* Legends Profile: George Gervin
The San Antonio Spurs have a legacy of great post players that includes Artis Gilmore, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. But for a long time, the player most associated with the franchise was a wiry, high-scoring swingman: George Gervin.
On Dec. 5, 1987, the Spurs retired Gervin’s No. 44 jersey before a raucous home crowd. After four seasons in the ABA, Gervin helped lead the Spurs into the NBA in 1976. Over the next 10 seasons, Gervin dominated the league with averages of 26.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
He became the first guard ever to win three titles in a row and played in 12 straight All-Star Games, including nine in the NBA. He averaged at least 21 points in each of those dozen years and in his nine NBA seasons with the Spurs, the team won five division titles. He won an All-Star Game MVP Award and twice placed second in voting for the NBA MVP award.
Gervin, nicknamed “The Iceman”, retired in 1986 as a five-time All-NBA First Team member having scored 20,708 total NBA points and a combined ABA/NBA total of 26,595.
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