n 1979 and played his last year as a Boston Celtic during the 1979-80 season. After failing to win a championship in Boston, Maravich faced the reality of his bad knees and retired from the NBA at the age of thirty-three. Earl Gutskey a writer for the Los Angeles Times quoted Jerry West the former NBA star as saying, “Maravich was a really unique player who brought excitement and flair to the league at a time when the NBA really needed it.” During the years 1973, 1974 and 1977-79 (with a knee injury preventing him from playing in 1978) Maravich would be voted a starter on the NBA All-Star Game. In 1976 and 1977 Maravich would be First Team All-Pro, the same year he was the NBA scoring leader with 31.1 ppg. He was also named Second Team All-Pro in 1973 and 1978. Over the course of his ten-year professional career, he scored 15,948 points in 658 games, averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. His uniform number from the Jazz was retired by the franchise in 1985. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, and was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.(Newsmakers)Maravich’s big numbers made little difference in the win column. Nobody ever suggested that he made less than a full effort, and he definitely made prime entertainment, but it seemed he was concerned with Pete first and the team second. Throughout all these years in the NBA, Maravich dealt with criticism. Many thought he was a loser and questioned why he could not win a championship and how he got named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players List. Throughout time, coaching and coaching techniques have changed "“Years ago the coaching world was offensively oriented,” said former Marquette coach Al McGuire, “Teams played defense by holding the ball on offense because there was no shot clock.”(Sports Illustrated p.78) Although Maravich was tormented, no m...
