 Cunningham with thePhiladelphia 76ers | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-06-03)June 3, 1943 (age 82) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | North Carolina (1962–1965) |
| NBA draft | 1965: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Playing career | 1965–1976 |
| Position | Small forward /power forward |
| Number | 32 |
| Coaching career | 1977–1985 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1965–1972 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972–1974 | Carolina Cougars |
| 1974–1976 | Philadelphia 76ers |
Coaching | |
| 1977–1985 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As coach: | |
| Career ABA and NBA playing statistics | |
| Points | 16,310 (21.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 7,981 (10.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,305 (4.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 454–196 (.698) |
| Record atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professionalbasketball player and coach, who was nicknamed theKangaroo Kid[1] for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA'sPhiladelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with theCarolina Cougars of the ABA.
One of basketball's all-time greats, Cunningham was elected to theNaismith Memorial Hall of Fame and honored by selection to both the NBA's50th and75th Anniversary Teams as one of its legendary players, as well as to theABA All-Time Team. He was further honored in 1990 when he was selected as part of the 1st class to enter theNew York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Cunningham wasAll-ACC, theACC Player of the Year, and anAll-American in college, later named to theACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty best players inAtlantic Coast Conference history. As a professional he was selected to theNBA All-Rookie First Team, anNBA All-Star,All-NBA First andSecond Team, anABA All-Star,All-ABA First Team, and theABA Most Valuable Player. He was an NBA champion both as a player (1967) and as a coach (1983).
Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section ofBrooklyn, New York on June 3, 1943, the son of a fireman, John Cunningham. John had served in World War II and ultimately became the Assistant Chief of New York City.[2][3] His fame began while he was playing at St. Rose of Lima and laterErasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn,[4][5] where he was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in theBrooklyn League in 1961.[6] He led an undefeated Erasmus to the New York City Championship in 1961.[7][8] That year, he was the first-team All-New York City, and a member of theParade Magazine All-America Team.[6]
Frank McGuire was coach at theUniversity of North Carolina in 1960–1961, and his sister was the Cunninghams' neighbor. McGuire had been recruiting New York high schoolers, and Cunningham's parents wanted him to attend North Carolina, which he did. McGuire, however, took a head coaching job with thePhiladelphia Warriors, and when Cunningham started his varsity career in 1962,Dean Smith was his coach.[5] Smith would go on to coach North Carolina for 36 years, win 879 games and twoNCAA championships.[9] Cunningham was Smith's first true star player.[10][11] In 1965, he came to Smith's defense when angry fans hanged Smith in effigy, tearing down the dummy from the tree.[12]
Cunningham excelled at North Carolina. He once grabbed a record 27rebounds in a game vs.Clemson on February 16, 1963.[12] Cunningham also set a single-game North Carolina record with 48points againstTulane on December 10, 1964.[12] In his UNC career, he scored 1,709 points (24.8 points per game[12]), and grabbed 1,062 rebounds (15.4 rebounds per game[12]). He averaged double-doubles from 1962 to 1965, an NCAA record.[12][11] Upon graduation, his 1,062 rebounds were the best in North Carolina history (now fourth highest[11]), and he held single-season records for most rebounds (379 in 1964; now eighth[13]) and rebound average (16.1 in 1963, now second[13]). His number 32 jersey is honored at theDean E. Smith Center.[12]
The 76ers took Cunningham with the seventh overall pick in the1965 NBA draft.[14] He was drafted sight unseen on the recommendation of Frank McGuire.[5] In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers and settled into the role ofsixth-man in his rookie year.[5] He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.[15] At the conclusion of the season he was named to theNBA All-Rookie Team, along with future Hall of FamerRick Barry,Fred Hetzel,Tom Van Arsdale andDick Van Arsdale.[16]
Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which also featuredWilt Chamberlain,Hal Greer,Chet Walker, andLuke Jackson, and is considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history.[14][5] In Game 2 of the1967 NBA Finals, Cunningham scored 28 points during a 126–95 win over theSan Francisco Warriors.[17] He averaged 19.7 points per game and 25 minutes played per game in the finals.[14]
After Chamberlain left the team in 1968, Cunningham became the 76ers' franchise player.[14] Luke Jackson replaced Chamberlain at center for the 1968–1969 season (until a devastating injury sidelined him in December).[18][19] Cunningham was made the startingpower forward of the team. He averaged 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game during the 1968–69 season while leading the 76ers to 55 wins.[19] After that season, he earned the first of what would be three straight All-NBA First Team selections.[20]
On December 20, 1970, Cunningham scored 31 points and grabbed a career-high 27 reboundsen route to a 134–132 road win over thePortland Trail Blazers.[21]
Cunningham signed a three-year contract on August 5, 1969, to begin play with theAmerican Basketball Association'sCarolina Cougars in1971–72. Contending that the Cougars had reneged on paying the remaining $80,000 of a $125,000 signing bonus due on May 15, 1970, he reversed himself and signed a four-year, $950,000 contract extension to stay with the 76ers through1974–75, on July 15, 1970. The Cougars' attempt to file aninjunction against him was denied inUnited States District Court on September 24, 1971.[22]
The reversal of that judgment in theUnited States Court of Appeals6+1⁄2 months later on April 5, 1972, meant that Cunningham was obligated to honor his Cougars contract until its expiration in October 1974.[23] He announced on June 15, 1972, that he was going to play with the Cougars beginning with theupcoming season, at press conferences inCharlotte andGreensboro, North Carolina. This occurred almost simultaneous to the Sixers' introduction ofRoy Rubin as its new head coach.[24]
In his first ABA season, Cunningham averaged 24.1 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game,[25] and led the league in total steals.[26] He led the Cougars to the best record in the league,[27] was selected to the All-ABA First Team[28] and was named the ABA MVP.[1] During the post-season, the Cougars defeated theNew York Nets in five games in the Eastern Division Semifinals to advance to theEastern Division Finals. In the Division Finals, the Cougars lost a tight seven-game series to theKentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3.[29]
The Cougars were coached by future Hall of Fame coachLarry Brown,[30] who had been Cunningham's teammate at North Carolina.[31] In the 1973–74 season, Cunningham and the Cougars finished third in the Eastern Division. Cunningham missed Game 1 of theEastern Division Semifinals versus theKentucky Colonels and was thought to merely dress for Game 2 due to having undergone a kidney operation, but he ultimately played in the game and the next three of the series, scoring 22 combined points as the Cougars lost in a four-game sweep. As it turned out, this was the last time Cunningham appeared in a postseason series.[32][33]
After the 1973–74 season, Cunningham returned to the 76ers, where he played until tornkneecartilage andligaments ended his career as an active player early in the1975–76 season.[34]
For his career, he scored 16,310 points, grabbed 7,981 rebounds, and recorded 3,305 assists in both the NBA and the ABA. He recorded 14 triple-doubles in the NBA and five in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA.[25] In 1996, Cunningham was voted as one of the50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary.[35] In October 2021, he was also named to theNBA 75th Anniversary Team.[36] To commemorate the NBA's 75th AnniversaryThe Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Cunningham as the 66th greatest player in NBA history.[37]
He succeededGene Shue as head coach of the 2–4 76ers on November 4, 1977.[34] His first act was hiring future Hall of Fame coachChuck Daly as an assistant coach.[14] During his tenure, the team featuredBobby Jones,Maurice Cheeks,Andrew Toney,Moses Malone, andJulius Erving.[38] In his first playoff appearance, he led the Sixers to a 4-game sweep against theKnicks,[39] before bowing down to the Bullets in six games.[40]
He reached the 200, 300 and 400-win milestones faster than any coach in NBA history.[5] He led Philadelphia to the playoffs in every year as coach, and advanced to the NBA Finals 3 times, in the1979–80,1981–82 and1982–83 seasons.[41][14] The 76ers lost to the Lakers in1980 and1982, but after acquiringMoses Malone, they finally got past the Lakers in1983, winning the franchise's third (and most recent) NBA Championship as part of a 12–1 playoff run.[14]
Upon his retirement on May 28, 1985,[42] his 454 wins as a head coach were the 12th best in NBA history. He holds the second-best regular-season winning percentage in league history of .698 (only Phil Jackson is ahead of him).[43] He is still the winningest coach in Sixers history.[44] Former 76ers player and coach, Hall of FamerDoug Collins said Cunningham might be the greatest 76er, when looking at his overall impact on the franchise.[14]
Cunningham joined the broadcast team for CBS in the 1976–77 season, often paired withBrent Musburger orDon Criqui, including the 1977 All-Star Game and some playoff games,[45] leaving after the season ended to coach the 76ers. Cunningham would later rejoin the CBS broadcast team starting with the 1985–86 season, again often paired with Musburger, covering both the NBA as well as NCAA men's college basketball for the network. In1987, Cunningham replacedTom Heinsohn as the leadcolor commentator (alongside play-by-play manDick Stockton) forCBS' NBA telecasts.[46]
Cunningham leftCBS Sports the following season to join theMiami Heat expansion franchise as a minority owner and general manager;[47][7] he ultimately sold his interest in the Heat in early 1995.[48][49][50] Cunningham was subsequently replaced on CBS byHubie Brown, but would return to CBS to help fill in during the 1990 NBA Playoffs, partnered withVerne Lundquist.[51] He then returned for one last year to help cover the 1991 NCAA men's basketball tournament, partnered with Dick Stockton once again.[52]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1977–78 | 76 | 53 | 23 | .697 | 1st in Atlantic | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Philadelphia | 1978–79 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 2nd in Atlantic | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Lost inConf. Semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 1979–80 | 82 | 59 | 23 | .720 | 2nd in Atlantic | 18 | 12 | 6 | .667 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Philadelphia | 1980–81 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 2nd in Atlantic | 16 | 9 | 7 | .563 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Philadelphia | 1981–82 | 82 | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2nd in Atlantic | 21 | 12 | 9 | .571 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Philadelphia | 1982–83 | 82 | 65 | 17 | .793 | 1st in Atlantic | 13 | 12 | 1 | .923 | WonNBA Championship |
| Philadelphia | 1983–84 | 82 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 2nd in Atlantic | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Philadelphia | 1984–85 | 82 | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2nd in Atlantic | 13 | 8 | 5 | .615 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Career | 650 | 454 | 196 | .698 | 105 | 66 | 39 | .629 |
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–66 | Philadelphia | 80* | — | 26.7 | .426 | — | .634 | 7.5 | 2.6 | — | — | 14.3 |
| 1966–67† | Philadelphia | 81* | — | 26.8 | .459 | — | .686 | 7.3 | 2.5 | — | — | 18.5 |
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia | 74 | — | 28.1 | .438 | — | .723 | 7.6 | 2.5 | — | — | 18.9 |
| 1968–69 | Philadelphia | 82 | — | 40.8 | .426 | — | .737 | 12.8 | 3.5 | — | — | 24.8 |
| 1969–70 | Philadelphia | 81 | — | 39.4 | .469 | — | .729 | 13.6 | 4.3 | — | — | 26.1 |
| 1970–71 | Philadelphia | 81 | — | 36.9 | .462 | — | .734 | 11.7 | 4.9 | — | — | 23.0 |
| 1971–72 | Philadelphia | 75 | — | 38.6 | .461 | — | .712 | 12.2 | 5.9 | — | — | 23.3 |
| 1972–73 | Carolina (ABA) | 84* | — | 38.7 | .487 | .286 | .789 | 12.0 | 6.3 | 2.6 | — | 24.1 |
| 1973–74 | Carolina (ABA) | 32 | — | 37.2 | .471 | .125 | .797 | 10.3 | 4.7 | 1.8 | .7 | 20.5 |
| 1974–75 | Philadelphia | 80 | — | 35.7 | .428 | — | .777 | 9.1 | 5.5 | 1.1 | .4 | 19.5 |
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia | 20 | — | 32.0 | .410 | — | .773 | 7.4 | 5.4 | 1.2 | .5 | 13.7 |
| Career | 770 | — | 34.9 | .452 | .263 | .730 | 10.4 | 4.3 | 1.8 | .5 | 21.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Philadelphia | 4 | — | 17.3 | .161 | — | .846 | 4.5 | 2.5 | — | — | 5.3 |
| 1967† | Philadelphia | 15 | — | 22.6 | .376 | — | .656 | 6.2 | 2.2 | — | — | 15.0 |
| 1968 | Philadelphia | 3 | — | 28.7 | .558 | — | .824 | 7.3 | 3.3 | — | — | 20.7 |
| 1969 | Philadelphia | 5 | — | 43.4 | .419 | — | .632 | 12.6 | 2.4 | — | — | 24.4 |
| 1970 | Philadelphia | 5 | — | 41.0 | .496 | — | .667 | 10.4 | 4.0 | — | — | 29.2 |
| 1971 | Philadelphia | 7 | — | 43.0 | .472 | — | .701 | 15.4 | 5.7 | — | — | 25.9 |
| 1973 | Carolina (ABA) | 12 | — | 39.3 | .502 | .250 | .687 | 11.8 | 5.1 | — | — | 23.5 |
| 1974 | Carolina (ABA) | 3 | — | 20.3 | .290 | .000 | .800 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Career | 54 | — | 32.4 | .440 | .167 | .688 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 1.3 | .0 | 19.6 | |
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