Hustle Hall of Fame Inductee: George Gervin

If you’ve been keeping up with the Hustle Hall of Fame over the last few weeks, you are aware of what’s happening. Fan voting has decided the first of two entrants for each MAC member to craft an inaugural Class of 2017 for the Hustle Hall of Fame. Next up to be inducted to the Hustle Hall of Fame is former member of the Eastern Michigan Eagles, George Gervin!

There’s legends and then there’s LEGENDS. The Iceman, George Gervin is definitely in the second category. It didn’t seem like it would be that way after his short stay in Ypsilanti, where he would be removed from the team after an altercation in a national semifinal. That season saw him average 29.5 points per game, but it looked like that one decision may cost him a basketball career.

His pro career began in earnest, with stints at fledgling teams like the Pontiac (MI) Chaparrals and the Virginia Squires. It was the 1974 trade to the ABA’s San Antonio Spurs that would be the opening line in an amazing sonnet of an NBA career. The ABA and NBA merged and Gervin became an absolute star.

Gervin landed on the NBA All-Star team 9 times, was All-NBA first team 5 times, scoring champion 4 times, and has his #44 retired by the San Antonio Spurs. He was also on both the ABA and NBA All-Time teams. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. He had a career average of 25.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Simply put, Gervin is an absolute legend for the game of basketball. If you’ve never seen him do a finger roll then I feel sorry for you.

His time at Eastern Michigan may have been short, but it was definitely impactful in more than a few ways. His ABA/NBA career was legendary. Combined, and it is a career that spans decades, generations, and history, and has landed Gervin in the Hustle Hall of Fame.

Congrats to George Gervin, the Iceman, on his induction to the Hustle Hall of Fame!