Peter Press Maravich (/ˈmɛərəˌvɪtʃ/ MAIR-ə-vitch; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player.

[1] All of his accomplishments were achieved before the adoption of the three-point line and shot clock, and despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then-NCAA rules.

One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich was considered to be one of the greatest creative offensive talents ever and one of the best ball handlers of all time.

Obsessively, young Maravich spent hours practicing ball control tricks, passes, head fakes, and long-range shots.

[1] While living in Raleigh, North Carolina, Maravich attended Needham B. Broughton High School, where his famous moniker was born.

[1] Maravich was 6 feet 4 inches in high school and was getting ready to play in college when his father took a coaching position at Louisiana State University.

[5] In only three years playing on the varsity team (and under his father's coaching) at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points—1,138 of those in 1967–68, 1,148 in 1968–69, and 1,381 in 1969–70—while averaging 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game, respectively.

For his collegiate career, the 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) guard averaged 44.2 points per game in 83 contests and led the NCAA in scoring for each of his three seasons.

Though he never appeared in the NCAA tournament, Maravich played a key role in turning around a lackluster program that had posted a 3–20 record in the season prior to his arrival.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Maravich with the third pick in the first round of the 1970 NBA draft, where he played for coach Richie Guerin.

In fact, Maravich's flamboyant style stood in stark contrast to the conservative play of Hudson and star center Walt Bellamy.

Still, the Hawks qualified for the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Knicks during the first round, as Maravich averaged 22 points a contest in the five-game series.

However, the season was good enough to earn Maravich his first-ever appearance in the NBA All-Star Game, and also All-NBA Second Team honors.

[22] In the summer of 1974, the expansion New Orleans Jazz franchise was preparing for its first season of competition in the NBA and was looking to generate excitement among its new basketball fans.

Maravich struggled with injuries that limited him to just 62 games that season, but he averaged 25.9 points per contest (third behind McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and continued his crowd-pleasing antics.

[20] Despite being robbed of some quickness and athleticism, he still managed to score 27.0 points per game, and he also added 6.7 assists per contest, his highest average as a member of the Jazz.

[27] Robinson's presence prevented opponents from focusing their defensive efforts entirely on Maravich,[20] and it lifted the Jazz to a 39–43 record—just short of making the club's first appearance in the playoffs.

He helped the team post a 61–21 record in the regular season, the best in the league, and for the first time since his early career in Atlanta, Maravich was able to participate in the NBA playoffs.

Between his limited playing time in Utah and Boston, he made 10 of 15 three-point shots,[20] giving him a career 66.7% completion rate.

He tried the practices of yoga and Hinduism, read Trappist monk Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain and took an interest in the field of ufology, the study of unidentified flying objects.

"[36] On January 5, 1988, Maravich collapsed and died of heart failure at age 40,[37] while playing in a pickup basketball game in the gym at First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California, with a group that included evangelical author James Dobson.

Maravich had flown out from his home in Covington, Louisiana, to tape a segment for Dobson's radio show that aired later that day.

"[38] An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a rare congenital defect: his left coronary artery, a vessel that supplies blood to the muscle fibers of the heart, was missing.

[50] In February 2016, the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring Maravich be installed on the campus, revising the stipulations required.

[55] Awards Records Free throws made, quarter: 14, Pete Maravich, third quarter, Atlanta Hawks vs. Buffalo Braves, November 28, 1973 Free throw attempts, quarter: 16, Pete Maravich, second quarter, Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, January 2, 1973 Second pair of teammates in NBA history to score 2,000 or more points in a season: 2, Atlanta Hawks (1972–73) Maravich: 2,063 Lou Hudson: 2,029 Third pair of teammates in NBA history to score 40 or more points in the same game: New Orleans Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, April 10, 1977 Maravich: 45 Nate Williams: 41 David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets also scored 40 points in this game.

Ranks 4th in NBA history – Free throws made, none missed, game: 18–18, Pete Maravich, Atlanta Hawks vs. Buffalo Braves, November 28, 1973 Ranks 5th in NBA history – Free throws made, game: 23, Pete Maravich, New Orleans Jazz vs. New York Knicks, October 26, 1975 (2 OT) Notes Footnotes