NBA Special Report: The rise and fall of a Forgotten star- John Edward Drew
A legend of basketball,
A superb player,
A man of passion,
A man of many talents,
A man of confidence,
Yes, he is none other than John Drew. Standing 6'6, John Edward Drew is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA. Drew was a two-time NBA All-Star.
His National Basketball Association (NBA) career started with his selection by the Atlanta Hawks with the seventh pick of the 1974 NBA Draft. Drew quickly made an impact with the club, averaging 18.5 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, and leading the
NBA in offensive rebounding during his rookie season.
Drew played three seasons with the Utah Jazz, retiring with 15,291 career points.
Many remember Drew's slick ball-handling skills. We remember that the way Drew would grab a rebound, hide it behind his back, and mesmerize everyone from the officials to the cheerleaders with his dexterity.
Drew played during a time when dunking was outlawed, but everyone remembers how he could soar and drop the ball gently into the bucket.
Drew still holds three of the most coveted records in Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) history -- single-season scoring (44.0 points per game in 1971-72), career scoring (41.0 points per game, from 1968-72) and single-season rebounding (764
rebounds in 1971-72). He once scored 77 points in a game. Isn’t it remarkable achievement?
Many of the great basketball players seemed been greatly inspired by Drew. The 83-year-old Averett said, "I believe he would have gone farther than Charles Barkley," "John Drew had the capabilities of being a player like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
He had that kind of talent. It just wasn't no telling how far he could have gone."
A retired American basketball player Steve Smith said, "People came to see Shields play, they didn't come to see no black boys," "They came to see John. He was just that amazing. ... John was something like Tiger Woods. No one had ever heard of anything
like that, seen anything like that in this area.”
To put vast discussion into simple words we might not be wrong to say that he was a natural talent. He was someone called as “God Gifted.” He did not go to school to practice to be good. He did not go to them camps to practice to be good. He had a natural
talent for basketball. Simply, he had an awesome gift for basketball.
By going through the never-ending and evergreen basketball career of Drew, it seemed that he is the blessed one but we cannot forget the fact that, today, Drew has been largely forgotten by the basketball world. Isn’t it sad?
When the conversation turns to the best basketball players in state history, Drew is been rarely mentioned alongside the legends of basketball like, Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, or Robert Horry.
Never had Drew been nominated into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame; perhaps it is because of the fact that his basketball career ended in disappointment after he was banned from the NBA in the mid-1980 because of his addiction to cocaine. In this way, the
drug addiction actually ruins an outstanding NBA career of the great player.
Drew being 55, now lives in Houston and drives a cab. He remains reluctant to talk about his past. In multiple phone calls, Drew declined interviews and repeatedly asked for a call back later. "It's never a good time," he said.
By going through Drew’s fantastic basketball career and achievement, is the reason of drug addiction is quite enough to deem the memories of a great basketball legend?
Just think about it!
Now it is the time to pay tribute to the great ex-basketball player….
Dear Drew,
You are fantastic, dynamite, unique, precious, spectacular, a treasure, a real trooper, phenomenal and so on.
Two Thumbs Up!
HURRAY FOR YOU!
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