Pete Maravich

He breathed his last on January 5, 1988 due to heart failure, while playing in a pickup basketball game in the gym. He was buried at Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Mausoleum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Pete Maravich was born to Petar "Press" Maravich in Aliquippa, in Beaver County in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. He acquired his basketball skills from his father who was a former professional player-turned coach.

From a very early age, he surprized his family with his detailed understanding of the game and sporting skills. A fanatic, he spent hours perfecting head fakes, long range shots, passes and learning ball control tricks.

It was due to his excellence at the game that even before reaching the required age for enrolling at Daniel High School, he started playing for their varsity ball. He gained admission in 1961 and for two years henceforth, played every game.

Due to his father’s transfer to North Carolina State University, the family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. Therein, he gained admission at Needham B. Broughton High School.

It was while at Broughton that his unique habit of shooting the ball from his side, that gave an impression of him holding a revolver became famous. Soon, due to the same, he earned the nickname, ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich.

His professional stint at basketball began in 1970 when he was selected to play for Atlanta Hawks in the first round of NBA draft. What was interesting to note is that the team already boasted of having top-notch scorers in Lou Hudson and Walt Bellamy! However, while Hudson was a conservative player, Maravich was radical in his game plan.

His association with Atlanta Hawks turned profitable both for him and the team. In his 81 outings, he averaged 23.2 points which was great, considering his first professional experience. What’s more, he changed his playing style to match with those of star players of his team

Despite good personal record, the team performance dabbled as it merely qualified for the playoffs losing in the first round. The performance of the team in the second season was a mirror effect of the first one, excepting that his personal average dipped to 19.3.

The match against Boston Celtics was the turning point in his career as he rambled to put up an average of 27.7. Also, the match was a precursor of what to expect in the upcoming season.

The third season was a terrific one for the team and players in general as the team secured 46-36 record, but losing yet again in the first round of the playoffs. As for him, his personal bests stood at an average of 26.1 points with 6.9 assists per game. He and Hudson became the only second set of teammates in league history to score over 2,000 points in a single season

He made several NBA records in his lifetime, including scoring a career-high 68 points against New York Knick in 1977 and posing career best average of 31.1.

Along with Hudson, he became the second pair of teammates in NBA history to score 2,000 or more points in a season. With Denver Nuggest, he became the third pair of teammates in NBA history to score 40 or more points in the same game.

NBA career apart, his collegiate career also holds some magnificent record as he scored highest scoring average of 44.5, and total points of 3667.

In his lifetime, he received numerous NBA Awards including, NBA All-Rookie Team, All-NBA First Team (twice), All-NBA Second Team (twice) and Five-time NBA All-Star.

In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame