Born on April 27, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan, George Gervin is a retired professional basketball player who is known to be one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history.

As a child, Gervin always had a knack for basketball and first started playing with a neighbourhood friend, Ralph Simpson, who then went on to play with the Michigan State. While attending Martin Luther King High School, Gervin tried out for the school’s basketball team but did not make the cut. Befriending the school’s janitor, Gervin took up the duty of cleaning the gym floor in return for after-school practices in order to improve his shots.

His love and dedication for the game brought huge improvements in Gervin’s basketball career but his academic career suffered greatly. In order to pull himself up to the level of his classmates, Gervin had to attend summer school and miss half of his games during junior year. His final year at Martin Luther King, however, brought stability into his life and Gervin led his school team into the state quarterfinals with an average of 31 points and 20 rebounds.

Upon graduating from high school, George Gervin accepted a scholarship from Long Beach State but the contrasting culture compelled him to return home without even completing a semester. Gervin then enrolled in Eastern Michigan University, where he averaged 29.5 points as a sophomore.

Gervin’s baskbetball career, once again, got off track when he hit a player from Roanoke College out of frustration during a game. This action brought disastrous consequences to Gervin’s otherwise clean record. He was, first, suspended for the following season and then kicked off the Eastern Michigan team altogether. Along with the dismissal, Gervin was not allowed to audition for the Olympic and Pan-American teams either.

As a last resort, the struggling player returned to Eastern Basketball Association and was then able to earn himself a spot in one of the minor-leagues. During one of his games with the Pontiac Chapparals, Gervin received a breakthrough when a scout

30 Black Facts for 1952