1. William John Cunningham was born on June 3,1943 and is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities.
30 Facts About Billy Cunningham
1. 2.
Billy Cunningham spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA.
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One of basketball's all-time greats, Billy Cunningham was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and honored by selection to both the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams as one of its legendary players, as well as to the ABA All-Time Team.
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Billy Cunningham was further honored in 1990 when he was selected as part of the 1st class to enter the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Billy Cunningham was All-ACC, the ACC Player of the Year, and an All-American in college, later named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty best players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
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Billy Cunningham was an NBA champion both as a player and as a coach.
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Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York on June 3,1943, the son of a fireman, John Cunningham.
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Billy Cunningham's fame began while he was playing at St Rose of Lima and later Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, where he was the MVP in the Brooklyn League in 1961.
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Billy Cunningham led an undefeated Erasmus to the New York City Championship in 1961.
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McGuire had been recruiting New York high schoolers, and Billy Cunningham's parents wanted him to attend North Carolina, which he did.
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McGuire took a head coaching job with the Philadelphia Warriors, and when Billy Cunningham started his varsity career in 1962, Dean Smith was his coach.
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Billy Cunningham once grabbed a record 27 rebounds in a game vs Clemson on February 16,1963.
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Billy Cunningham set a single-game North Carolina record with 48 points against Tulane on December 10,1964.
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Billy Cunningham was drafted sight unseen on the recommendation of Frank McGuire.
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In 1965, Billy Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers and settled into the role of sixth-man in his rookie year.
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Billy Cunningham played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.
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Billy Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson, and is considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
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Billy Cunningham averaged 19.7 points per game and 25 minutes played per game in the finals.
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Billy Cunningham was made the starting power forward of the team.
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Billy Cunningham announced on June 15,1972, that he was going to play with the Cougars beginning with the upcoming season, at press conferences in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Billy Cunningham led the Cougars to the best record in the league, was selected to the All-ABA First Team and was named the ABA MVP.
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Billy Cunningham recorded 14 triple doubles in the NBA and 5 in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA.
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In 1996, Billy Cunningham was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary.
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Billy Cunningham's first act was hiring future Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly as an assistant coach.
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Billy Cunningham reached the 200,300 and 400-win milestones faster than any coach in NBA history.
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Billy Cunningham is still the winningest coach in Sixers history.
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Former 76ers player and coach, hall of famer Doug Collins said Billy Cunningham might be the greatest 76er, when looking at his overall impact on the franchise.
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In 1987, Billy Cunningham replaced Tom Heinsohn as the lead color commentator for CBS' NBA telecasts.
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Billy Cunningham left CBS Sports the following season to join the Miami Heat expansion franchise as a minority owner and general manager; he ultimately sold his interest in the Heat in early 1995.
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Billy Cunningham was replaced on CBS by Hubie Brown, but would return to CBS to help fill in during the 1990 NBA Playoffs, partnered with Verne Lundquist.