was the subject of articles in magazines such as Sports Illustrated , Slam, Bounce Reverse or, in the most prestigious American sports daily. And is that our hero came to be considered one of the greatest basketball players ever. "In Los Angeles is a legend. Raymond If you say someone who knows a bit of basketball Lewis will answer immediately. If you say Lewis, Raymond will answer, "he said in 1978 Sports Illustrated magazine Bob Hopkins, then assistant coach for the New York Knicks. Raymond Lewis forged his legend based on huge performances, but never played in the NBA, has died at age 48, alone, sick (with an amputated leg) and in absolute misery.
“Ha sido, probablemente, el mejor jugador que nunca jugó en la NBA -dijo en una ocasión Donny Daniels, compañero suyo en Verbum Dei y entrenador asistente de UCLA años después-. Era impresionante, un adelantado a su tiempo. Lo que Isaiah Thomas hacía y lo que ahora hacen Iverson o Marbury, ya lo estaba haciendo Lewis en los años 70”. Lorenzo Romar, jugador de los Golden State Warriors durante cuatro años, tuvo que defender a profesionales de la talla de World B. Free, Sidney Moncrief o Isaiah Thomas: “Pero Raymond era más difícil de parar que cualquiera de ellos. Todos los que le han visto coinciden en decir que hubiera sido un gran jugador de la NBA. Es realmente triste que nunca came to be. "
those who saw him play can not forget his talent. His ball handling was wonderful (it was impossible to have it off hand), his range of shots, unlimited, and their release to the basket, indefensible. He was also very fast, something that preyed on his frequent changes of direction, and a feline agility. It was simply a scoring machine. "I never saw anybody play against each one as he did. I never saw anybody who could stop him or stop his insights. It was the best basketball player I've ever seen, "he wrote in 2005 prestigious college coach Jerry Tarkanian in his book Runnin 'Rebel .
A scoring machine
Born September 3, 1952 in Los Angeles, his childhood was marked by serious race riots that occurred in August 1965 in the Watts district depressed in which malvivía with his family, and that left after six days of battle with 34 dead, almost all black. Then Raymond was a 12 year old boy was forever impacted by such violence unleashed by the cruelty of the police, black blood and corpses lying in the streets ... Since then, his main goal was to go as before the misery of the ghetto of Watts. Lewis, an introverted boy, took refuge more so in basketball, sports for which he showed an amazing talent. I played endless one-on-one with his older brother in a makeshift rack, built with a truck tire with ropes hanging from the wall. As happened with other major players, their desire to excel and his character was forged on the basis of defeats against older brother. When he was able to win for the first time, knew that nobody could stop him.
Upon joining the Institute, and by his skill with the ball, was already a celebrity in Watts. "No guy who has played as good as it was Raymond. When you saw him with the ball looked as if he measured nine feet and the other only two, point out years later his close friend Dwight Slaughter. Between 1969 and 1971 leads to Verbum Dei to three consecutive titles in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) and achieved an overall record of 84-4 and was named player of the year twice. is the star of his high school and high school basketball in the region, so that more than 200 universities, including some of the most prestigious in the country, offer scholarships to join their ranks. Jerry Tarkanian, then coach at Long Beach State, was one of the most effort put in to have their services: "You can pick the five best defensive players in the NBA who could not stop this guy," said then fascinated by the game. But Lewis refuses to Tarkanian and opts at last it seems that with a gift in the middle, something illegal in college basketball "by Los Angeles State, also known as Cal State or CSLA.
His arrival at college basketball meant a revolution. Already in its first year spraying all kinds of records, finishing the season with a scoring average of 38.9 points per game and 60% success rate on shots, something spectacular for a guard / forward of 1.85 meters that rarely steps the painting. Led with 41 points (19 of 23 shooting from the field) the surprising victory of his team against the powerful UCLA, who had 26 consecutive victories. But the height of his achievement as starring months later when two consecutive games is able to score 50 points against San Diego State and 73 against UC Santa Barbara. that day his team won 103-88 and Lewis signed another galaxy numbers: 30 of 40 field goals (75%) plus 13 free throws without failure. Remember that time there were no 3-point baskets.
In his second year at CSLA records drops slightly but is still showing as a scoring binge. Finished as second best scorer averaging 32.9 points competition, which added 4.9 assists per game, and stars one of the highlights of the season by signing 53 points in the victory of his team against the powerful Long Beach State for Tarkanian. The NCAA quickly outgrew it.
One mistake after another
Since his time in high school, Raymond Lewis has in mind only to reach the NBA and start making money. Therefore, the passage through the university is for him a mere formality, a necessary stop on the road before they get where really wants: professional basketball. Student mediocre and character sometimes conflicting, was very clear that seize the first opportunity that arose to make the jump to the best league in the world and the opportunity came in the summer of 1973 because of the hardship clause . Two years ago the NBA had established the so-called hardship draft an exception to the traditional draft that allowed players do not graduate with academic difficulties may be declared eligible to join the professional league. NBA franchises for alleged suspicious-conflict-of players swelled this "damn list, but Lewis was so convinced of its ability to sign up then via preferred hardship draft rather than trying to exhaust their university period and ensured a better position in the election.
Philadelphia 76ers came from an embarrassing season in which sign the worst record in NBA history (9-73), and had the first and last choice of the first round of that draft (post 1 and 18 .) His first choice was Doug Collins, All-American guard, Olympic team member and student Munich'72 copy which had been averaging 29.1 points in his three seasons at Illinois State. Raymond Lewis Surprisingly, the most pure talent of that draft of 73, was still free when he had to make Philadelphia their second choice. Unfamiliar with their true athletic potential and, above all, doubts generated by his character, make that 17 franchises obviate Lewis, who is elected by the Sixers at No. 18. No player pointed to the hardship before an election had reached as high, but that place is a huge disappointment for him. Wounded in his pride, he vowed to prove to all those franchises that were wrong.
Loner, suspicious, impulsive, visceral and only 20 years old, Raymond Lewis chained in the next few days a terrible string of errors that would mark his life forever . He had no agent (not liked this set and he trusted none), so without any sign advisory what he believed to be a guaranteed contract of $ 450,000 for three years. He soon discovered that was not the case and had only secured 50,000, 55,000 and $ 60,000 for each of his three seasons, the rest were not guaranteed bonus and amounts that depended on future conditions.
At the time, had begun the training-camp of the Sixers and Lewis literally fell out. Puts Doug Collins in the few shared spring training, leading to scoring 60 points against him ... in the first half of any such practice match! Coach Gene Shue had to suspend the game for the No. 1 draft pick did not feel more embarrassed by Lewis. Soon after, 52 points would endorse a team of reserve players and rookies of Los Angeles Lakers. Media Philadelphia, excited, realize their potential is much higher than Collins. "Raymond Lewis might be the best choice that Philadelphia has since Billy Cunningham, a local journalist wrote . And contrary to all logic would indicate, at this time the trouble started for our hero, too obsessed with money and at the same time without the knowledge or the diplomacy needed to know how to move in the complicated world of business.
boycott and blacklisting
Having proved more decisive than Collins did not accept that offer much lower wages and, feeling cheated, forced to renegotiate what was signed up, something I refused managers of the franchise, very upset with the demands and the defiant attitude of the player. Lewis began to miss some training and was immediately expelled from the training camp of the Sixers and suspended without pay for all that 1973-74 season. Angry, he returned to his home in Watts, where he holds depressed. But revenge Philadelphia team not end there, since before his "shocked" finally decide to stop by each of the three years he had signed. In the fall of 1974, Lewis trained with the Utah Stars of the ABA league, a team that is very interested in having their services. However, the Sixers notify the Stars that they risked a lawsuit if they signed a player who was still under contract with them. He was told three years would not play with any professional team.
In 1975, a change of general manager in the Philadelphia 76ers, who are trying to recover Raymond Lewis for the team. But hatred of the franchise and nestled in the heart of The Phantom (nickname with which he became known at this time) who pride blind again rejected the new offer as a handout. During these years, Lewis would fight their frustrations through basketball, but far from the limelight, the money and glamor of the professional leagues. Then there was park, high school, University of California or summer league that was not a witness to his talent and scoring greed. At that time he became a legend of playground (basketball in the street).
From the summer of 1976, freed of its contractual commitment with the Sixers, he would tested in several NBA teams, always with spectacular scoring average, even above 50 points per game, and always showing signs of a unique talent. But a mystery, never came to sign for any team. Sometimes was not even receive an offer, in others, the less (for example, the San Diego Clippers in 1978), were bidding for the minimum amount that marked the league, something that Raymond considered an insult to his talent. Suddenly the phone stopped ringing, stopped coming opportunities, but simply ceased to exist for all teams in the league. Soon realized that he had been banned and that his chances of being a professional Basketball had vanished forever. Officially nobody ever recognized, but many who think the name of Raymond Lewis became part of a blacklist.
In 1995, journalist Paul Feinberg wrote for the magazine Slam a full article about her figure, that they would publish, expanded in 2003, shortly after his death. In this reissue Feinberg wrote, "Was there really such a blacklist? I have my doubts, but I have no where not a single fact is that Ray Lewis was vetoed. Was vetoed by all those guys who met and did not do justice to their sport performance, for all those coaches who exploited the knowledge that they were not going to help the least, by a team that simply forbade renegotiate his contract when the boy was barely 20 years and no real training. For all those who knew it came from a remote ghetto acted dirty and arrogant with it. Lewis does have some responsibility for what happened, but not all. "
Legend playground
Still, The Phantom continued to play because basketball was his life. from this period include numerous feats own: in 1981 averaged 54 points per game in the highly respected Los Angeles Summer Pro League , summer league in which many NBA players, who in 1983 scored 81 points in one of these clashes, which one day he came to play 30 games one on one street in Los Angeles, some against NBA players, winning them all ... Even years after Michael Cooper, the great defensive specialist Lakers showtime - acknowledge in an interview that Lewis was to score 56 points against him ... in just three quarters of a game in a summer league.
All these data did little more than enlarge legend. The legend of a man who never learned to channel his career on the right track and, shortly thereafter, begin their owners fall into hell, accelerated by alcohol and drugs. Raymond Lewis malvivió for years without money and without work, in the humble home of Watts where he grew up. At the end of 2000 contracted a serious infection in his right leg and doctors warn that it is necessary to amputate to save her, something which in principle refuses. The only thing that kept him alive was the basketball, and a leg could not keep playing. Both are reluctant to intervene to stop when it's too late, died on February 11, 2001 as a result of that infection.
With a little luck, a little head, the story of The Phantom would have been very different. a contract dispute and a host of wrong decisions prevented basketball fans to see him play in the best professional league in the world. However, the memory of the greatest shooter who has left the streets of Los Angeles is still alive. Who ever saw him display his magic on a basketball court can never forget.
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