Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Time of Darryl Dawkins detailed some of the many outlandish Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. Cunningham became a playground regular, a gym rat, and a high school star, leading Erasmus Hall to the New York City Championship in 1961. 75 Step through shot 46 Shot under basket 75 Shot close 20 Shot close left Small Forward and Power Forward Takes physical punishment on contact shots near the rim without severely impacting his energy. The curious case of Billy Cunningham : NBA2k - Reddit Baylor, Hawking, Erving, Thompson, Jordan . 1 draft choice. from Allentown, Pennsylvania, signed a letter of intent late last year to play football He succeeded Gene Shue as head coach of the 24 76ers on November 4, 1977. Billy Cunningham found success and stardom during his ABA days. [2] At the conclusion of the season he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. "Shue Ousted, Cunningham Named; N.B.A. Boston kept Philadelphia out of The 1981 Finals, but the Sixers roared back to the 1982 before falling to the Lakers again. Stromile Swift is a better dunker than anyone pre-80s. That sure seems fair enough. On PF, I have other good players. . William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. 66.94.114.236 Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1996 Topps NBA Stars Basketball #112 - Billy Cunningham - Philadelphia 76ers at the best online prices at eBay! (NBC Sports Philadelphia is re-airing that series this weekend.) Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device. Cunningham was subsequently replaced on CBS by Hubie Brown, but would return to CBS to help fill in during the 1990 NBA Playoffs, partnered with Verne Lundquist. The Kangaroo Kid, Kang, Billy C are nicknames for Billy Cunningham. Billy Cunningham found success as a coach in the NBA after his playing days were through. He would find a way to beat you., Billy Cunningham discovered the game after receiving a basketball for his fifth birthday. Then he enters into the [NBA] expansion pursuit and gets it. Please leave suggestions!! 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.". As a rebounder and jump shooter he averaged 18.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. and some people today would still think Michael Jordan couldn't compete with Stromille Swift. Golinish There is a more holistic power Jimmy Butler has access to, involving his fearlessness and his great strategic intelligence but not limited to these things. Thoughts on Billy Cunningham? : MyTeam - Reddit Billy Cunningham vs Steven Adams. Known for his ability to score baskets immediately off of offensive rebounds near the hoop. 90 Standing Dunk. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the following year. The young Dawkins is Size matters on PF/C. He was a high school superstar. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. THE LEAPING LEGENDS OF BASKETBALL - Los Angeles Times Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 1. to be from another planet, and caused the league to create a rule against the One other nickname for his dunks was the "Rim Wrecker," which was appropriate. The media was questioning everyones heritage the day before. Carolina lost to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division rinals, but Cunninghams regular-season performance earned him the ABA MVP. Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau remain linked. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. 82 Post Fade. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Dunks. fans will tell you Darryl Dawkins was different. Then an All-Star. With Maurice Cheeks and Lionel Hollins adding vitality to the backcourt, the Sixers roared to a 59-23 record in the 1979-80 regular season and then defeated favored Boston with rookie sensation Larry Bird in the Eastern Conference finals. Join our linker program. Rare SI Photos of Julius Erving - Sports Illustrated yea, he had a PD-->Opal evo last year which needed like 100 blocks and steals which was super hard when he was 6'6. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The \u201cKangaroo Kid\u201d was a fixture of the Sixers organization, a figure who overlapped eras and stood for excellence and competitiveness. All rights reserved. 86 Post Hook. Boards are just luck. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dunks against Phoenix Suns forward Jalen Smith on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at Little Caesars Arena. The Cougars' attempt to file an injunction against him was denied in United States District Court on September 24, 1971. why does someone need to ask? One oft-told story about Darryl Dawkins was that a sneaker company executive called 76ers coach Billy Cunningham to complain that Dawkins was wearing a Nike sneaker on one foot and a Pony sneaker on the other. He did the same thing less than a month later in a contest against the San Antonio Spurs. . Professional basketball is, by and large, a nomadic occupation. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. 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. 90 Standing Dunk. It was just a beautiful game from a coaching standpoint \u2014 every button you pressed, it worked.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Sixers fell to the Lakers in the Finals that season but returned the next year and, thanks in no small part to MVP Moses Malone, pulled off a sweep. rims the following season. [16], For other people named William Cunningham, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, List of National Basketball Association single-game playoff scoring leaders, "The Rumble: AN OFF-THE-BALL LOOK AT YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS CELEBRITIES", "Philadelphia 76ers 134 - Portland Trail Blazers 132", Goldaper, Sam. There are a lot of business trips that blend together. 86 Post Moves. One day he received a call from Zev Buffman, who needed a well-known basketball personality to help secure an NBA franchise for Miami. Cunningham then went to the University of North Carolina, where he excelled. ), Cunningham and Thompson (especially Thompson) could compete in and win dunk contests. LOOK: Four UNC Legends Reunite at NBA All-Star Weekend, Named to NBA's I'll tell you more when I have tested him. I was blessed to have been involved in the Russell-Chamberlain era and then the Bird-Erving era, Cunningham told NBC Sports Philadelphias Marc Zumoff in a recent interview. 40 Driving layup . We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. That sure seems fair enough. <\/p>\n