You can't just change your wiring on stuff like that. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. He was an All-Star every year of his career, racking up 16 selections while dominating both leagues. Fearing bankruptcy and finally willing to concede to player movement, the summer of 1976 witnessed the first crop of NBA free agents. He worked at both ends. Investors founded the ABA in 1967 as a rival to the more established NBA (then just an eight-team league). Star Power: Now we are on the to 70's. The Knicks also won two championships and it's this team that stands out as the enduring essence of '70s basketball. I put Pistol Pete on the first team over Jerry West primarily because my father raised me to believe Pistol Pete was the most exciting player ever. Vtg 70's AAU USA Basketball Shoes Upside Down Swoosh Logo Travis Size 3.5 Scott. Calvin Murphy San Diego/Houston Rockets 1970-79 Calvin Murphy was a scoring machine at Niagara and San Diego rolled the dice on the 5-foot-9 guard in the second round of the 1970 NBA Draft.. Odds & lines subject to change. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. In fact, Hubie Browns Atlanta Hawks attempted just 75 three-pointers all season (making just 13). What about Dr. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times. He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process. George Gervin 10. Parish was able to stick around for so long because of his great talent as a basketball player, making nine All-Star teams during his career as well as winning four NBA championships. They appreciated the game on its merits, and embraced the athletes as individuals and fellow entertainers. His only title as a player came in 1972; he darn near led the Lakers to one in 1970, as well. The league was a creation of sports promoter Bill Byrne, who had previous involvement in start-up ventures such as the World Football League (1974-1975) and the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (1977-1980). Erving then reeled off 11 straight All-Star bids in the NBA after the merger. He made eight All-Star games in the seventies, only missing out in his rookie year and in 1978-79 when he was injured. as a member of the Miami Heat. From there, its just a short jump to comparing players from the past with present stars. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Overall, they have won 17 NBA titles. One big on-court change was the three-pointer, arguably the most exciting part of the modern NBA. On May 12, 1970, CoSIDA announced the 1970 Academic All-America team. All rights reserved. Kareem was the best pro basketball player of the '70s -- that's more or less beyond debate -- but hoops came out the other side fully enthralled with shooters and high-flyers. Havlicek is widely considered to have been one of the greatest players in the history of the game and was inducted as a. Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945) is an American retired professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. Overall, he averaged 26.6 points per game for the seventies, the third-most of any player. ABA Commissioner George Mikan held a $1 million check he was to give Big Lew. At their best the Knicks were a hybrid of downtown artistry mixed with old-school values. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He made the All-Star Game in four of his first five seasons and in 1974 was named the All-Star Game MVP.Overall, he made seven All-Star teams during the decade, playing as one of the best centers of the era.He averaged over 22 points and 11 rebounds per game for the seventies, and also rejected over two shots per game. The Logo retired in 1974, but he did enough in those first five seasons of the decade to warrant inclusion. Erving was the most outstanding player in ABA history and won the 1976 ABA Dunk contest against David Thompson. The competition between the two leagues became fierce. In 1975-76, Brewer had his best season as a Cavalier, averaging a. (Photo on right by: Ronald Martinez/ Getty Images) These days, when basketball players hit the court, there is so much swish-swashing of damn clothing going on, it's hard to focus on anything else. Or write about sports? . Artis Gilmore: The best stiff ever. Nevertheless, he was an awesome force who dominated the sport for two decades and perfected the sky hook, one of the most gorgeous shots the game has ever seen. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Learn more and register, 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. See our ethics statement. After the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, team owners hoped salaries would normalize. Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $5,000. What sneakers do you like from the 70's? Most importantly, he led a very weak team in the New Orleans Jazz. (Editors Note: For a brief excerpt of the book, click here; for author reflections, click here.) This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. Famously, he played center in place of the injured Abdul-Jabbar in the title-clinching game six of the 1980 NBA finals as a 20-year-old rookie. For whatever reason, he kept it in his pocket and Alcindor signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for a $250,000 annual salary. When the Boston Athletic Association, the pre-cursor to the NBA, awarded prize money to the winning team . But they somehow managed to turn the simple act of making the extra pass into an exercise of communal cool. Impressive, right? Sure, we still saw centers like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaq, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming rise and dominate down the road. Oh, the humanity. He also led the U.S. national basketball team to . For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. PSA . College basketball career scoring leaders. To learn more about the top ten players of the decade, keep reading below. In 1970, the average player earned a $35,000 salary (equivalent to around $224,000 today). Lew Alcindor's historic run to the NBA Rookie of the Year award was the talk of the 1969-70 season, but it was his sophomore campaign in 1970-71 where the Milwaukee Bucks big man took a transcendent leap towards the Hall of Fame.. With the acquisition of All-Star point guard and future Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson, the Bucks . Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. The Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. How 1970s NBA pioneers paved the way for today's game With no further adieu, here are your All-1970s teams. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee Texas Virginia Hayes was responsible for stopping UCLA's amazing college streak when it was Lew Alcindor manning the middle; they went on to play on different coasts most of the time in the pros. For his unbelievable scoring and ball-handling ability, Maravich was a three-time SEC Player of the Year and Consensus First-Team All-American and was the National College Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970. Through the publication of this list, James has averaged a Robertson-esque 27.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 steals per game andunlike the Big Ohe was doing so against teams stocked with elite athletes and not players who smoked cigarettes at halftime. Yeah. Gervin made 12 All-Star teams between the ABA and NBA, and was an All-League player nine times. Bob Lanier 8. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. He's one of the most interesting elite athletes ever, he was fully dominant for a long spell and he kept the Lakers afloat in bridging the West and Magic eras. Could todays players deal with the more physical play of the 1970s? Related: did you know that the 2013 Seattle Seahawks had the best defense in NFL history? His impact didnt stop on the offensive end of the court; Havlicek also made eight All-Defensive Teams in his career, epitomizing what it meant to be a two-way player. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Hayes was an All-Star every year, 6x All-NBA, 2x All-Defensive, 2x rebounding champion, and NBA champion with the Washington Bullets in 1977-1978. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Which NBA player from the 1980's & 1990's helped popularized basketball and turn it into a global game? The other big on-court change during the decade was that NBA players began embracing the slam dunk as a form of artistic expression. He didn't play for really excellent teams until joining the Showtime Lakers in '80s, however, which hampers his legacy. Their mantra was simple: Find the open man. His patented skyhook was unguardable, and he used it to score over 22,000 points during the decade. He was also a three-time MVP in the ABA during the seventies, capturing a three-peat in the award from 1974-1976. Yes, the man many fans (ignorantly) consider the most overrated choke artist in the league is actually the best player to ever set foot on a court. How to keep your Expected Value bets Positive? How Many Championships Does Michael Jordan Have? Nash led the 15th seeded, and lightly regarded, Santa Clara to an improbable upset win over 2 seed Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. : Gender and Styles of Play in Modern Basketball, Review of Tall Tales and Short Shorts | Sport in American History, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Julius Erving 3. But he didnt earn his place on this list though some sort of vague, ethereal winningness. Russell was one of the fiercest defenders of all time and he redefined the value of blocking shots, in addition to averaging an incredible 22.5 rebounds per game over his career. LeBron James just does things that shouldnt be humanly possible. List of all the NBA and ABA Players Born in 1970 | Basketball-Reference.com We've added Women's stats dating back to 2009-10 on College Basketball Reference!. Walt Frazier 7. Two answers: the ABA and free agency. Lou Boudreau, Thornton, 1935. Abdul-Jabbar was dominant in all aspects of the game, but he was particularly unstoppable on offense. Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week. $2000 Risk Free $1000 + $100 in site credits, Must be 21+. Release Year: 1971 Kareem Abdul Jabbar was the best basketball player in the world during the early 1970's. He helped make the Adidas Jabbar High and Low famous. Original/Reprint: Original. Hondo's back as the star of the post-Russell Celtics. That's worth a lot in my book. Johnsons otherworldly passing set the stage for the Showtime L.A. Lakers teams that captured five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. The five players represented by LA Tech during the 1980s all played a huge part in the success of these Bulldog teams. The 1970'swas a time when you had a lot of emerging sneaker companies and no one company completely dominating thesneaker market. See below where Professor Flannery waxes on Clyde and the Knicks. Nash is one of the best, most productive point guards in the league, having won back-to-back season MVP trophies after reaching the age of 30. In 1975, he led the San Francisco Warriors to an NBA championship, and he was named Finals MVP that year as well. Play Video. He never averaged fewer than 10 rebounds in the seventies, and also never dipped below two blocks per game.Although Hayes was only 69, he played the center position with more ferocity than nearly anyone else in the game, and was known as one of the toughest competitors in the league. Like Magic, Jordan and LeBron later on, he melded exciting play and quality in a way that reeled fans in and never let them go. (Russell Westbrook's head perks up.) A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. (Or 20. By decades end, that had jumped to $180,000 ($641,000 today). What? Walton was so damn good that it's impossible to imagine a world where he stayed healthy and reached his potential. The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. He was amazing, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the last guy on this list. Indeedy. Steve Downing (1970-73) - overshadowed by his high school teammate George McGinnis for a long time, Downing came into his own after McGinnis left for riches of professional basketball. Unless you agree with me, in which case this was the most meaningful thing Ive ever written. He won six MVPs during his career, tied for the most all-time, and was also a six-time NBA champion. He was like living, breathing quicksilver on the court, a physical specimen in ways different from his contemporaries. Until others called the 80s and 90s the same. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. . Richardson was a four-time All-Star in the NBA. Just as the game took a step back in the national consciousness, it survived and even prospered in some quarters, such as the Pacific Northwest. In addition to scoring, Gervin was also a proficient rebounder and excellent defender. In 1970, three expansion teams enteredthe Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Playing for the Detroit Pistons until he was traded in 1980, Lanier was the heart and soul of his teams and promoted a tough, intense culture. Whatever.) He played in Boston for the entirety of the '70s, and was the engine that allowed Havlicek, Dave Cowens and company to thrive with two titles. He can be reached at acriblez@semo.edu and followed on Twitter at@AdamCriblez. (All this said, it's pretty clear that Kobe eclipsed him as the second best Laker guard ever right around 2009 or 2010. When Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo bang gloves Michigan vs Indiana Preview W/Steve Risley: Indiana Basketball Preview, MLB Rule Changes | Can F1 Compete With NASCAR | Froggy Talkin Sports #MLB #indianahoosiers #nascar. Vtg Chuck Taylor All Star Blue Label OG Converse High Top 6.5 USA Player Name. And while his free throw routine may have looked silly to some, it worked like a charm; Barrys 91.3 percent free throw percentage was the best of anyone in the decade by over seven percentage points. The big guy out of Duke looked like the demonic love child of John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell just after Ferrell . Rick Barry, a two-time NBA All-Star, made $45,000 in the NBA and jumped leagues for a $75,000 payday. Injuries hampered and eventually shortened his career, but Cowbns was a great player winning Rookie of the Year in 1970-1971 and MVP in 1972-1973; he was a 7x All-Star, 2x NBA champion, 3x All-NBA, and 3x All-Defensive during the decade while averaging 18+ points and 14+ rebounds per game. Free shipping on . After helping . [This list was originally published in April 2014. 1. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! Gambling problem? Malone was the league's best player in 1981-82 by nearly every metric. Understanding the marketability of high-flying, slam-dunking showmen, the NBA copied the dunk contest concept in 1977 (won by Indiana Pacer Dr. (The latest, and for my money the best, entry in the canon is "When the Garden was Eden" by New York Times columnist Harvey Araton who writes with the benefit of history and perspective on his side.). (LogOut/ You had Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier in the Big Apple, drawing attention and respect to the Mecca of basketball. His pro career essentially spanned the entire decade, and he racked up five All-Star bids, two first team All-NBA nods and a scoring title. Starting in 1966, he served as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first Black coach in the NBA and the first to win an NBA championship. He is a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Another player who made his debut after the decade was already underway, Bob Lanier hit the ground running. He was also a double-double machine, averaging over 12 rebounds per game for the decade. Not once. He went on to play for Brazil until 1982 before finally calling time on a glittering eighteen-year career in the yellow and green of his home country, retiring as one of the most revered Brazilian . He won two championships alongside Havlicek in 1974 and 1976, and was also extremely successful as an individual player. 6 of 13. 1970 Topps #75 Lew Alcindor. He debuted in 1972 and proceeded to make an All-Star team seven times during the decade, continuing the great legacy of big men in the NBA.He was named MVP of the 1974-75 season, a year that came in the middle of a dominant run for the Buffalo Braves. J Julius Erving and Skywalker David Thompson headlined the leagues first slam dunk contest in 1976, but their in-game dunks might have been even more impressive. The pictures are all taken from the time to give you a better idea of how the sneakers were worn. The only NBA Hall of Famer for whom a Gossip Girl character was named. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called, John Joseph Havlicek ( HAV-li-chek; April 8, 1940 April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons. His ability to rebound as just a 64 guard was tremendous, averaging six boards per game for his 13-year run in the league. Years with Cavaliers: 1973-1979 Playing a key role for the Cavs for much of the 70's, Brewer was a strong defender and rebounder. This was the period of time that reallyhelped build the foundation to sneakers as we know it today. The '70s were a time of chaos in pro basketball, but the chaos was caused by the fate of pro basketball being completely up in the air. Moreover, he not only faced the incredible pressure of being anointed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but hes actually exceeded the lofty expectations set for him. The mans desire to be the best is legendary and propelled him to six championships, five MVP awards, All-Star appearances in every full season he played, and the status as possibly the best defender ever. Part of the merger agreement was the settlement of the Oscar Robertson lawsuit, which ended the dreaded reserve clause. RUSTON - The Southland Conference, as part of its year-long 50th Anniversary commemoration, has announced its 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Men's Basketball teams which includes 10 former Louisiana Tech greats. You had D.C.'s best era with Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. The Doctor was the original Dunk king. [1] To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Sneaker Name: Nike Cortez Year: 1972 The Nike Cortez was created by Nike Co-Founder and Oregon Head Track and Field Coach Bill Bowerman. My argument was that it was a time of testing new limits, of parity and of transition. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org. 1970-71 Houston Cougars Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 22-7 ( Independent ) Rank: 14th in the Final AP Poll Coach: Guy Lewis More School Info Houston (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Per Game Totals Per 40 Minutes Call 1-800-GAMBLER. As Araton put it: "When The Captain and Clyde and the rest of the Old Knicks played, when the city and country convulsed with pain, oh what a beautiful game it was.". Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Regardless of the cigar-chomping coachs recommendation, the league introduced the three-point shot in 1979 and never looked back. Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. Basketball has not escaped the fashion roller-coaster of the past century. Most obsessively competitive to the detriment of ever having normal human relations with anybody? Change). When it comes to the 1970s, there was no greater basketball player than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.In fact, Abdul-Jabbars game has transcended eras, as he remains one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball. Abdul-Jabbar also made 19 All-Star teams during his career and was a two-time Finals MVP, recording one of the most legendary and impactful resumes in league history.. He was a key component to the success of the Celtics in the 1970s, helping them win two NBA titles. So might Barry, who bounced between the ABA and NBA before leading the Warriors to the '75 title. has been obsessively watching sports for nearly three decades and arguing about them with friends for nearly as long. Sooners' 1970s all-decade team By Joey Helmer Apr 18, 2020 12 NORMAN, Okla. Welcome to the glory years known as the Barry Switzer Era. Rick Barry Career Highlights UNDERRATED! He pulled down 14 rebounds per game from 1970-1980, and any game that he finished without a double-double was a rarity.. The competition between the two leagues became fierce. Its uniform reflects the ever-changing trends and times. But it was in New York, and specifically in the World's Most Famous Arena, where the '70s made their strongest impression. Most importantly, free agency also gave players newfound leverage in negotiations. Elvin Hayes 4. George Gervin: The Ice Man could have been a second-team guard here, but he'll be back on the '80s team thanks to some great work in that decade so I don't feel too bad about elevating West and Tiny. Though Frazier was a model point guard, running the offense and dishing out a plethora of sweet dimes, he also possessed a skill that would foreshadow the direction of the position. What survived was the hoops cognoscenti, made up notably of writers, musicians and actors who were active followers on both coasts. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2. He was a perennial All-Star, won the scoring title in 1970 and had four All-NBA first team nods in the decade. When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. The Rockets' forward led the league in minutes, rebounds and win shares . He led the league in minutes played for the decade, and also grabbed more rebounds than anyone else.He was no slouch when it came to scoring either, recording the second-most points of the decade behind only Abdul-Jabbar.Hayes was a 12-time All-Star, being selected in each of his first twelve years, and was also a six-time All-NBA selection. Yes, the NBA consisted of just 8 to 14 teams during this period, so capturing championships was a statistically easier feat for a single franchise, but even that fact doesnt minimize Russells historic accomplishments. reserve clause similar to that which existed in Major League Baseball. Do you have a sports website? As Paul Flannery wrote this week, the ABA's mere presence helped push the NBA in a fateful direction toward style, panache and run-and-gun tactics by introducing the three and elevating the dunk to a respectable art form. He's also the best player to ever win a championship while wearing a toupe. FLANNERY DISSENTS: I had Dave Cowens on my Third Team and forgot to include him on the Honorable Mention list when we pubbed this list. Check the Blazers in 77-78 when they were 44-9 the year after they won the title, for an example. During the 196162 season, The Big O averaged a triple-double with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Curious about the story behind the basketball card, intern Curtis Harris interviewed Jim Barnett, whose pro basketball career began in 1966 with the Boston Celtics.Aside from the outlandish hair and flamboyant jerseys of the players, basketball cards of the 1970s provide a fascinating window into an exciting and chaotic era in the sport's history. The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the 10th-best player ever? He absolutely dominated the seventies, leading the NBA in points scored and blocks for the decade, as well as recording the second-most rebounds.Abdul-Jabbar was a force on the offensive end, armed with a skyhook shot that was seemingly unstoppable.