George Gervin
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-->George Gervin (born April 27, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former professional basketball player, a shooting guard for the ABA's Virginia Squires and the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points in all fourteen of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. Gervin holds the distinction of being a former teammate of both Julius Erving (with the Squires) and Michael Jordan (with the Bulls).
Nicknamed Iceman (or Ice) for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring talents. He led teams at both Eastern Michigan University and Long Beach State, then led the NBA in scoring average three years in a row from 1978 to 1980, and again in 1982.
His first scoring crown, which took place in 1978, was one of NBA's most famed moments. He defeated David Thompson by seven hundredths of a point (27.22 to 27.15). Although Thompson came up with a memorable performance for the last game of the regular season, scoring 73 points, Gervin maintained his slight lead by scoring 63 points (including an NBA-record 33 in the second quarter alone) on his last game of the season.
His trademark was the finger roll, a technique consisting in shooting his layups by rolling the basketball along his fingertips.
Gervin was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, had his #44 jersey retired by the Spurs and was named to the NBA's fifty greatest players list.
He remains active in the San Antonio community in part through the [George Gervin Youth Center]
Trivia
- Gary Payton said Gervin was his favorite player to watch as a kid. Asked to elaborate, Payton said that it was because "he was just so saucy".
See also
External links
- [Gervin @ NBA.com]
- [George's page @ Basketball-Reference.com]
- [Gervin tribute @ Remember the ABA.com]
- [Basketball Hall of Fame profile]
- [Career Stats]
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