George Gervin on Kareem Being the Greatest of All Time and Playing Dr. J and Michael Jordan
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- čas přidán 18. 09. 2017
- NBA legend George "The Ice Man" Gervin sits down with Bill Simmons to tell tales of his ABA and NBA career. He talks about the merger, playing one-on-one with Dr. J every day after practice, who would join him on his all-time starting five, and what he thinks of the league today.
- Sport
This is what an OG look and sound like.
George Gervin , a basketball Hall of Famer, a legend, and one of the best scores of all time
George Gervin is cool as hell. Straight from the 70s.
It often seems like people think of Gervin as being "from the 70s" for some reason people don't seem to realize he was still a very big star in the NBA all through the early 80s. The rhetoric is that he was "washed up" by the time he played for Chicago, but there was one game in 1985-86 against the Mavericks that Gervin scored 50 with Jordan watching from the bench.
he was friends with marvin gaye bro!
cool as....ice?
@@pointchamberlain4782 True. My friends from Detroit I know told that the locals hold their athletes and artists in the highest regard. They those celebrities tend to be very gracious and respectful.
@@seanswinton6242 athletes and artists work on their craft the most, they know the values of hard work and dedication, celebrities like actors and models just recite lines and just look good, and very few are dedicated to their roles like heath ledger or christian bale. i never understood why actors are so admired by the public. its the athletes and artists that deserve the most praise imo
The Iceman is a national treasure. Great interview.
This is the first extended interview with George Gervin I've heard. What a damn delight this man is to listen to . . .
Andrew Pereira
Indigo PaPa Charlie Rose out of Tokyo.
Love.
Over.
No Copy.
lol.
LOL.
She blossomed quite well.
LOL.
Over.
Love.
The knowledge this man is imparting is really good.
But he never won a championship.Ever.Anywhere.
1994g0 i hate that argument. like dude i bet youve never even been employee of the month at walmart or whatever bum ass job youre working right now
When George joined the Squires in the early 70's, he and Doc had a moniker, "Erving and Gervin, the Doctor and the Surgeon"! Went to EMU with George in 1970-71, he was cool and we always joked about his high school, Detroit King, beating my high school, Detroit Central, in the semi-finals of the city championship! A great ambassador for all basketball! What up George? lol
His pro coach Doug Moe is who my College Coach's Dad is. My College Coach was David Moe from 02-06
This interview is so good. Gervin has such a high IQ. Definition of an OG.
High IQ?Then why does he mumble so much and say the word "man" all the time.
1994g0 Speech is not a measure of intelligence
@@1994g0 Because you don’t like it. Many of us who grew up in the 60’s and the 70’s talk this way. Also, people that grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, where our hippies came from.
@@thinktwice8860 Gervin had such a great academic background.Did lousy in the classroom at every school he attended.And believe me they were third rate schools (Detroit Eastern high School, Long Beach State University, Eastern Michigan U.)Was eventually run out of the NBA because of cocaine problems.George was a great offensive player and deserves his NBA Hall of Fame berth.But , like a lot of NBA players, George Gervin was a dumb ass with terrible verbal problems.
@@1994g0 You do know that there is a pretty big difference in classroom success and intelligence? Environment, motivation, and learning how to study and to take tests are important.
I was a “C” student most of the way through Elementary, Jr High, and High Schools. I had the occasional “A”, mostly B’s and C’s, with the occasional “F”.
I began college the same way. They even placed me on academic probation for my 3rd qtr. Then I quit, began working 40-65 hrs a week. After a few years of that, I went back to school and kept working. It meant more to me then.
I made mostly A’s with the occasional “B”. I took psychology, and learned how to study, and my grades got even better. I graduated Cum Loude. I’m not a brainiac, but I am intelligent.
If I had George’s talent, I wouldn’t have ever gone back to school to impress anyone, when I was a star, and was doing well in life. And there are plenty of people who use(d) drugs that have/had high IQ’s.
The way you can tell Gervin’s intelligence is in the detail that he gives in how he went about playing, and the qualities that he gleaned from others. Sorry for the book, but I had to give my opinion on intelligence.
i loved watching David Thompson and George Gervin play back then!
My ALL NBA team: George Gervin, David Thompson, Dominique Wilkins, Artis Gilmore and Moses Malone!
@@schumi9xwdc nice team! I also remember liking Nate Tiny Archibald (before winning a championship with the Celtics), George McGinnis, Gus Williams, and DJ (Dennis Johnson) back with the Supersonics
I am one lucky guy, to be from San Antonio, and having watched Gervin in the ABA and NBA and have run into him many times. The nickname Ice just fits his personality like a glove. This is probably the best interview with Ice that I have seen.
I grew up
Watching the Ice Man. I miss him his style his swag you will never see again. The Ice Man is right. AAU is not teaching the kids. Its all about wins. I appreciate you Ice. May God continue to bless and keep you.
Magic was playing with the Pros at 14 years old..... incredible talent that made everyone around him better...
Find "smooth" in the dictionary and George Gervin's picture is the definition.
In the ABA there was Erving & Gervin. Two scoring machines. And if you switch the 'G' from front to back or back to front, you get both their names.
I love how Ice talks about the game, with such reverence, and a "WE" mentality. How crazy is that to think that he really relied on his teammates to get the job done. We get so caught up in best players, but he really all these guys talk about how great everyone else was.
Agree! Everyone around me says I'm showing my age by using the word "cool" a lot, but George Gervin is just cool. So laid back. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) is my all time favourite NBA player. I read about him in a book of sports greats my older brother had. It was my Brother-in-law Mike who introduced me to the ABA. As I watched this, The Iceman reminded me so much of Mike. My big brother is just like him as well. Mike was from Cincinnati and knew a number of sports legends. Bengals players and Reds players knew him because he worked at Riverfront complex, both the stadium and the coliseum. I was all totally in to the Reds, who I met and once traveled with. He also told me about the Cincinnati Royals with Oscar Robinson who I remembered playing with Kareem. That's how I learned about George Gervin. My ABA Top 5 are George Gervin, Oscar Robinson, Julius Erving, David Thompson and Darryl Dawkins. Honorable Mentions are Artis Gilmore, George McGinnis, and of course Moses "Fo, Fo, Fo" Malone!
George Gervin FIRST hand made the San Antonio Spurs. #Spurs #Legend #Icon
That Lineup tho...
In their prime
PG. Magic
SG. Iceman
SF. Dr. J
PF. Moses
C. Kareem
That 5 is Unbeatable.
pRoFeSsA KlUmP nah Kyrie, Kobe, Durant, KG and Hakeem easily beat that team
Ai Kobe lebron Duncan Hakeem
@@matthewruto Hmmm no. Prime Moses. Prime Kareem. Prime Doc attacking the rim. Garvin being ICE with Magic dishing...i go with them!!!
@@scottdavidson7001 i agree with you. An ABA Moses,Ice, and Doc. Along with Magic at point and young Alcindor. Tough match but wins.
@M M apparently you were not born yet. You are basing everything because these are recent stars. If Moses, Doc, Ice, Magic and Kareem had the luxury of training like today they still win. These players overall win win but not easily. Especially Moses ans Lew Alcindor. Doc would do housecalls all night long. Magic is the man who knows how to get the ball to them. Iceman would score 30 on a bad night. Ph, and David Skywalker Thompson as the 6th man.
One of the greatest scorers of all time. And fingerolls. Bad Man.
Superb interview. Thank you. Younger folks may not know how formidable the Iceman was.
1. Jabbar at 38 won finals MVP against arguably best hof front line ever. 2. Jabbar has more assist than Jordan. 3. Jabbar only player in conversation as greatest HS player ever, greatest college player ever, AND greatest NBA player ever. No one but jabbar can say in conversation for HS/college/nba. - only jabbar!
jane john yes, he has more points and assists than Jordan. He also played how many more seasons than Jordan? Jordan stats says he played 14 seasons, but he missed most of his second season. He only played in 14 games in his return after the first retirement . Kareem is an all time great and legend, but he’s not even better than, Wilt. Gervin also has something personal against, Jordan. I’ve listened to a few of his interviews and he seems to have an axe to grind.
Imagine winning and being the best at every single level
so far yes but lebron only didn't win in high school one year n at that he went to the championship game n lebron didn't need college so far he is transcending the game at his peak he is the greatest athlete but can argue with bill Kareem might be the best winner of all time
Galvatron Wtf does it matter if the conversation started off as HE WON FINALS MVP AT 38 AGAINST WHO AGAIN? JORDAN WAS 38 IN 2001 AN SYMPATHETICALLY VOTED A ALL-STAR HE DIDN'T DESERVE IT. I always smh when idiots try to take Kareem's goat title, Jordan will always be 2nd to him. Kareem dominated very tough teams where as Jordan dominated an EXPANSION TEAM ERA.. Everyone knew Stockton/Malone, Ewing's Knicks, or the hot for a minute Orlando magic wasn't beating Michael an Scottie. Y'all need to go watch them old Bulls games because Scottie doesn't get enough credit. Another funny thing if LeBron James retired today most people would put him ahead of Jordan at number 2. Just because he can simply an pretty much easily do more. KAREEM THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER EVEEEER!!
jane john preach.
Players from that era are seriously under rated
Your are quite right
The 'Ice Man' Is The Reason I Became A Spurs Fan...A Real OG
Me too
We will never see a scorer like him again..the "ICEMAN"...was pure basketball poetry!
Not many people can get George to totally relax for this long, I think Bill Simmons was great in this interview!!!
Doc operated. Priceless.
Very cool dude. Humble and cocky at the same time!
I guess I missed the humble part.
ICE IS THE COOLEST BALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME!!
umac76 are you listening? did you not read the title? did you not hear how he talked abou him and Dr J? he's giving It up to other players to!
Cool as ice!
Ice is cool just sitting there interviewing🧊
We all knew who The Doctor was... Doc operated.
The Doctor does not get his credit because of the aba
❤ dr.j his airwalk moves towards the basket 🧺, ❤ dr.j bank shot, etc etc
My fave part of the interview
Bro that shit stuck in my mind like glue too
@@charleswilliams4088 I give him credit.
Just LOVE THE ICEMAN'S LAUGH!
I was at my Youth league basketball game when Thompson got 73. Kid came running through the gym yelling. Skywalker's peak popularity.
This is AWESOME! Gervin has a wonderful personality
Oh yeah. One of the best bball discussions I have ever heard. He's right about the ABA. I saw a few games on tv, hard to do. Then I got tickets to a Nets game. It blew my mind. It was Nets Nuggets night, and Doc and David T. put on a show. I was at another Nets game, and a fight broke out. I looked over and there was J sitting on the sideline floor calmly watching like an anthropologist. That's how I see J in my memory, that and that first night J literally exploding out of a crowd of big men beneath the basket to grab a rebound one-handed a foot or two above the rim and slamming it home. I tell you, I love those memories.
Thanks for uploading this.Growing up I mostly loved defensive minded players, but Gervin was the only offensive player i loved, because he just made scoring look so easy and effortlessly.And it appeared that he never sweat!
Iceman = CLASS
I had that poster on my bedroom wall for a lot of years! Great interview! “If there’s one thing I could do, was finge roll”!
Me, too.
FANGAROLL.
The Iceman...
My favorite NBA player of ALL TIME!
Along with The Big O and The Pearl!!!
Basil Shahid three of my favourites too
Mine, too.
This is simply one of the best interviews I have ever seen.
The ICE MAN was a very special player.. Super exciting to watch...
My favorite player ever an yes i have his autograph. George Garvin one of best guy i ever meet. Mr. Smooth
Big ups to all role models who inspire generations! Thanks for your wisdom Mr. Gervin
“We all knew who the doctor was…” that’s some powerful shit right there lol
Classic poster.
I definitely had 1 on my wall.
The posters from the 70-80's were classic!! Bobby Jones/Secretary of Defense, Moses Malone, Dr. J, Darrell Griffith/Dr. Dunkenstein, Gus Williams/The Wizard, Lloyd Free/World B. Free... etc. Great era!!
The iceman was one incredible player and seems like a real class act even today!
I love the story about Doc playing a young iceman one on one and ice finding out who he was through getting that ass beat...There are so many valuable lessons one can learn in playing against someone better than you especially a legend he will bring out the best in you and this is what I keep telling these young guys about Scottie Pippin and Jordan... Jordan used to make Pippin guard him everyday at practice and Pippin would build confidence and become great in his own right through those lessons if it wasn't for Jordan their would've never been a Pippin at the level he was.
The true sign of a legend, imparting some of their greatness to others
In another interview Ice said he took the finger roll from Doc. Doc also took Barkley under his wing also...
I saw Mr Gervin in San Antonio Spurs game with Doctor J's Sixers as a young airman in 79. As I recall they beat the Sixers and I was amazed how great of a player he was.
Never forget: 6'8" Connie Hawkins.
Smooth, high gliding power forward!!.
I love Ice, but this young dude can't keep up. But much respect to him for interviewing the legend. 👊🏿
He was so ahead of his Time! People thought he traveled often lol! He was amazing! One thing he could do was finga roll!
George didn't go to the University of Detroit. He went to Eastern Michigan, in Ypsilanti MI.
He went to Eastern High in Detroit also. Eastern High is now closed and is now Martin Luther King High. IceMan is Detroit born and raised. EAST SIDE ICE BABY!❤♥️
Truly one of the greatest scorers and shooters of all time and i'll be the first to admit I sometimes forget how great he was. His efficiency from the field (50%) .and free throw line (84%) is just superb.
Brilliant! Brings back a lot of memories for me back in the ABA days.
That was a great trip down memory lane. I hadn't heard Terry Furlow mentioned since I was a kid
I'm from Pontiac , Mich where George was on the Chapparals scoring 140-150 pts as a team. Another CBA legend that played on that team was Justice Thigpen scoring in the 30's also
Terry Furlow was friends with Campy Russell and held summer camps in Pontiac & Flint with each other. Watched Fur-dog drop 38 on the Univ of Michigan team in the old barn @ Mich State vs his high school teammate Wayman Britt. That U-M team went to the NCAA finals.
Dr. J was the "Doctor" in Virgina. He was already a legend when he came to New York. In fact, he may have been at his best in Virgina. That's where he got his name.
@Nester123057 ...Julius Winfield Erving II was called "Dr. J" before he went to Virginia.
I've seen em all in the last 50 years,there is no guard who was as good as Gervin at putting the ball in the basket. A one of a kind player.
His offensive versatility is UNSURPASSED.
Saw him play in person several times, Ice could rack up 30 pts in three quarters and never break a sweat! His scoring was so effortless that you left the game saying “ how did he just drop in 40, I must have missed something?”
Most underrated player of all time.
George is a great story teller, great sense of humor. Most fun interview ever.
Ice still smooth as a MoFo.
Great interview. The Ice Man! I'm definitely showing this to my grandson. I've told him, how important the fundamentals of the game are. He doesn't want to listen. Thanks for this interview. George was the man, when I was younger.
7:57 "Wha what happened... I mean who would win"
"..Well Doc operated"
😂🤣🤣 Cold Az Ice. No pun intended
I love how he said it twice for Bill. Great interview
I saw Ice play against the Lakers in the playoffs one year when they called the Spurs front line the "Bruise Brothers". I'll tell you this, nothing more beautiful than watching Gervin laying up those finger rolls in pre game lay up drills.
Iceman was so smooth!
MAN PREACH GEORGE!!!! From the D and watched him play rec ball at the VISITATION in Detroit. Silky SMOOTH, 6"9, WITH a handle and a ICE cold jumper, and FINGER ROLL ...... Would light yo ass UP ........ From ANYWHERE on the COURT ...... NEVER SMILED ...... COLD AS "ICE" ....... hence his name 🥶🥶🥶
Simmons didn't want to here that Mamba praise from the Iceman. 😂
He been a kobe hater for ever
Love these guys from back in the day. I still don't think they get their proper respect from the media. People who really know the game understand how good these guys were. Especially the Ice Man. This cat was simply amazing.
Yes sir I watched the whole 70s decade tremendous...
As someone who is currently 45 in 2024, I have a perspective on this:
When I was growing up, guys whose careers ended by the end of the 70s/early 80s... they were ALWAYS around the game, always celebrated, doing NBA commercials... NBA cares, NBA is fannnn-tastic, Inside Stuff, etc. They always showed the old games (plus I'm a historian, as were a lot of my peers... these guys were mythical to us). I only got to watch Gervin play a handful of times in SA and the few times he turned back the clock that last year in Chicago, so I missed his prime. But he was around. Bob Lanier was around. The list goes on.
The NBA today doesn't even celebrate the guys who are my age who entered the league in the late 90s/early 2000s that way. These young cats don't have any appreciation for anything that is outside of their immediacy. It's not fully their fault. They aren't exposed to it, and the NBA itself is so protective of their media rights that they refuse to show games from this period.
And then the elephant in the room: two-thirds of those games weren't even televised/properly preserved.
Outta sight, outta mind.
But to those who witnessed these guys in their prime, and those of us a few years younger who caught the tail end of their careers, but had full appreciation for what they did before us, they get their due.
The dopest poster in all of my years...the Converse Iceman poster.
The moment he said kobe I naturally smiled .. lol 😂
My first professional game I went to Nets Squires February 1973 Dr.J scored 58 points and when I was asked what was the highlight of the game I told everyone George Gervin the Iceman
Most underrated EVER
Man The Ice Man spit so much game and knowledge!
ICE MAN WAS MY FAV PLAYER OF ALL TIME....ONE THING HE COULD SO WAS FANGER ROLL
Love it, I was waiting for him to pick up the bass and start playing!
Don't know either. Came here for comments on Karem Abdul Jabar the personality at 74. Wot a g8t interview 👏
Best extended basketball interview ever!
thanks so much for these old grantland videos!
i thought these were lost
I grew up with the aba then only. 4. Teams went to the. Nba when. The spurs played on sunday he was asked when are you in range ice says AS SOON AS I WALK OUT THE LOCKER ROOM. i met ice in Canada at a golf outing what a cool and down to earth dude. I has that poster i loved. The ice man
It seems appropriate that he's surrounded by jazz instruments. Artful and intelligent
Love the Iceman. Great interview, wonderful history here.
The Iceman is awesome and Bill Simmons you do one fantastic job interview
"OH, it's a jellyroll now. Ain't no more finger roll!" Classic!!
Great interview!
Bill looks like a little kid on Christmas morning and I don't blame him. The Ice, of whom I knew very little until I watched this interview is one special kind of guy.
Thanks Bill.
It's insane to think what the Virginia Squires could have been in 1972-73 if Charlie Scott had stayed. Julius, Charlie and the Ice Man all on the same team. And I like to think of what could have been had Rick Barry stayed with the organization. Too much to even comprehend.
I was disappointed that Bill Simmons didn't know more about the ABA history of Dr. J and Gervin. At 7:07 Simmons says "Doc's there. Doc's not quite Doc yet".
Really? Julius Erving had arguably his greatest season as a pro in 1972-73. He averaged 31.9 points, 12.2 Rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals. Trust me Simmons, Doc was Doc on the Squires ... and it was precisely because he was that the ABA wanted to get him to New York.
I remember the ABA, then George’s transition into the NBA.... special , unique skill set, long and thin, tough, good hops and could do unique positions that enabled him to create moves and he’d finish fantastic. One of top 8 players of all time.
Most great players have good or great hops, only Larry Bird, John Havilach, and Rick Barry were avg athletes, who were also great.
I’m so Jealous of you. I wish there was more footage of the past greats . The skill of finger rolls and the touch players had. And their unique jump shots
The ICE MAN was almost as big a hero in the hood as Dr. J was back in the day, and that's really saying something. Gervin drops 63 in 33 mins on the last game of the season to "Ice" the scoring title including a whopping 53 in the first half. This was before the 3 pt shot guys, yeah it's like that...
What a great player and great ambassador to the game
Great interview
Great interview.
Lo e the Iceman, use to goto alot of the Spurs games as a little kid in the late 70s, Iceman was my hero, I was so happy filled with joy and pride of the Spurs and the Iceman after victories, seeing the Iceman perform and make incredible shots and finger rolls, the hemisphere arena was so loud that I couldn't hear myself yelling and I seemed like everyone next to me was just moving their mouths, that arena was too loud🤣😂😜😀. If the Spurs lost, especially to the Rockets or the Celtics or the Lakers, I would cry😥😥😥. The Iceman is the one player that made me love basketball, thank you Iceman. And yes you still inspire San Antonio and the community🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀💙🏀
Great interview 👍🏿 The iceman 🥶🥶🥶 One of the greatest scores of all time.
Hands down it would be Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain,
Quentin you are right but Wilton Norman Chamberlain preferred to be called the Big Dipper
Wilt "The Coach Killer" Chamberlain
George Gervin should be the MVP in the 1978-79 season. His best season and they only wanted to give it to centers but he was definitely MVP that year. The next year Julius Erving was clearly MVP same problem, so Erving got it the following year breaking the long time streak of only giving it to centers.
In the 80's we lived around the corner from the Gervins (great family)I played ball with his son G
Man this guy was smooth. A true basketball fan knows how great George Gervin was. One of the best scorers ever. Young players should study his game.
I love this interview
Love this. Guys I grew up with. ABA greats..so cool. Swagger. Drunks. Issel, Erving, Gilmore, Scott,
The Legends Live on !
I love how the old school players talk with respect and admiration
Incredible how a legend emphasizes FUNDAMENTALS and RIGHT FOOTWORK.
Amazing interview! Iceman was the best. His all star would beat any team from any area
I followed Ice since he was 19 playing for the Virginia Squires and I got to meet him during his career and I was at the Hall of Fame when he was inducted 1996 and I look like James Silas
Childhood facts: Everyone wanted to be the Dr. because he was the 1st NBA star and a superstar. Jabbar was unstoppable once he caught the ball in the post.
Yep. Jabbar also was DUNKED on several times by the DOCTOR ..... JULIUS would DUNK on ANYONE. 😉
I just LOVE this stuff. Going for 52 in the second half, traumatizing some young player talk smack. What a cool guy Ice is
Its disrespect for him to say Doc wasnt Doc yet after reading his book Doc was a legend long before his aba or nba career. His games in the Rucker alone made him a young legend