Billy Cunningham
Cunningham during his second stint with the 76ers
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 3, 1943 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| 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 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall |
| Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Playing career | 1965–1976 |
| Position | Small forward / Power forward |
| Number | 32 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1965–1972 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972–1974 | Carolina Cougars |
| 1974–1976 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| As coach: | |
| 1977–1985 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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As player:
As coach:
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| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 16,310 (21.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 7,981 (10.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,305 (4.3 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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As player:
As coach:
William John "Billy" Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA.
Billy Cunningham was born in Brooklyn, New York. His fame began while he was playing at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, where he was the MVP in the Brooklyn League in 1961. That year, he was the First-Team All-New York City, and a member of the Parade Magazine All-America Team.
Cunningham then went to the University of North Carolina, where he excelled. He once grabbed a record 27 rebounds in a game vs. Clemson on February 16, 1963. Cunningham also set a single-game North Carolina record with 48 points against Tulane on December 10, 1964. In his UNC career, he scored 1,709 points (24.8 points per game), and grabbed 1,062 rebounds (15.4 rebounds per game). Upon graduation, his 1,062 rebounds were the best in North Carolina history and he held seasonal records for most rebounds (379 in 1964) and rebound average (16.1 in 1963).
In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association as a sixth man and played well enough to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.
Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team (featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson). After Chamberlain left the team in 1968, Cunningham became the 76ers' franchise player. He would replace the injured and aging Luke Jackson as the starting power forward of the team, and averaged 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game during the 1968–69 season while leading the 76ers to 55 wins. After that season, he earned the first of what would be three straight All-NBA First Team selections.
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