George Gervin

Nickname: "The Iceman"
Ht. 6-7
Wt. 185
College - Long Beach State/Eastern Michigan
ABA Teams: Virginia (1972-73 to 1973-74), San Antonio (1973-74 to 1975-76)

3-Time ABA All-Star. ABA All-Rookie Team in 72-73. 2-Time member of ABA All-Pro Team. Member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Unanimous choice for ABA All-Time Top 30 Team.
GP Min FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% TReb AST PF Dq Stl Blk Pnts RPG APG PPG
Career ABA Totals 269 9061 2323 4836 .480 45 192 .234 1196 1439 .831 1995 584 919 21 342 377 5887 7.4 2.2 21.9
ABA Playoff Totals 25 990 237 491 .483 5 21 .238 151 186 .812 238 54 87 8 15 30 631 9.5 2.2 25.2
ABA All-Star Totals 3 67 14 37 .378 1 4 .250 11 14 .786 17 7 4 - - - 40 5.8 2.3 13.3

In January 1974, Hall-of-Famer George Gervin became a Spur under bizarre circumstances. The situation involved ABA Commissioner Mike Storen, Spurs' owner Angelo Drossos, countless lawyers, a group of Virginia businessmen, and a federal judge. David King recounts the struggle in his article, "Iceman didn't cometh too easily - Owner's will, federal judge finally made Gervin a Spur."

Sound Clip: February 1, 1974 Interview with George Gervin (conducted by Van Vance)

On February 1, 1974, George Gervin was still a Virginia Squire -- but only barely. A few days earlier, the Associated Press reported that Gervin had been sold to the San Antonio Spurs. And that very day, the Spurs had filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that they rightfully owned Gervin's contract.

That night, in front of 2,000 cheering Squires fans at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Gervin hit a spectacular game winning shot against the Kentucky Colonels. After that game, Van Vance conducted this interview with Gervin. In the interview, Gervin described his game winning shot, his progress in the ABA, and his strong desire to stay with the Squires.

Only six days later, forced by a court order, Gervin played his first game with the Spurs.

Streaming RealAudio file -- RealPlayer plug-in required (free download here)
Clip courtesy of Van Vance and used with permission


Back to Main Page