YouTube Gold: George Gervin
A unique talent and presence
NBA types didn't take George Gervin very seriously when he showed up post-merger.
Why would they? He was a very thin 6-8 guy who was effectively a guard when that didn't really make sense. Guys who were 6-8 were forwards, not guards. He did not conform.
He got in trouble in college after a fight and left school for the ABA. He was signed by the Virginia Squires and when that franchise started to fall apart, landed with the San Antonio Spurs where he was known as the Iceman.
The Spurs moved him to guard where he thrived. He was extremely lean but wildly creative. People said he never took the same shot twice which was an exaggeration, but not by much.
He was sort of the prototype for later players like Reggie Williams and Reggie Miller, players who were thin to the point of being seemingly frail but who nonetheless presented very difficult matchup problems.
Gervin carved out an 18-year Hall of Fame career and, as much as anyone, established the Spurs as a powerful NBA presence, something that continues to this day.
Bonus: Duke great Gene Banks gets some mention at the end.