The Legendary Journey of George Gervin: From Detroit to Spain

One of those players who would change the history of American basketball was born on April 27. That young boy, already passionate about basketball since he was a child, was called George Gervin (Detroit, 1952). Her father abandoned him, his two brothers and his mother very early, and she had to take care of the family. She made sure that none of them went hungry and she raised her three children.

Gervin went out to play on the courts in his neighborhood, with Ralph Simpson, who would later also reach the elite. Detroit was a really dangerous place during that time. Violence and youth crime were very present on the streets of the city. But Gervin never got involved in crime or drugs as a teenager, even though it was the most common thing for young people in the neighborhood. That would be the first step to achieve success.

His career began in Martin Luther King High School, although the beginnings would not be the best, of course. His attempt to join the squad was denied by the first coach, who did not see a future for him in the world of basketball. However, Willie Meriweather, assistant coach, was going to give him another chance, requesting that he stay as an additional player, but without playing games. And he was right.

George Gervin, during his time in the ABA

Third parties

“Meriweather was like a father to me. He was my mentor”, the young American later stated. With the janitor’s permission, the 2.01 meter shooting guard stayed night after night crushing himself on the court, throwing and improving his physique in the gym. The only condition that the janitor gave him he fulfilled from the first day: sweep the premises after finishing his night session.

Although an academic career resisted him, his love and dedication to basketball led to great improvements in his game. His ability to see the rim was beginning to be spectacular. In the following season, with the conviction of the first coach and to his surprise, he would end up averaging 31 points and 20 rebounds! Almost nothing. After high school, Gervin would accept a scholarship from Long Beach State, but his adaptation to a new culture was not going to work out in the best way. “He still wasn’t ready to leave Detroit,” he said. He would return home and later enroll at Eastern Michigan University.

The problems begin

It was on that team where one of the worst episodes that he himself remembers took place. In an intense match, Gervin committed a flagrant foul in the fight for the rebound to Jay Piccola, a Roanoke College player, and subsequently hit him. “Gervin came slowly towards me after being sent off, I thought he was coming to shake my hand and apologize, but when he reached my height, he hit me,” said the rival. The action had its consequences: he was suspended the following season and expelled from the squaddespite averaging 29.5 points per game.

Meriweather, his faithful friend, confessed that he came to him crying after the event. “I thought the only thing I could do was get a job and play for fun.”Willie maintained. His next assignment was, finally, in a minor league, playing for the Pontiac Chapparalsprior to playing in the Virginia Squireswhere it would coincide with the legend Julius Erving. It was there, in the missing league ABA, where he was nicknamed Iceman. Initially baptized Iceberg Slim, since a teammate noticed that Gervin barely sweated. “You are like ice”, He said. Eventually, the young American would end up being nicknamed Iceman, due, in part, to his calm nature in tense match situations.

He entered the draft and was chosen fourth choice of the third round by the Phoenix Suns, where he would never play. After some intense negotiations with the courts involved, George Gervin wore the jersey of the San Antonio Spurs on February 7, 1974. The boy was already showing signs of success in his first year, which would mark the beginning of a long stay in the American League.

A scoring explosion on the way to success

With tremendous records, Gervin was beginning to earn the respect of his rivals. He became one of the most prolific scorers who went through the NBA. In his second year, the fight for the league’s top scorer would go down in history. Achieving one of the most striking records in the league, David Thompson, His greatest competitor, he scored 73 points before Gervin played his respective game.

The Spurs guard needed 59 points to become the top scorer. “I’ve never scored 59, but I’ll go for them,” he commented before starting the meeting. And yes, he totaled 63 points against the New Orleans Jazz, surpassing, by only seven hundredths, David Thompson (Gervin’s 27.22 average compared to Thompson’s 21.15).

He seemed to have been born to score points. He had a high capacity to generate his own resources and look for the best pitches. Its characteristic “finger roll” It endured in the era before the three-point line. It was Iceman’s talent. Any current player who tried to imitate his movements would break their bones. An average of 26.2 points throughout his stay in the NBA that made him a member of the Hall Of Fame in 1996, with his number 44 retired by the San Antonio Spurs. “He is the only player I would pay to see,” declared Jerry West.

Gervin became one of the franchise’s most beloved players. Because of his character, his closeness and his game. He managed to be the NBA leading scorer (1978, 1979, 1980, 1982), a symbolic fact and even more so considering that there are only two players who exceed the figure: a certain Michael Jordan and another known as Wilt Chamberlain. Additionally, he was a nine-time All Star selection, being the tournament’s MVP in 1980.

In fact, a game in 1980 left a curious anecdote in his career. The Pacers ran a promotion saying that all fans attending the game against the Spurs would receive free chicken if Gervin didn’t score more than 30 points. “There is no chicken tonight”, he shouted at half-time, with 25 points already in his hands. He would finish with 55.

A complicated relationship with Michael Jordan

In 1985in a decision that surprised everyone, the legendary symbol of the Spurs came out towards the Chicago Bulls. The idea of ​​his new team was to accompany Michael Jordan in his second year in the NBA, but the ’23’ of the Bulls was not convinced by his incorporation. “I was already old, on my way to retirement and Michael was coming into the league. He looked at me differently. He always called me ‘the old man’. I responded that he would also reach that age,” Gervin said years later.

Jordan was injured for a while and the ice man, at 34 years old, led the Bulls. Even so, at the end of the season, Jordan would return to the court and take the spotlight away from Gervin, who would only play eleven minutes in the entire series against the Celtics. Larry Bird y Kevin McHale. “I don’t know how I managed to last so long on the bench. Jordan would have scored his 63 points, but I would have liked to pass the ball to him“, he maintained. “I had to hand over the witness. My time had passed,” he explained.

The deep disappointment of being out of the league was the trigger for falling into an ocean of drug addiction. On three occasions she entered a detoxification clinic. “I went into depression. I abandoned myself, I missed training and “I made bad decisions.”, he stressed. In fact, years later he would be arrested for drunk driving and marijuana possession, but he would be released on charges. He said goodbye to the NBA and embarked on a new adventure in Italy, playing in the Bank of Rome and averaging another 26 points per game.

A legendary last dance at El Congost

He returned to his country to play for the Quad City Thunder, a CBA team, and subsequently received an offer from Portland to return to the NBA, but he turned it down. Because? George Gervin had a call coming from Spain. He TDK Manresaas a desperate measure given the complicated situation the club was experiencing, offered him to finish his career there to achieve historic salvation.

In 1990, and as a final culmination of his extraordinary sporting career, he would debut in Spain with 31 points. However, the team maintained a terrible dynamic of ten defeats in eleven games. His physical condition was not the best but the quality in his hands stood out above any player in the league.

The TDK Manresa reached the relegation playoffs playing everything or nothing against Tenerife. Gervin scored 39 points in the first victory, 43 in the third game and 31 in the decisive match for permanence, leaving a indelible mark in the Congost. The American dressed as a hero for the Bages entity and achieved the desired salvation. “I enjoyed Manresa, with the team and the board”explained.

After his retirement, he briefly changed sports to found an annual golf tournament in San Antonio. Later, returning to the world of basketball, he would work as a community relations representative for the Spurs and would be named assistant coach to John Lucas in 1992. He was also part of the coaching staff of the Detroit Dogs and was head of operations for the Vipers, a team of the NBDL.

Likewise, the one from Detroit worked in the association of retired NBA players. Outside of sports, he decided to open the George Gervin Academy, with the goal of helping disadvantaged children find a home and an education. A career that forged his legend in San Antonio and that ended up leaving its mark in Manresa, with performances that the most nostalgic fans still remember.

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2024-04-11 13:00:00
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