"They were trying to knock him down when he did something flamboyant" - Pat Riley explains why Pistol Pete's flamboyance made other players hate him

pete-maravich

Pete Maravich is one of basketball’s greatest-ever players for his NBA career and what he did at LSU in college. He was the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history until Caitlin Clark passed his record in 2024.

Alongside his gaudy scoring stats, Pistol Pete was known for making highlight plays almost every game. He always found a way to make the game more thrilling through creative dribbling or absurd passes. Unfortunately for Maravich, that became a reason why other players disliked him.

“There were 250 players in the league that he was going to compete against, they were trying to knock him down he put the ball in between his legs or did something flamboyant,” the former player and coach Pat Riley said on ESPN SportsCentury.

Players disliked playing with and against Pistol Pete

Whenever Maravich was on the floor, he would make magnificent plays. He had a wide array of moves, including effective dribble combos that were way ahead of his time, and he was creative with his passes.

Unfortunately, Pete played in an era when people did not take flashy plays too kindly. It was a different time because most players stayed with the fundamentals, which made them dislike how Maravich played the game. It was away from the norm, which apparently irritated them.

Some of his teammates even expressed frustration with playing with Pete, as it made them feel inadequate that the superstar guard was carrying them every game. Former LSU player Ralph Jukkola once spoke about sharing the court with Pistol.

“Press came out one year and said that Pete’s going to have to shoot 40 times for us to win,” Jukkola said in an interview with Sportscasting. “That was kind of a downer for us to hear. I think it may have burned some bridges. I didn’t like it. It was almost like telling us we ain’t worth a darn.”

Pistol Pete fits the modern era

Riley made a good point saying players around the NBA would dislike playing against Pete because it was far from the accepted fundamental playstyle. Flashy dribbling, unorthodox passes, and long-range shots were regular for “The Pistol.” He averaged 44 points per game in college playing that style, which could have been even more if there was a three-point line back in the day.

He was ahead of his time, as that playstyle would have fit perfectly in the current era. Nowadays, you can see Maravich’s influence in the game, as more people are making flashy passes and dribble moves, while the pull-up jump shots have become a basketball staple. It’s amazing to theorize how he would have been such a perfect fit playing against Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic because his skill set could have made him reach a similar level today.