Pete Maravich: Celebrating the Basketball Legend's Life and the Circumstances of His Death

Pete Maravich: Celebrating the Basketball Legend's Li...

By Fan Arch August 05, 2024 23:49

Photo by Getty Images

The basketball world knows the name of Pete Maravich, Pistol Pete. His dazzling style and extraordinary talent, coupled with a scoring prowess that easily ranks him as the game's all-time most potent force, forever changed basketball in the '70s. Maravich's career has many distinctions, including being the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, notching five NBA All-Star designations, and having one scoring title. His influence on the game of tennis is far-reaching, not only entertaining countries with his style but also getting a generation of players to play their aggression and flair court. Unfortunately, Maravich's life ended at the way too young age of 40, but his legacy is one that still holds up today.

Pete Maravich: An Unfinished Life

Life and Before Basketball

Pete Maravich was born on June 22, 1947, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Press Maravich, a former professional player and committed coach who hammered professionalism into his boy from the beginning. Before taking over at LSU in 1966, Press's coaching career would take him to several institutions (Clemson University and North Carolina State).

Pete spent countless hours practicing under his father's watchful eye, often utilizing unconventional methods. He would bounce a basketball as he wove through traffic on the freeway, ride his bike, or drive to school. This hard work all paid off, as he honed a range of skills that ultimately set the tone for his budding career. As early as high school, Maravich became a sensation and was awarded scholarships to set the stage for his college career in basketball.

College Career

Maravich's college career at Louisiana State University (LSU) is among the most fabled in NCAA history. He had a record season playing for the first-year team in 1966-67, scoring an incredible average of 43.6 points per game. He then went on an unparalleled scoring spree that would forge his place in NCAA lore after being promoted to the varsity team. In over three seasons, Maravich would average 43.8 (sophomore) and 44.2 (junior) and then top his record with a staggering 44.5 points per game in his senior season, leading the country in scoring each year. His senior season was particularly incredible given the era; he scored 50 or more points in nine games and an NCAA record of 1,381 points for a single season. He shot 679 from the field but did not benefit from a three-point line that didn't start until two years after his college career concluded.

At the collegiate level, Maravich's many exploits include:

Points: 3,667 (most in NCAA history)
Career scoring average: 44.2 points per game
28 career 50-point games

In spite of his obvious individual success, Maravich came under criticism for not leading LSU to more team wins. Over the course of three seasons, from 1967-68 through 1969-70, the Tigers were just above 500 (49-35). Still, he was voted College Player of the Year in 1970, further affirming his NCAA greatness.

Professional Career

Picked third overall in the 1970 NBA Draft by pro basketball's Atlanta Hawks, in one fell swoop, he signed a landmark $1.9 million contract with them, then the largest amount offered to any player in professional sports throughout its history up to that moment. He lived up to his billing as a solid draft pick in year one, scoring 23.2 points per game and being selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team. The Hawks floundered, going 36-46 on the season, a pervasive theme throughout much of Maravich's pro career in which individual brilliance was too often overshadowed by team futility.

He signed with the New Orleans Jazz, for whom he played most of his productive years, and where, during the 1976-77 season, he achieved that remarkable achievement, becoming an NBA scoring champion (31.1). The jazz and high school coach's style of play may not have been revolutionary, but he wanted to dazzle the audience with his crisp passing, love for shooting from afar, and often catching fire by scoring in bunches. Maravich dazzled fans, scoring 68 points against the New York Knicks in 1977, which is still one of the great all-time single-game performances.

Although a very talented player, injuries hounded Maravich throughout his career, and he could not make an impact, leading him to retire in 1980. He averaged over 24 points per game in ten NBA seasons and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1987.

The Death Of Pete Maravich

Maravich's Untimely Passing

At age 40, Pete Maravich went to that great big gymnasium in the sky on January 5, 1988, as he played a pickup basketball game with some buddies in Pasadena, California. He collapsed on the court and was later pronounced dead after being treated. The attendant later died from what was discovered to be a heart attack resulting from an unknown congenital coronary disease.

Legacy and Remembrance

Pete Maravich was officially recognized in one of those first drafts following his death. Several memorials and awards have been named in his honor, acknowledging his contributions to basketball. Every year, the Pete Maravich Memorial Basketball Tournament is held in his honor, and he continues to live on through documentaries and biographies that chronicle his life and legacy.

Maravich's legacy lives on in the countless number of players he inspired to seek their own creativity and develop their own personalities. His life story is a lesson in how passion, commitment, and the drive for excellence can make all of us better athletes and, even more importantly, better human beings.

Pete Maravich's life and career are a testament to what talent, work ethic, and innovation can do in sports. The records he scored and his approach to changing the game and winning as spectators were influential for generations of athletes who followed him. Though his life was cut short by such a tragedy, the spirit of "Pistol Pete" lives on, glorified in all that he brought to basketball from an early age.

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