, a Philadelphia leaping legend of the 60s, backs Wilt, saying, The only man thats been to the top, thats Wilt. Theyll all be going through and over their mountainous opponents in no time! He finished well out of the running--or jumping--when he clanged at least one attempt off the rim. A fiery coach, Cunningham stalked the sidelines with the best of them. Trenkle had heard of the Gus Johnson nail, so when the Southern Idaho team was passing through Moscow on a trip, he ordered the bus driver to stop outside the Corner Club, and he took Joey inside. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. 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. 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. 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. Or write about sports? He is six feet seven inches tall. That swagger had to come from somewhere. Okay, so LaVine is technically not 100% Caucasian. During the post-season, the Cougars defeated the New York Nets in five games in the Eastern Division Semifinals to advance to the Eastern Division Finals. The 1984-85 season, Cunninghams last as coach, featured the addition of rookie Charles Barkley to the team. Now thats something to brag about at Sunday family dinners. The Globies listed him at 6-5, but Sonny Hill swears Jackie was 6-3, tops. Cunningham again led the team in scoring in 1970-71, ranking ninth in the NBA with 23.0 ppg. Theres not room for both of us. The next day Red let Rabbit go. 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. It's a move in which a player drives past a defender by stepping one way and then quickly taking a big lateral step in the other direction, and its become pretty popular. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. You get it. Herb White was moved to write a poem about an eagle that had lost its ability to soar. When I was a freshman, I fooled around with shooting free throws this way: For some reason, I thought you had to stay within the top half of that free-throw circle, so I would step back to just inside the top of the circle, take off from behind the line and dunk. Its unbelievable. Chamberlain played for the Globetrotters in the 58-59 season and said: Jumpin Joe Buckhalter and I would line up on opposite sides of the free throw lane when Meadowlark Lemon was shooting a free throw. The players who fly through this thin air are not simply remembered by hoop fans. Patterson, who recently resigned as Arizona States coach, said that Johnson is really an impact player, but not consistently good and solid. "I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face" about when to retire. He played circles around a guy named Robert Cousy. Effortless, absolutely effortless.. I knew he was right there with me. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Seniors Are Getting Freaking And A New Loofah Code Lets Everyone Know. But listen to Wilt. Gus was a colorful thunder dunker and a breaker of backboards. It doesnt take a detective to see these were obviously a foreshadowing of plays to come. The University of North Carolina (UNC) coach Frank McGuire convinced Cunningham to enroll there. He would toss the ball off the backboard and then slam it home. His jersey number "32" was later retired by Philadelphia. Geraldo Rivera is standing by. He said he was tired and tight. In 1961, his senior year, Cunningham led his team to the city championship and was a high school All-American. . I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face.. His performance in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest was nothing less than stellar, and some say he was robbed of the chance to move to the next round. No discussion of legendary leapers is complete without heated debate. I cant put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. The color barrier and the sex barrier of slam-dunk have fallen: Many white guys and a few women can dunk. Has Joey Johnson simply outleaped the game of basketball? He played nine seasons for the Baltimore Bullets, beginning in 63, and he died last year. This guy that was also selected for the MLB draft, spent time with the Orioles, and pitched an impressive 96 mph. Encyclopedia.com. A lot of them, you have to understand, werent able to get into college, Chamberlain said. One day he received a call from Zev Buffman, who needed a well-known basketball personality to help secure an NBA franchise for Miami. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. //]]>. He was a competitor, said Lewis Schaffel, one of Cunninghams partners in the Miami Heat who grew up with him in Brooklyn. He coached eight years with 76ers, never finishing lower than second place in the Atlantic and posted a career record of 454-196 (.698). 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. Officially, his nickname originated from a 2002 summer league in Salt Lake City, where other players commented on his jumps and grabs, saying he could fly like a bird. Dont get him confused with Larry Bird though. It sure did make me feel good inside.. 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 scored 16,310 points and pulled down nearly 8,000 rebounds. Stanfords 6-4 Todd Lichti is a big-time leaper, regardless of race, creed or color. 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.. Keith had a 32. Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. 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. William John Cunningham (The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Left 6-6, 210lb (198cm, 95kg) . Jackie took off, jumped over Normans head and dunked the ball.. I could. Never got off the bench, but in warmups he could dunk better than anyone Ive ever seen.. Billy Cunningham weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. Date of birth: 3 June 1943 . Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. He did prefer ball to hockey, after all. As a player and then a coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was part of two NBA championship teams. Professional basketball player Joey, standing about eight feet from the shooter, leaped and slapped the shot away. Data Provided By Cunningham hit for 18.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. These are not necessarily great basketball players, understand, but their ability to jump has made them objects of something much deeper than profound respect. Thompson, as a consolation prize, won the MVP award in the All-Star game itself. As Cunningham was adjusting to the professional game, the 76ers were becoming a powerhouse. In those days, didnt nobody dunk but Wilt Chamberlain, so Sonny was an absolute marvel.. Position: [CDATA[ 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. [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]. We Have Fusion Energy! us, High School: A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success. "Rubin Quits L. I. U. to Pilot 76ers,", Goldaper, Sam. Thats about the height of the average 4-year-old. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. Home Depot Is Selling A Giant 89-Pound Crab Statue For $1,500. Joey made the trip but was nursing a hip pointer, so he couldnt suit up. Bones Barry is pretty much Larry Bird, only with a slightly higher jump and significantly longer shorts. Really, though, hed have to in order to make it look like he belonged there among all the African American bball greats. And the problem these days is inflation. Then they took out Boston in the Eastern Division finals San Francisco in the NBA Finals. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. 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. Thats how much air was between Connaughton and those shiny floorboards at the NBA Combine in 2015. Still, the thrill is not all gone. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the following year. He was called the Kangaroo Kid for his prodigious leaping ability. Billy Cunningham. Midway through the previous season the club had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors, and in his first full campaign with the Sixers, he helped them to the Eastern Division title. In The Finals, however, Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and the Lakers were too much. He would perform a reverse dunk-dunk with two balls. And Dirk Nowitzki who no doubt has walls plastered top to bottom with awards and achievements. Part of Dr. Js legend is the same as the mystique of a gunfighter coming into town, Costas said. He was a No. Some nights Id scare myself.. Cunningham had just snared a defensive rebound and was dribbling to the Sixers free-throw line when, as he later recounted, his knee just exploded. No one had touched him, although Alfred Butch Beard was given a foul on the play. He was a five-time All Star, 1972-73 MVP, and received recognition for numerous goals, throws, rebounds, and assist plays. After acquiring the talented Moses Malone for the 19821983 season, Philadelphia won sixty-five regular season games and then the league championship, losing one of thirteen play-off games. I got fired up and did a 360 dunk. Can the old Elevator still ascend? The next season, the consistent Cunningham scored 23.3 points per game and was selected as an All-Star for the fourth time. Learn more and register. Destined to become one of the first of basketball's most talented big men, as a young man George Mikan, Sprewell, Latrell 1970 He ran out of his house and to the hoop at St. Rose of Lima grammar school, three blocks away. He also became an NBA broadcaster on national television and later a part-owner of the Miami Heat. So maybe his African American genes are a little stronger than his Caucasian ones after all? Send us your videotape. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. Theres no greater feeling than going up in a crowd, over guys a foot taller., Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins said: If you can think about Peter Pan, thats the feeling. And some colleges and pro teams were not ready to take chances on what went along with those guys. His teams won sixty-six play-off games and lost twenty-nine. Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. Cunningham arrived in Chapel Hill just as Dean Smith was taking over as the head basketball coach of the UNC Tar Heels. His shooting skills may be what he is best remembered for, but his vertical leaps were nothing to sneeze at: he made 28 inches on more than one occasion. He once grabbed a record 27 rebounds in a game vs. Clemson on February 16, 1963. Jack Gardner, a former college coach, did our testing, Nissalke said. The 6-2 product of the Harlem slums could dunk, catch the ball with his opposite hand and dunk it again, all in the same leap. Some nights, when your legs were really there and you had total command, you felt nobody was going to get any higher than you were. I saw him come down the floor once, in the Eastern League, on a fast break. You cant accomplish that feat unless youve got some serious springs in your heels! As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. David Robinson, future NBA Hall-of-Famer and leader of the San Antonio Spurs, was born in Key We, Chamberlain, Wilt billy cunningham vertical jump. 1924- Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. In Game 2 of the 1967 NBA Finals, Cunningham scored 28 points during a 126-95 win over the San Francisco Warriors.[3]. Showing all 5 items. . And despite the proliferation of dunkers, there is a very elite group of leapers. Unlike Thompson, a huge star at North Carolina State, Dr. J kind of sneaked up on the basketball world. Cunningham led the league in steals with 216 and was fourth in scoring with a 24.1 points-per-game average. They are enshrined in a mythical Museum of Leap. I dont want anyone ripping rib-cage muscles or wrenching spinal disks. 22 Feb. 2023
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