|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Former San Antonio Spurs player George "Iceman" |
|
Gervin is celebrating his 65th birthday on April 26, 2017, and this |
|
occasion presents a welcome opportunity to recognize not only his |
|
remarkable athletic achievements but also his stellar record of |
|
service to the Alamo City; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born in 1952, George Gervin played basketball at |
|
Eastern Michigan University, where he tallied a total of 1,044 |
|
points and 562 rebounds and gained recognition for his devastating |
|
outside jump shot and his equally adept skills in driving to the |
|
basket, artfully avoiding defenders, and successfully finishing a |
|
play with his trademark finger-roll layup; in honor of his singular |
|
accomplishments, the university retired his jersey in 1986 and |
|
inducted him into the EMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Gervin began his professional career with the |
|
Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association, and during |
|
his four-year tenure in the ABA, he established a reputation as an |
|
unstoppable offensive force on the hardwood and earned All-Star |
|
status three times; he also received the nickname "Iceman" for his |
|
extraordinarily consistent production and on-court demeanor and |
|
his clutch performances when the game was on the line; and |
|
WHEREAS, In 1974, Mr. Gervin was acquired by the San Antonio |
|
Spurs, and after the franchise joined the NBA in 1976, he helped |
|
lead the team to five division titles over nine years; moreover, he |
|
garnered All-Star honors nine consecutive times and received the |
|
Most Valuable Player Award for his outstanding performance in the |
|
1980 All-Star Game; and |
|
WHEREAS, Among the best players to ever don the silver and |
|
black of San Antonio, Mr. Gervin scored a career total of 26,595 |
|
points, and today he remains the Spurs' all-time leader in points |
|
per game and ranks among the top five in franchise history in field |
|
goals made and attempted, free throws made, rebounds, assists, |
|
steals, and blocked shots; in addition, he is one of only three |
|
players in league history to win at least four scoring titles, along |
|
with Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, and ranks in the top 50 of |
|
all-time NBA scoring leaders; the Spurs retired his number 44 |
|
jersey in December 1987, and he is one of only six San Antonio |
|
players to ever receive that honor; and |
|
WHEREAS, Since his retirement, Mr. Gervin has been accorded a |
|
host of other prestigious accolades; in 1996, he became the first |
|
Spurs player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball |
|
Hall of Fame, and he was also one of the inaugural inductees of the |
|
San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame and was selected for inclusion in |
|
the Texas Sports Hall of Fame; moreover, he has been named one of |
|
the 50 greatest players in league history by the NBA, earning his |
|
rightful place in a pantheon of basketball legends whose exploits |
|
have helped shape the game they love; and |
|
WHEREAS, Today, Mr. Gervin serves as a community relations |
|
representative with the Spurs, a role in which he devotes |
|
considerable time and energy to speaking at schools, banquets, and |
|
charities, coaching at basketball clinics, and lending his |
|
respected voice to a number of valuable public service |
|
announcements; outside the organization, he has further benefited |
|
the city as the founder of the George Gervin Youth Center, an |
|
institution dedicated to helping educate local kids, assisting |
|
senior citizens with finding quality affordable housing, and |
|
providing young adults with the necessary resources to become |
|
productive members of the community; and |
|
WHEREAS, George Gervin built one of the most storied careers |
|
in Spurs franchise history and has continued to give back to the |
|
local community ever since, and he is indeed deserving of special |
|
recognition; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby congratulate George "Iceman" Gervin on his 65th |
|
birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, |
|
be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for Mr. Gervin as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
House of Representatives. |
|
|
Gervin-Hawkins |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 847 was adopted by the House on March |
|
23, 2017, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|