YouTube Gold: How Pete Maravich Made Basketball Fun

Pete Maravich grew up in Raleigh and first came to attention at Broughton High when his father, Press, coached at NC State before moving to LSU in 1966 despite a successful record in Raleigh (38-13).

At LSU, Maravich had a freakish career, averaging 44.2 ppg in an era when there was no shot clock and no three point line.

But what set Maravich apart, as this video discusses, was the way that he played. He was an extraordinarily creative player who did things that no one did before and only a handful of players have come close to since.

When you watch this, you see what was, in essence, a prophet of basketball to come. He could make passes where no one else could see a pass and knew where everyone was at all times. And he could do it with a flair that no one had ever seen before.

What’s also intriguing is what he said in an interview after college, where he predicted that the flat, boring Iba-esque game of yore would give way to a fast, creative game with 6-8 guards and 7-5 centers.

It took a while for Victor Wembanyama to show up, but even before then, it was obvious that Maravich’s vision had won.