Spurs throwback video shows George Gervin, ‘Pistol' Pete Maravich in 'horse' contest

(AP Photo)

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs legend George “Iceman” Gervin turns 65 years old today, and a video surfaced on Facebook this week that shows Gervin taking part in a game of "horse" with fellow NBA legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

The video was uploaded onto YouTube in November 2008. The shooting contest took place in 1978 at the OMNI International Complex in Atlanta and was shown to a national TV audience on CBS.

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Gervin was the league scoring champion that year, and went up against Maravich who was known for his array of shots and crafty abilities.

The two were in the semifinals of the horse contest which paid the winner $15,000. 

The match came down to the wire with Maravich beating Gervin on a final shot. 

In 2014, the New Orleans Times-Picayune published an article on the event as it reflected on the life of Maravich, who died in 1988. It featured a quote from Gervin that read: 

”I told Pete,'C'mon man, you can’t be shooting those kind of shots, that ain’t no basketball,'" Gervin recalled to the Times-Picayune. "He said, 'Well, Ice, you gotta do it.' He sat on the floor and banked in a shot. I said, 'C'mon on Pete. What are you doing?'" 

Hopefully the “Iceman” has gotten over the loss as he celebrates his birthday.


About the Author:

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.