Billy Cunningham

Billy Cunningham
(Born 1943)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1986

Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini
Hall of Fame

Position: SF/PF
Height: 6’7″

Billy Cunningham, the “Kangaroo Kid,” was a great leaper, scorer, and rebounder. Billy was a tough competitor who achieved success on all levels of basketball. He led his high school team, Erasmus Hall, to the New York City Championship in 1961.

In college, Cunningham played for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith. He was a two-time All-American at North Carolina and was subsequently selected in the first round of the 1965 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Billy was the 6th man on the Philadelphia 76ers championship team in 1967, one of the best teams to ever play the game.

Awards and Honors

Cunningham was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team after the 1965-66 season.
Billy teamed with Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Chet Walker to help the Philadelphia 76ers win the 1967 NBA Championship. Some consider the 1967 team to be the best team ever.
Cunningham was a four-time NBA All-Star, competing in the game each year from 1969-1972. In 1973, Billy was again selected as an All-Star, this time for the Carolina Cougars of the ABA.
Billy was All-NBA First Team three times, All-NBA Second Team once, and All-ABA First Team once.
Cunningham was selected the ABA Most Valuable Player in 1972-73 while playing for the Carolina Cougars.

Points of Interest

Cunningham played seven years for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA, then left for two years to play for the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. He finished his career by playing his final two years back in Philadelphia.
Billy ended his NBA and ABA career with averages of 21.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
Cunningham coached in the NBA for eight years for the Philadelphia 76ers after his playing career ended. He led the 76ers to three Eastern Conference Championships and the 1982-83 NBA Championship. That championship team was led by Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Cunningham finished his coaching career with a regular season winning percentage of .698, behind only Phil Jackson’s winning percentage of .705.
Billy was selected as one of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
After his career ended, Cunningham worked as an NBA television broadcaster and also became a part-owner of the Miami Heat.

Statistics

Billy Cunningham Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com

Personal Autograph Interaction

At the 2024 Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend, Joshua and I were able to get Billy Cunningham to sign our cards before the Enshrinement ceremony began. I never saw Mr. Cunningham play, but apparently it is very tough to get his autograph these days so I was happy to add this to my collection.

Thank you, Billy!

In-Person Autograph Photo

Billy Cunningham - Hall of Fame Basketball Player

Billy Cunningham signed my 1972-73 Topps card.