George Gervin

George Gervin

Date of Birth:27 March 1952
Born At:Detroit, MI, USA
Height: 6’7"
NBA Experience : 10 seasons

Career accomplishments

• Master of the "finger roll"
  
• Twelve-time consecutive ABA/NBA All-Star (ABA:1974-76, NBA: 1977-85)
  
• All-ABA Rookie team (1973)
  
• All-ABA Second Team (1975, 1976)
  
• NBA All-Star MVP (1980)
  
• All-NBA First Team (1978-82) and Second Team (1977, 1983)
  
• Joined by Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to win four or more NBA scoring titles (1978-80, 1982)
  
• Career scoring average of 26.2 ppg
  
• Scored 26,595 career points
  
• Scored 63 points and won a hard-fought NBA scoring championship over the Denver Nuggets’ David Thompson on
• April 9, 1978, the last day of the 1977-78 season, with a season average 27.21 ppg versus Thompson’s 27.15 ppg
  
• Scored an NBA record 33 points in the second quarter vs. New Orleans in the April 9, 1978 game
  
• Scored 50 or more points four times and 40 or more points 64 times in the NBA
  
• Scored 1,000 points or more for 13 consecutive years
  
• In nine NBA seasons (1976-85), led San Antonio to five Midwest Division titles, averaging 27.0 ppg in the playoffs
  
• San Antonio Spurs retired his number 44 jersey (Dec. 5, 1987)
  
• One of four charter members inducted into San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame (Feb. 3, 1995)
  
• Founded the George Gervin Youth Center, Inc., a non-profit organization focusing on the development of disadvantaged "at-risk" youth (1989)

George Gervin biography

Smooth. Graceful. Creative. Unstoppable. As a basketball player, George "Iceman" Gervin could use those four adjectives to describe his game, but, no pun intended, they would be the tip of the "iceberg." Gervin was one of basketball’s most electrifying and scintillating players, a talent that doesn’t often grace the hardwood. Many basketball observers suggest that the key to Gervin’s success at the collegiate and professional level can be traced back to high school. As a scrawny 5-foot-8 sophomore, Gervin barely made the jayvee team. In order to improve his game, Gervin would spend his nights shooting baskets in a gym by himself. here was a hitch: before Gervin could use the gymnasium, the school janitor made him sweep the floor.

That passion and desire and willingness to succeed¾combined with extraordinary athletic ability and God-given talents¾made Gervin a player whose talent and knack for scoring seemingly anytime he wanted, will be discussion for ages to come.

In winning the closest individual scoring race in NBA history on April 9, 1978, against fellow Hall of Famer David Thompson, the "Iceman" established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in his era. In the final game of the season, Gervin scored 63 points to nip Thompson by just .06 points. One of only three players in NBA history to win four or more league scoring titles (1978, 1979, 1980, 1982), Gervin enraptured fans for 14 ABA/NBA seasons with the Virginia Squires (1972-74), San Antonio Spurs (1974-85) and Chicago Bulls (1985-86).

Whether he was laying in a sweet finger roll over a center in the paint or spotting up for a long jumper in the face of a guard, Gervin always found a way to put the ball in the basket. An All-Star in 12 of 14 seasons (three ABA, nine NBA), Gervin’s total of 20,708 career points placed him 19th best on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. His career scoring average of 26.2 ppg ranks sixth best on the NBA’s all-time list and his combined ABA and NBA career point total of 26,595 ranks eighth best in basketball history. Among guards, Gervin’s combined point total places him second behind Oscar Robertson.

The San Antonio Spurs’ all-time leader in points, games played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, and steals, Gervin is one of seven players to score 2,000 points in six consecutive NBA seasons (1977-78 to 1982-83). The MVP of the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, Gervin’s scoring talents guided the Spurs to five Divisional titles in nine years. A five-time All-NBA First Team selection (1978-82), Gervin spent two years at Eastern Michigan, where he earned All-America honors following his sophomore season.