Background

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on this date in 1952, George Gervin is one of six children. His father left when George was a toddler, leaving his mother to work multiple jobs to try and support her family.

Education

Gervin attended Martin Luther King High School, where he befriended the school’s janitor, a man he knew only as Mr. Winters. Every night the custodian let Gervin shoot hoops in the gym on the condition that he sweep up before he left. “It gave me solitude,” recalled Gervin later. “I was alone in there for hours. There was nothing but me and my imagination. I never cared about crime, mischief, dope, or any of that other ghetto stuff. The only thing I cared about was basketball.”

Gervin received a scholarship to play under Coach Jerry Tarkanian at California State University, Long Beach (a.k.a. Long Beach State), but he had such a culture shock that he returned home before the first semester was over. He transferred to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan and averaged 29.5 points as a sophomore forward in 1971–72.

Career

Wanting to play basketball, Gervin joined the Pontiac [MI] Chapparals of the Eastern Basketball Association for $ 500 per month. Johnny “Red” Kerr, a scout for the ABA Virginia Squires, caught wind of Gervin. After erupting for 50 points one night, Kerr signed Gervin for $ 40,000 per year. Upon arriving in Richmond, Squires point guard Fatty Taylor dubbed Gervin “Iceberg Slim,” the nickname of a slender pimp that had just written a best-selling autobiography about his former life on the streets of Chicago. The named morphed into “Iceman.” At 6-7, 170 pounds, Gervin was all arms and legs and could disappear if he turned sideways. Playing in Julius Erving’s shadow, Gervin averaged 14 points per game in his first year in Virginia. Like many teams in the ABA, the Squires struggled financially. They sold Erving and Swen Nator in the space of four months and, in January 1974, sold Gervin to the San Antonio Spurs in a fire sale. Within two years, the Squires were defunct.

The run-and-gun Spurs joined the NBA as part of the 1976 merger. Dr. J was the reason for the merger, but Jerry West said Gervin was the one player he would pay to see. It was in San Antonio that Gervin became The Iceman. With a calm, cool demeanor on the court, he became an offensive force to be reckoned with. Gervin borrowed pieces from Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins and Erving to develop his patented finger roll, one of the most stylish and unstoppable shots in the game.

On the final day of the 1978 regular season, Gervin and David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets were locked in a historically tight race for the NBA scoring title. That afternoon, Thompson scored 73 points, including 32 in a single quarter to break Chamberlain’s 1962 record for most points in one stanza. If he wanted the crown, The Iceman was going to have to score 58 that night. Gervin promptly went out and missed his first six shots but didn’t stay cold for long. Like all great scorers, he wanted the ball. He tallied 20 points in the first quarter, then broke Thompson’s less-than-day-old record, racking up 33 in the second quarter. Gervin had 53 points at halftime, reached 59 in the third quarter, and kept going “just in case they miscalculated.” He finished with 63 points in 33 minutes of action to win the scoring title — by seven one-hundredths of a point.

Gervin set his record without the advantage of the three point line, which the NBA did not implement until 1979. In 2008, Carmelo Anthony tied Gervin’s mark, but needed four three-pointers to do so. In 2015, Golden State’s Clay Thompson established a new record by scoring 34 points in one quarter while going 13-for-13 from the field. Nine of Thompson’s baskets came from behind the three-point arc.

Gervin was traded to the Chicago Bulls before the 1985-86 season. Playing with rising star Micheal Jordan, he averaged over 16 points per game. Despite aching knees, the 33-year-old Gervin played in all 82 regular season games, including a 45-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks. The final game of Iceman’s career was April 20, 1986, Jordan’s remarkable 63 point performance against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Mr. Gervin, who played with Dr. J and MJ during his stellar 14-year career, retired following the 1985-86 season. At the time of his retirement, he was the leading scorer in Spurs history. The team retired The Iceman’s number 44 in 1995.

Achievements

• Gervin is widely regarded to be one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996; additionally his #44 jersey has been retired by the Spurs and he was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In 2009, Gervin was ranked #45 on SLAM Magazine's Top 50 NBA Players of All Time.

Personality

Physical Characteristics: His height is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m).

Connections

In 1976, Gervin married Joyce King. The couple divorced in 1984 then remarried in 1985. They also have three children.

Spouse:

Joyce King

Son:

George Gervin, Jr. (nicknamed "Gee")

He played for the Harlem Globetrotters and was a fan favorite while playing for the Norrköping Dolphins of the Swedish League.

Sister:

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins

She is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 120th District.

coach:

Cotton Fitzsimmons

He was an American college and NBA basketball coach.