Pete Maravich

"Pistol" Pete Maravich, possibly one of the greatest basketball players the world has ever known; a man who not only changed the style of the game, but opened up a new love for players worldwide. His whole life revolved around basketball ever since he was a little boy. On June 22, 1947, little Pete Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. All throughout his life, he was greatly influenced and taught to by his father in the game of basketball. Unpredictable and accused of being selfish, Maravich dazzled the crowds and put on a show every time they came out to watch him (Carter). In middle school, Maravich was ignored and picked on by all of the other kids (Pete Maravich). When he grew up, he went to college and received over one million dollars (LSU) and held almost every record in the NCAA (NBA). He was never on a championship team like he wanted, and soon retired after playing 10 years of professional basketball. He started drinking heavily and became depressed without basketball and even contemplated suicide. Later, on November 1982, he found God and surrendered his life to him. He started touring schools and telling the world about his newfound love (Bryne) (Marvich). Maravich had even foreshadowed his own death when he said, "I don't want to play 10 years [in the NBA] and then die of a heart attack when I'm 40" (Carter) He later died on January 5, 1988 from congenital heart failure during a pick-up game with some friends; he was 40 (Carter). He possessed determination by not focusing on what others said about him and continued to express his love for basketball and God. He showed perseverance through everything he did. Pete Maravich, a man striving to be the best basketball player he could be, showed the world his determination through his sense of dedication to the game. He inspires players to do their greatest worldwide through his many talents.

Even when people disrespected and discouraged Maravich, he was determined to do the best he could and give the crowd a show that they would never forget. Other than his stature, Maravich didn't look much like a basketball player. Some have said, "Pistol Pete Maravich hardly looked like a great athlete. Lanky and slightly pigeon-toed, his body was once described by one sportscaster as "a cross between a clarinet and a filter king" (Maravich). Maravich had muscles; they just didn't "pop" as much as the bigger players. But even when some people said that he looked too small to be a strong basketball player, he used his size to his advantage and fled past the big, bulky men with his quick, brisk feet. People never believed that he could make it to the top until they watched him put his skills into action. Maravich has learned to fight for what he wanted because of his childhood. In middle school, "Pete was a 90-pound eighth-grader and took constant jeers and teasing from other children, as he was considerably smaller than his teammates. Although he was at first ignored on the basketball court because of his size, when Pete was given the opportunity to contribute he did so with great success" (Pete Maravich). When Pete Maravich was little, kids would pick on him because of how skinny he was, saying he wouldn't fit in compared to the other players. These crude statements wouldn't bother his though; he continued to strive to be his best and didn't care about what the haters said. His diligence to achieve the greatest was never shaken by the hurtful words spoken by others.

Pete Maravich was dedicated to becoming the greatest basketball player that he could become. The start of basketball for Pete Maravich was with his father who had passed on only certain aspects of the game. Maravich, "learned to love basketball from his father, who spent countless hours teaching him the game's most important fundamentals" (Maravich). Maravich's fathers love was passed onto him as he taught him the game of basketball. Maravich was faithful to it and craved for it, playing constantly throughout his whole life. He was committed to the game spending almost all of his time practicing. His whole life revolved around basketball and he never really gave it up as he was even playing it at the day of his death. Maravich's talent started evolving into fame when he became, "A skinny white guard from LSU, he was a Harlem Globetrotter in skill and spirit, if not uniform. Passes flew behind his back and backwards over his shoulder, eyes looking one way and the ball heading another" (Carter). Maravich's commitment and effort paid off when he made it to the top. All of the extraordinary skills he had built up were finally exposed and admired to the public. The unique moves he had hammered into his career suddenly became a part of the entire professional basketball association. His dedication didn't only affect his life towards the greater good, but also gave confidence to the talented players drenched in humility and gave the fans a game that they would never forget.

Pete Maravich's basketball skills weren't limited to passes and layups; he could do much more. Those who played on his team were in awe of his creativity that seemed to never end. One of his teammates even described him as,  "An American phenomenon," NBA teammate Rich Kelley once said of Maravich, and called him "a stepchild of the human imagination" (Maravich). Maravich showed off his basketball skills and creative plays to everyone. His teams were very intrigued by his new ideas and were very lucky to have someone this talented. Maravich also made video tutorials on the fundamentals, skills, and drills that players could watch and practice at home. He showed his viewers all sorts of drills and fun ways to develop great basketball skills (Federman). To get this good and be able to teach others, Maravich had to have learned it from somewhere. Some think that since Press Maravich, his father, had showed him the basics of the game, he taught him all of these fundamentals, but he didn't. Press Maravich tells us this when he says, "I gave him the fundamentals," said Press, who had also played guard. "But the between-the-legs, behind-the-back, blind stuff Pete does, I never even thought of that" (Carter). Pete Maravich was more than just a man running around on a court playing a game; he was conditioned to all the different aspects of it. No one showed Maravich these practices, but disciplined himself and did his best to have them all down. His creative moves and unique passes opened a door to new ideas on the basketball court and made each game a show for all who witnessed them.

Pete Maravich was determined to become the best basketball player he could be and didn't let anyone get in the way of his dreams. Any idea or move he could think of, he somehow weaved it all onto the basketball court. Maravich, "With his tangled mop of brown hair, spindly legs, and floppy gray socks that he washed and hung up to dry in his college dorm room after each game, Maravich nonetheless dazzled sellout crowds with his spectacular behind-the-back passes and impossible fade-away jump shots" (Maravich). Pete Maravich inspires us through the talent and determination he had even when people didn't believe in him. Maravich was determined to not let people's judgment get the best of him and kept doing what he loved.Although Maravich was never thought of to be a good basketball player and was constantly made fun of because of his size, he continued to play his heart out. He was determined to not let their judgment's get the best of him and kept doing what he loved. His hard work and loyalty shows the world that if you try hard for something and never give up, you can achieve the greatest.