What if SF “Pistol” Pete Maravich were appreciated?
There has never been a player of Pete Maravich’s scoring ability. His averages tell only part of the story. He retains college’s all-time high scoring average, putting up more than 41 points a game. Simply put, he was the ultimate ball handler and consummate showman. Unfortunately, his game was often so esoteric that he tended to play by himself, and not within a team structure. After he tore up his knee in his early thirties—medicine not being what it is today—Pete was never the same player. The years playing for mediocre teams began to wear on him, and he never won a championship despite a deep run with the Celtics in his final year. He later fought alcoholism and depression and he died doing what he loved best, playing basketball. It seems he was always on borrowed time, as his heart turned out to have an irregular beat—but some say after he couldn’t play the game the way he wanted to, his heart became broken. In any event, every playground trick you’ve ever seen on any mix tape, on
