Pete Maravich was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans/Utah Jazz, and the Boston Celtics. He was a five-time NBA All-Star.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Peter Press Maravich was born on June 22, 1947, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. He stands 196 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 89 kg. He was right-handed and he was a shooting guard.
He started playing basketball at an early age. He died on January 5, 1988, at the age of 40. He collapsed after playing a game of pickup basketball. An autopsy later revealed that he had a congenital condition where he was missing a left coronary artery.
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| Height / weight | 1.96 m / 89 kg |
| Born | 22 Jun 1947 |
| Died | 5 Jan 1988 (40 years) |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Nickname | Pistol Pete |
| Team History | |
Utah
|
1974 - 1980 |
Boston
|
1980 |
Atlanta
|
1970 - 1974 |
Ironically, when Pete was 25 he had told a Pennsylvania reporter, ‘I don’t want to play 10 years in the NBA and then die of a heart attack at 40.’
High School and College Career
He attended Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Edwards Military Institute in Salemburg, North Carolina. In 1965, he was named to the First-team Parade All-American.
Later, Maravich committed to play for the Louisiana State University and was there from 1967 to 1970. In 1970, he was named the National College Player of the Year. He was also twice named the USBWA Player of the Year.
The LSU Tigers later retired jersey number 23 in his honor.
Professional Career
Maravich turned pro in 1970. He was the third overall draft pick of the 1970 NBA Draft, selected by the Atlanta Hawks. He played for the Hawks from 1970 to 1974. Then from 1974 to 1980, he played for the New Orleans/Utah Jazz. Then in 1980, he signed for a time with the Boston Celtics before he retired.
In his time in the NBA, he was named an NBA All-Star a total of five times. He was also twice named to the All-NBA First Team and twice to the All-NBA Second Team.
In his first year in the NBA, he was also named to the 1971 NBA All-Rookie First Team. In 1977, he became the NBA Scoring Champion.
Later on, the Hawks retired Jersey Number 33, and the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans retired Jersey Number 7 in his honor. He was also named to the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams.
Pete Maravich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 at age 39, becoming among the youngest players ever to be inducted.
Also, the LSU named the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in his honor in 1988.
Career Highlights
- 1973, 1974, 1977–1979 - NBA All-Star
- 1976, 1977 - All-NBA First Team
- 1973, 1978 - All-NBA Second Team
- 1971 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
1977 - NBA scoring champion
- NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
- No. 44 retired by the Atlanta Hawks
- No. 7 retired by the Utah Jazz
No. 7 retired by the New Orleans Pelicans
- 1970 - National college player of the year
- 1969, 1970 - USBWA Player of the Year
- 1968–1970 - Consensus first-team All-American
- 1968–1970 - SEC Player of the Year
1968–1970 - NCAA season scoring leader
- NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader
No. 23 retired by LSU Tigers
- 1965 - First-team Parade All-American
Career Statistics
- Points - 15,948 (24.2 ppg)
- Rebounds - 2,747 (4.2 rpg)
Assists - 3,563 (5.4 apg)
- Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, 1987
- College Basketball Hall of Fame, 2006
