Maravich, Pete

Pete Maravich, in full Peter Press Maravich, also known as Pistol Pete, (born June 22, 1947, Aliquippa, Pa., U.S.—died Jan. 5, 1988, Pasadena, Calif.), American basketball player who was the most prolific scorer in the history of Division I men’s college basketball and who helped transform the game in the 1960s and ’70s with his ballhandling and passing wizardry. A spectacular shooting star, Maravich rocketed through college and professional ranks driven by an insatiable desire to be the greatest that resulted in an eventful but short life.

Some of Maravich’s urge to excel was instilled in him by his father, Press Maravich, who was the head basketball coach at Clemson University and North Carolina State University before he took the reins at Louisiana State University (LSU). Maravich was compelled by his father to endlessly hone his basketball skills, and the practice methods of the teenaged Maravich are the stuff of legend, including dribbling while on marathon runs, while riding a bicycle, and out the window of a car while a passenger. In the process he perfected an array of moves that made the ball seem like an appendage to his body. On an individual basis, there appeared to be no scoring, passing, ballhandling, faking, or mind-boggling maneuver Pistol Pete could not—or would not—attempt. In three varsity seasons at LSU under his father—in an era when freshmen were prohibited from playing with the varsity—he rang up a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scoring record with 3,667 career points. He led all college scorers three straight times, averaging an NCAA record 44.5 points per game as a senior in 1969–70. On the court Maravich was the consummate showman; skinny, with a mop of tousled brown hair, and always wearing his trademark floppy socks, he electrified the LSU faithful at the John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum. Off the court he was shy, almost reclusive except with close friends, and he drank, ultimately becoming an alcoholic.

Maravich’s professional career was marred by resentment over the $1.9 million contract (by far the highest-paying to date) he received when the Atlanta Hawks made him their first draft choice in 1970. By then Pistol Pete had grown into a finely tuned, 6-foot 5-inch (1.96-metre) guard, although his unlimited potential went largely unfulfilled in 10 NBA seasons. Injuries took their toll as he moved on to the New Orleans Jazz, with whom he won his only NBA scoring title with a 31.1 average in 1976–77. The franchise relocated to Utah in 1979, where Maravich’s role diminished. Released by the Jazz, he finished his career with the Boston Celtics. After basketball he searched for a lifestyle that would bring him peace—running through vegetarianism, yoga, and Hinduism, among other pursuits before finding solace in Christianity. He died of a heart attack at age 40.