Adam Augustyn is Managing Editor, Reference Content at Encyclopdia Britannica. 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. I know I risk getting run out of my beloved Chicago on a rail for daring to suggest His Airness isnt the best player ever but, well, I just dont think he is. These debates boil down to a very simple premise: basketball was different in the past. 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. Though he was a great offensive player, Cowens made his biggest impact on defense, being named to three All-Defensive teams in his career. Al Lankford, Lee Averaged a double-double through much of his career with the Generals, scoring more than 20 points per game as a senior.. Overall, he averaged 26.6 points per game for the seventies, the third-most of any player. Boasting five players who averaged. Cowens was known for his intensity that could get him in trouble with some fights. Athlete Body Size Changes Over Time Sports Nutrition for Basketball (Editors Note: For a brief excerpt of the book, click here; for author reflections, click here.) When it all clicked, the Knicks flowed like the deadline poetry that was emanating from the press box. Admittedly, Chamberlain played at a time when post players were significantly smaller and basketball wasnt drawing the types of athletic marvels we see today, but the man was so incredibly dominant that he deserves a spot in the top five regardless of context. Background. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? Change). Artis Gilmore: The best stiff ever. When Dr. James Naismith nailed a peach basket to a spot ten feet above the gym floor, he didnt account for dribbling, let alone slam dunks, hyper-athletic seven-footers, or J.R. Smith. They appreciated the game on its merits, and embraced the athletes as individuals and fellow entertainers. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Do you have a blog? He won a league title in all but two of his 13 seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics. During the decade, Gervin was a 6x All-Star and 5x All-NBA/ABA selection which put up 24+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 2+ assists per game, including two straight scoring titles to close out the decade. Most famous player ever? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. But, well, he played alongside another top-25 talent in Scottie Pippen and was coached by the strategic genius Phil Jackson during his most productive years. When Lew Alcindor graduated from UCLA in 1969, both sides negotiated for his services. Next time you put a pair of Nike Cortez or Vans Sk8 High on know the history behind them. The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. 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. Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. The 6-foot . : 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. Facebook Watch. But ONeal wasnt just pure physicalityhe was surprisingly graceful for such a massive man and he had a deft touch with his close-range jump shots. Oh, and while this has nothing to do with his ranking on this list, its still incredibly awesome and noteworthy that he has successfully fought off HIV for over two decades, helped de-stigmatize AIDS through his high-profile advocacy, and launched a second career as an entrepreneur who opens businesses predominantly in poverty-stricken areas in efforts to spur urban revitalization. LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs leading scorer in February 2023.]. On May 12, 1970, CoSIDA announced the 1970 Academic All-America team. He might belong ahead of Hayes on the first team All-1970s. What is the Best Decade of Basketball in NBA History? Best-known for his underhand free throw technique, Rick Barry was not someone to be taken lightly on the basketball court.He was a 12-time All-Star selection between the ABA and NBA, and also made a total of 10 All-League teams between the two leagues. Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell Votes: 89,504 | Gross: $76.25M 66 (4) Blu-ray 8. The 1970'swas a time when you had a lot of emerging sneaker companies and no one company completely dominating thesneaker market. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. He finished his career eighth all-time in both points and steals as a player who truly had a complete game.His ability to dominate as a wing was something the NBA had not seen much of before, and his mark on the game will always be remembered. 1970s Basketball Players Basketball 1970s vs. now. Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1970-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-80), Boston Celtics (1980 . Drake and Bradley are the favorites in the MVC mens basketball conference tournament. Earvin Magic Johnson, Jr. Until others called the 80s and 90s the same. One of the most ebullient personalities to ever play in the NBA, Johnsons charm was a major factor in the massive increase in the leagues popularity during the 1980s. Jo Jo White: It's a bit criminal that Jo Jo is just now being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The five players represented by LA Tech during the 1980s all played a huge part in the success of these Bulldog teams. reserve clause similar to that which existed in Major League Baseball. Havlicek is also one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 80 record in NBA Finals series outcomes. Spalding created some of the first padded shorts worn by basketball players during this era. There was no need to, Robertson later explained, because a layup counted the same as a dunk. 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. Best 1970s Basketball Players | Top 70s NBA Player List The Best Players in the NBA in 2022 Greatest Players with No Rings The Best Ever Team Owners Tall Players Over 7'2 Best Players from Foreign Countries Short Players Under 5'9 The Best White Guys in the NBA Hall of Fame Candidates Worst Team Owners of All Time Players with Their Numbers Retired In the 10th and 11th round, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Mexican Manuel Raga and Italian Dino Meneghin; both were playing in the Italian league at the time. See the rankings as for this Basketball Player Sets set on 3/2/2023 3:23:10 PM. The three-pointer debuted in the NBA in late 1979, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson dominated the early years of the 1980s, Michael Jordan arrived a few years later and the rest is history. The easy answer would be to point to a lack of analytics (seriously, how did they survive without WAR, BPM, or VORP?)[1]. Gambling problem? Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VINTAGE HARD PLASTIC BASKETBALL PLAYER CAKE TOPPER / DECORATION 1970s at the best online prices at eBay! In 1973, just his third season in the league, he won the MVP award after averaging 20 points and 16 rebounds per game. Top 21 ACC Basketball Players of All Time: Where does Michael Jordan Rank? His patented skyhook was unguardable, and he used it to score over 22,000 points during the decade. One big on-court change was the three-pointer, arguably the most exciting part of the modern NBA. I have a confession to make: even though Im a lifelong devotee to all Seattle sports team, I had a fan-fling with the San Antonio Spurs teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. . We forget how damn good Boston was in the '70s because their success then paled to that experienced in the '60s and '80s. Kevin McHale was part of one of the most historic big threes of all time, which included him, Robert Parish and Larry Bird. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. 3 min read. Not only does he routinely pull off feats that Ive never before seen, he has consistently evolved his game to fix the relative weak spots he was previously criticized for. The Golden Eagles (23-6, 15-3 Big East) wrap . He was fifth in total minutes played for the decade and was also fifth in points scored.Lanier was also unusually-adept at shooting free throws for a big man, averaging 77 percent for his career. 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. The only player to lead the NBA in points and assists in the same season. So whether or not you believe the Rolls-Royce Backcourt could defuse the Splash Brothers or that Dr. J could take LeBron to school, theres no denying the league as we know it todayfull of three-pointers, highlight-reel dunks, and multi-millionaire free agentswas born in the 1970s. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. The Warriors, Blazers, Bullets and Sonics all had their moments in the sun. Oh jeez, this guy. He was never the best player in either league -- Dr. J and Kareem ensured that --. Check the Blazers in 77-78 when they were 44-9 the year after they won the title, for an example. 44,845 Sets. He was an All-Star every year from 1970-76, and from 1970-75 he was named to both an All-NBA Team and an All-Defensive Team for each season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Highlights in his Prime / 1969 1975, Top 13 Indiana High School Players of all Time, The 6 greatest Indiana Highschool pure Shooters, The 8 greatest IHSAA Championship Games in History. Here's another argument: the '70s represented a battle for the soul of basketball. Mac remains one of the greatest athletes in Buffalo history, though, which is something. In 1977, the Denver Nuggets signed their star guard, David Skywalker Thompson to a record-setting, five-year, $4-million deal, because they knew he would receive similar offers from other teams (*cough* the Knicks *cough*), should he enter free agency. Richardson was a four-time All-Star in the NBA. There has never been a more enthralling backcourt than Clyde and the Pearl, and their ingenious styles were balanced by bedrock pros like Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and the Captain, Willis Reed. What are boosted odds in sports betting strategies? and fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death, so his cool quotient is easily the highest of anyone on this list. 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. 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. Who Is Better: Lebron James Or Wilt Chamberlain? While the 1970's do not have as many classic silhouettes as the 80's or 90's, there are many sneakers that came out during this time thatwe still wear today. Sure, we still saw centers like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaq, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming rise and dominate down the road. As a sophomore, he led the "Flying Clouds" to . Until researching my upcoming book, Tall Tales and Short Shorts: Dr. J, Pistol Pete, and the Birth of the Modern NBA, I didnt realize how many of these changes actually occurred during the 1970s, when the NBA arguably entered a modern age. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He also happens to be one of the top five in-game dunkers ever. 1970 Topps #75 Lew Alcindor. 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. Legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach suggestedperhaps tongue-in-cheekthat if points were added to reward especially deep shots, uncontested layups should only receive a single point. Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances of winning money on the street courts and in a basketball tournament. But here again, when I played years ago, if you shot a shot outside and hit it, the next time Im going to be up on top of you. The Top Ranked Basketball Players of the 1970's 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. Because they played in New York at a time when the literary branch of sportswriting was blossoming, there have been numerous magazine pieces, books and even movies about the books dedicated to this particular team. 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 But let's face it: the old-school center has been going out of style for a long, long time, all thanks to the chaos and rebirth in the '70s. . 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 . Their mantra was simple: Find the open man. 1970: 'Mr. Clutch' sinks a must-see 60-footer Jerry West showed he deserved his nickname when he buried a 60-foot, game-tying bomb at the buzzer in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks.. 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. He finished his NBA career in '76 having averaged 20-10. Walt Frazier 7. Nicknamed Big Red for his ginger hair, Dave Cowens was the anchor for many great Boston Celtics teams during the seventies. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! And how might retired NBA legends fare in todays game? Whatever.) To woo top-tier college talent and lure elite players to jump leagues, ABA owners offered much higher salaries than their NBA counterparts. Billy Cunningham: The Kangaroo Kid didn't win a title in the '70s (he was a Wilt sidekick on that great '67 team) but he cranked out some great seasons with the Sixers and the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. or Best Offer . Battle for the soul of basketball: Meet the All-1970s NBA (and ABA)team, The Clippers Russell Westbrook experiment is off to a terrible start. While his famously vanilla playing style and quiet demeanor kept him from having a cultural impact similar to the other greats, his four championships, 14 All-Star Games, and two NBA MVP awards are indisputable evidence of his fantastic ability. 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. Sucker punch in OVC tournament leads to 3 ejections. Rick Barry Honorable Mentions FAQ Who are the best basketball players of the '70s of all time? Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s: Was Roy Jones Jr. the best? The league officially adopted the three-point field goal in 1979 and the San Diego Clippers led the NBA that season with 543 three-point attempts (making 32.6%). At the time, the best basketball players in the world were signed with Adidas and Converse, Nike was creating their first running sneaker, and Vans was makingsneakers tailored specifically for skaters. Dan Issel, Calvin Murphy, Gail Goodrich, Spencer Haywood, Lou Hudson, Paul Silas, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton*, * Bill Walton should have challenged Kareem for decade supremacy but his feet betrayed him at the moment when he was ready to take over. With one of the coldest nicknames in NBA history, Iceman George Gervin was one of the best scorers in the NBA during the seventies and early eighties. Clockwise from upper left: Issel, Lanier, Mount and Maravich (not pictured: Murphy). 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. He was amazing, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the last guy on this list. He's also the best player to ever win a championship while wearing a toupe. J.. David Thompson: Thompson was an incredible scorer whose exploits rivaled those of Gervin and Maravich, and is considered one of MJ's chief inspirations. Pistol Pete was one of the best scorers of the 70's. He led the NBA in scoring in the 1976-'77 season. 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com via Sports Logos.net About logos 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 48-34, Finished 1st in NBA Pacific Division Coach: Joe Mullaney (48-34) Executive: Fred Schaus PTS/G: 114.8 (7th of 17) Opp PTS/G: 111.7 (6th of 17) McAdoo won an MVP and five All-Star berths in the '70s as a brilliant scorer and rebounder; in that 1975 MVP season he averaged 34 and 15. The Doctor averaged 26+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 4+ assists per game in the 1970s and was an 8x All-Star and 7x All-ABA/NBA selection. Find out more. 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. 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. debates. In 1971, the San Francisco Warriors changed cities and names, leaving the Cow Palace. The struggles and hard-won glory of pioneers such as Alice Coachman, Althea Gibson, Wilma Rudolph and Lynette Woodard helped pave the way for later generations of sports greats like Jackie. In 1975-76, Brewer had his best season as a Cavalier, averaging a. It's hard to understand why this is a debate, as great as West was. 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. Something not often mentioned about West is his excellent defense. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at@AdamCriblez. The glory the NBA would enjoy in the '80s and '90s wouldn't be possible without players like Dr. J and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar laying the groundwork for the league in the '70s. How to Win While Sports Betting? Scored the fifth-most points of the decade, Two-time All-ABA selection and seven-time All-NBA selection, Four-time All-ABA selection and six-time All-NBA selection. The pictures are all taken from the time to give you a better idea of how the sneakers were worn. Join our linker program. He was named an All-Star every year of the decade that he played, from the 1969-1970 season through the 1977-78 season.Havlicek did retire shortly before the three-point line was introduced to the NBA, but he was still known as one of the best jump shooters in the league. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1970-71 Topps Basketball Complete Set - Premier 7.5 - NM+ at the best online prices at eBay! 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 . National Basketball Association, book | 296 views, 8 likes, 1 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from ABC News Live: "The NBA is the most woke league because the players pushed it to. Parish was drafted in 1976 by the Golden State Warriors and didnt retire until 1997, capping off a 21-year career. He was a key component to the success of the Celtics in the 1970s, helping them win two NBA titles. 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. One on One (1977) PG | 98 min | Drama, Sport 6.5 Rate Birthdate: May 4, 1970 Sun Sign: Taurus Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States 9 Becky Hammon (Basketball player) 20 4 Birthdate: March 11, 1977 Sun Sign: Pisces Birthplace: Rapid City, South Dakota, United States 10 Cheryl Miller (Basketball coach) 21 4 Birthdate: January 3, 1964 Sun Sign: Capricorn Birthplace: Riverside, California Odds & lines subject to change. Erving then reeled off 11 straight All-Star bids in the NBA after the merger. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Now players could subsist without off-season work and, for the first time in league history, make life-changing money playing pro basketball. Despite the creation of the National Basketball Players Association in 1954 (the first team sports players union), NBA owners held most of the power in the league until the merger. It didnt. The '70s were marked by an absence of dynasties. Dr. J isn't just symbolically important as a harbinger of the style that would arrive in the '80s: he was a two-time ABA champion and won the last three MVPs of the ABA. A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. For better or worse, basketball fans love to compare different eras of their favorite sport. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Shipping + Taxes Included In Price. Gervin was famous for his finger roll and seemed to score at will against any opponent the Spurs played against. Initially, free agency was restricted. Julius Dr. Johnsons otherworldly passing set the stage for the Showtime L.A. Lakers teams that captured five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. Notice the striped tubed socks and short shorts in almost every picture. . The 1970s are not the most fondly remembered decade of pro basketball. They were drilled at an early age to work the ball into position for a shot close to the basket. Let's take a look at some of the doper sneakers released in the 1970's. Dugan has called him the best player he's ever coached. The big guy out of Duke looked like the demonic love child of John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell just after Ferrell . Hondo was the original sixth man, but by the 1970s, he was a dominant fixture in the NBA. 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.. At the opposite end of the attractive play spectrum from Duncan is Shaquille ONeal. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. That's worth a lot in my book. Which NBA player from the 1980's & 1990's helped popularized basketball and turn it into a global game? Another, less easily explained difference, is that NBA players coming of age in the seventies grew up playing a game in which *every* shot counted for two points. Top 10 NBA Players of the 1970s - The Grueling Truth Ranking the top 10 players of the 1970s TGT Tips! Ja Morant suspended 2 games after flashing gun on Instagram following allegations, Luka and Kyrie make Mavs history with 40+ point efforts vs. Sixers, How ballscreen-centered sets can help unleash Jordan Pooles potency, LeBron James diagnosed with foot tendon injury, will be re-evaluated in three weeks, surgery not required, NBA Scores: Kevin Durants Suns debut was an easy W. Play Video. In the National Basketball Association he is one of four players to have won eight championships in their playing careers; only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones have won more, with 11 and 10 championships respectively. Why did NBA players not shoot more three-pointers in the late seventies and early eighties? He didn't play for really excellent teams until joining the Showtime Lakers in '80s, however, which hampers his legacy. 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. 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. Call 1-800-522-4700. thegruelingtruth.com is available in the following countries: The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. 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.
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