Billy Cunningham

William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. 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.

One of basketball's all-time greats, 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. He 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. 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. As a professional he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, an NBA All-Star, All-NBA First and Second Team, an ABA All-Star, All-ABA First Team, and the ABA Most Valuable Player. He was an NBA champion both as a player (1967) and as a coach (1983).

Billy Cunningham was born in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York on June 3, 1943, the son of a fireman, John Cunningham. John had served in World War II and ultimately became the Assistant Chief of New York City. His fame began while he was playing at St. Rose of Lima and later Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, where he was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Brooklyn League in 1961. He led an undefeated Erasmus to the New York City Championship in 1961. That year, he was the first-team All-New York City, and a member of the Parade Magazine All-America Team.

Frank McGuire was coach at the University of North Carolina in 1960–1961, and his sister was the Cunninghams' neighbor. McGuire had been recruiting New York high schoolers, and Cunningham's parents wanted him to attend North Carolina, which he did. McGuire, however, took a head coaching job with the Philadelphia Warriors, and when Cunningham started his varsity career in 1962, Dean Smith was his coach. Smith would go on to coach North Carolina for 36 years, win 879 games and two NCAA championships. Cunningham was Smith's first true star player. In 1965, he came to Smith's defense when angry fans hanged Smith in effigy, tearing down the dummy from the tree.

Cunningham excelled at North Carolina. 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). He averaged double-doubles from 1962 to 1965, an NCAA record. Upon graduation, his 1,062 rebounds were the best in North Carolina history (now fourth highest), and he held single-season records for most rebounds (379 in 1964; now eighth) and rebound average (16.1 in 1963, now second). His number 32 jersey is honored at the Dean E. Smith Center.

The 76ers took Cunningham with the seventh overall pick in the 1965 NBA draft. He was drafted sight unseen on the recommendation of Frank McGuire. In 1965, Cunningham joined the Philadelphia 76ers and settled into the role of sixth-man in his rookie year. He played 80 games, primarily as a sixth man, while averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. At the conclusion of the season he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, along with future Hall of Famer Rick Barry, Fred Hetzel, Tom Van Arsdale and Dick Van Arsdale.

Cunningham was a member of the powerful 1967 Sixers championship team, which also featured Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson, and is considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history. In Game 2 of the 1967 NBA Finals, Cunningham scored 28 points during a 126–95 win over the San Francisco Warriors. He averaged 19.7 points per game and 25 minutes played per game in the finals.

After Chamberlain left the team in 1968, Cunningham became the 76ers' franchise player. Luke Jackson replaced Chamberlain at center for the 1968–1969 season (until a devastating injury sidelined him in December). Cunningham was made the starting power forward of the team. He 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.