Through each decade of basketball, there have been brilliant passers and playmakers that revolutionized the game. The ‘80s had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird; the ‘90’s had Michael Jordan and John Stockton; the 2000’s featured Lebron James, Steve Nash and Jason Kid; today, we have Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving. But who was their inspiration? Who did these players model their crazy no-look behind-the-back passes after?
There are few basketball legends that fit the bill, but there’s one player that was well before his time, paving the trail for basketball to be the free-formed art that modern basketball is today.
Pete Maravich.
Off the court, Maravich was best remembered for his thin moppy hair, floppy socks that hung way too loose around his ankles, and his iconic nickname—“The Pistol.” On the court, Pistol Pete was known for his theatrics with the ball in his hands. The 6-foot-5 guard performed passes and shots that left fans and opposing teams in awe.
“He is the best passer and ball handler I have ever seen,” said former college rival Dan Issel. “He made some phenomenal passes; behind his back, around his head, between his legs, blind passes.”
Maravich glided up and down the court with speed and strength despite his frail frame. He was unpredictable and inventive. He owned a plethora of never-before-seen jump shots and passes that he would break out every time he took the court. His circus style of play was well before his time and iconic. Whether it was a fade away, hook shot, or no look pass, Maravich was always putting on a show for the fans.
This is the story of “Pistol” Pete Maravich, one of the world’s greatest forgotten players.
Part 1: Obsession and Unusual Drills
From a young age, Maravich always had a basketball in his hands. His father, Peter “Press” Maravich, a former college player and coach, constantly challenged the basketball prodigy. He would dribble everywhere and with everything he did. From dribbling a basketball out of a car window to dribbling in the movie theater, the young Pistol Pete couldn’t get enough.
“Press would drive the car and Pete would get in the back seat,” said family friend Dag Wilson. “One time around the block he would be hanging out the right hand side with the glass down dribbling the ball. The next time around, he would move to the left hand side of the car and dribble with his left hand.”
Maravich became enamored with the sport of basketball. He would wake up and be at the YMCA at eight in the morning and stay the entire day just dribbling and shooting. There would even be times when Maravich would be practicing in the middle of the night perfecting his craft.
“All hours day and night, and in the coldest of days Pete would be out bouncing a basketball,” said former neighbor Howard Bagwell. “I used to get aggravated in the middle of the night listening to that ball bounce on that concrete out there.”
While his father pushed him to be the best that he could be, it’s important to note that it wasn’t just his dad who wanted him to be great; Pete also wanted to be the great. With this shared interest, Press would give Pete a list of dribbling drills to complete every single day to continue working on his skillset. Over time these drills evolved into some of the most recognizable ball handling drills in the sport—drills that you have probably done without even recognizing the origin.
The most famous drills being:
The Pretzel: Standing low in a hunched over position. Hold the ball between your legs, one hand in front and one in back, lightly toss the ball up and switch arms catching the ball again before it hits the ground.
Around the World: This is an easy one but you swing the basketball around your waist, once you can comfortably do that, you keep swinging it around your body moving up to your head and then all the way down to your feet without stopping.
The One Leg Figure Eight: A dribbling drill, you get down on one knee and dribble the ball low and close to the ground in a figure eight motion between your legs.
After seeing what these drills were able to create with Maravich, they quickly inserted themselves as the premiere ball handling and passing drills of the sport. By putting in countless hours with these unique new drills Maravich was able to develop passing and dribbling skills reminiscent of today’s NBA at a young age. This allowed him to play against competition years older than him.
Part 2: Growth and Rise to Fame
At the age of nine, Maravich moved to Central, South Carolina, when his father became the head coach of Clemson University. The years leading into junior high is when Maravich truly started the formation into one of the greatest playmakers of his generation. With his dad being the head coach at Clemson, Maravich regularly was able to play against college players.
“He was always playing someone better than him, somebody bigger than him, somebody stronger than he was,” said Maravich’s former high school head coach Don Carver.
This was crucial to the development of Maravich as he grew into his body and enhanced his skills. By being able to play against older and tougher competition, he completely separated himself from other kids his age in terms of talent.
It wasn’t just with the Clemson college team. When Maravich was an eighth grader he played up with the varsity basketball team at Daniel High School. As an 11-year-old playing on varsity, the other team wouldn’t pay him much attention, that was until he would go down the court and score on them.
When Maravich was finally in high school, him and his family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, due to his dad taking the head coach position at NC State. With this move, Pete grew from 5-foot-10 up to 6-foot-5. This change meant that he was the height of most forwards, but with the skill set of a guard. He used this added length to his advantage getting even better at shooting, dribbling and passing.
Maravich would go on to dominate his high school career, averaging 32 points per game and leading his team to average 101 points per game. Their team was so good that they would also play games against college freshman teams (back in the ‘60’s freshman were not allowed to play for the varsity college team). They did not win many of the games, but it shows just how good Maravich and his high school team were.
These performances led Maravich to be one of the most sought after recruits in the entire nation, his phone ringing off the hook with coaches from all over the United States. After some deliberation and a promise of a brand new car, Maravich decided to play for his dad at LSU.
Part 3: Welcome to the Show
As soon as Pete Maravich stepped foot onto campus in Baton Rouge, he was a star. The moppy haired kid from South Carolina was lighting up his freshman year posting incredible numbers and doing it in an incredible fashion. Maravich showed off his repertoire of skills, scoring 43.6 points per game and adding 10.4 rebounds per game. Of course, it wouldn’t be Pistol Pete if it weren’t done with some crazy passes and circus shots. He put on a show every time he took the court and he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Without spectators you don’t have any athletics,” said Maravich. “And what I try to do is just give the spectators their $3.00 or $3.50 a ticket worth of enjoyment.”
And that he did. Moving up to the varsity team, Maravich would continue the show. Word of the phenom spread quickly and soon enough Pete had crowds of people going to see him no matter where they played in the country. It became a trend that you had to see the Pistol play.
“They had about four lines, about 400-500 yards long waiting to see Pistol Pete play,” said Donald Ray Kennard, the former LSU Athletic Advisor. “…they came to see the Pistol. His gun was always loaded, and he was always firing.”
Throughout the rest of his career at LSU, Maravich would go on to average 44.2 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game. He set the record for most points in a collegiate career with 3,667 as well as the top three highest scoring seasons with averages of 44.5, 44.2, and 43.8 points per game. All marks that still stand today. This was also done with no 3-pointers, some say he would have averaged as high as 58 points per game with the modern 3-point line.
Pete Maravich was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1970 NBA draft. The Hawks signed him to a $1.9 million contract, making him the first player ever to sign a contract over $1 million.
In his early years with the Hawks, Maravich would struggle plenty with locker room issues due to a clash of playstyles as well as resentment over his large contract. Despite averaging 20 points per game and being an All-Star in his fourth year, the team was losing plenty of games, so they decided to part ways and trade him.
In 1975, Pete Maravich was traded to the New Orleans Jazz, an expansion team in their first year. Back in the state he once ruled, Maravich began to find his footing again. His level of play increased and he furthered himself from the toxic environment that he had on Atlanta Hawks. Maravich would continue his electric style of play and live out six good seasons with the Jazz where he saw four more all-star appearances and as high of 31.1 points per game in the 1976 season.
Unfortunately, towards the end of his time with the Jazz, Maravich would injure both of his knees, leaving him nowhere near the player he once was. In his final season, he would come off the bench for a young-talented Boston Celtics team where he averaged 11.5 points per game. The Celtics would fall short of a championship and lose to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference championship game. This would be the end to a legendary career for Pete Maravich.
Pistol Pete Maravich may not have won a ring but his impact on the game of basketball has been felt for generations. He inspired a whole new style of play and revolutionized the game. His free-spirited play, allowed future generations the ability to put their own spin on the game of basketball.
While some players have come close, there will never be another Pete Maravich. He was one of a kind and put on a show every time he touched the court, a true performer.
“Ever since I was perhaps 12 years old, I threw a behind-the-back bounce pass during a junior varsity game between a defenders legs. And I looked around and I saw the fans and how excited they really got,” said Maravich. “I just saw the excitement of entertainment that you could bring to people and that they would really enjoy that, so I wanted that. It was like a drug inducement to me.”