by George “Iceman” Gervin
I'm about to start mowing my lawn, which takes me about an entire day, but I have always liked Jerry…so I’m glad to be a guest on Stack’s House. I only know him from basketball, but I’ve always appreciated that he plays hard and shows a true love for the game. He also is very mannerly. Anytime he sees me, he takes the time to come over and greet me. And us veterans appreciate when younger players show respect to the retired guys…that always catches my eye.
Summer Recap
I love golf, and I love fishing. This year, I had the chance to take my youngest son on an Alaskan fishing trip. We went to a place called Sitka, and we stayed on this eight-acre island for six days and five nights. We had a chance to really fish…we went out in 500-foot water and caught about 300 pounds of salmon, halibut, lean cod. We stayed at a beautiful place, man. It’s called Talon Lodge, no roughing it there. They had gourmet cooks…we ate three square meals a day. Each day, we got up and ate breakfast at 7 a.m. and were on the water by 8 a.m. We fished until about 3p.m., then made our way back to the lodge. Dinner was at 6 p.m. and then after that, we’d sit around the bar, maybe get a massage. By then, it was time to go to bed and get up and do it again. The boat was not a big boat, it was a fishing boat…big enough to hold six guys – the captain, the first mate and the four of us. Oh, I didn’t mention that my son and I also went with my brother-in-law and fellow NBA veteran Rick Barry. I had never fished with Rick before, but he is a big-time fisherman…he loves to fly fish…he’s like addicted to fishing – goes everywhere to fly fish! Anyway, one day we fished on what was like a little river. You had to get in the water – the cold water! – with those big ole rubber boots. And as big as I am, I didn’t really have the right equipment…my boots were lower than my knees, so the water was getting in my boots. I’ll tell you, my feet were freezing, but we were catching them salmon! Rick caught about 50 or 60 of them…he was fly fishing. I was doing pretty well too…but I was using a reel. This trip was fun, the time of our lives. And Rick did all the planning of it. That was the highlight of our summer right there. I look forward to doing it again next year.
The reason I mention this trip, this part of my summer, is because before my Granddad died in 1987, I was able to take him on a fishing trip to King Salmon, which is in Alaska. Little did I know, it meant the world to him. Before he died, it’s all he talked about…going to Alaska with me and fishing. At the funeral, everybody knew about Granddad’s fishing trip. That was special to me. When we went, Granddad caught one of the biggest rainbow trout out of those waters…I have it on my wall in my house. So in that respect, I wanted to take my son on this fishing trip because one day maybe he’ll take his son on an Alaskan fishing trip. My son loved it. He said he wants to do it again. It’s a little pricey…so I told him he has to pay his own way next time around!
We also went on a family trip to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. We go on a big family trip every year, so I was glad to take everybody. It was a lot of fun…we went and stayed about five days or so at a nice resort. My wife and daughter sat on the beach with my grandson. My sons were hanging out. I, of course, golfed. They’ve got great courses out there…my favorite is Cabo del Sol. It’s a famous golf course, and I really like it. I played by myself, so when you play by yourself, you always play well, right? I had the whole course to myself. If you go early, it’s pricier, but I knew I could run through it. I played two balls and enjoyed the course.
Spurs Report
I think the Spurs are going to be pretty good this year. With all the guys – Tim, Tony and Manu – being healthy, it will really make a difference. The rookies from last year should do well. George Hill is showing tremendous potential, as is DeJuan Blair…they both proved they could play NBA style basketball. There’s also Anderson, the kid we got from Oklahoma State…Splitter from Spain, who I understand was the top center in the Spanish League. We got another 6’6’’ kid out of LSU, Garrett Temple, and I think he will help a lot. Garrett is my former teammate’s son, Collis Temple, who played with me on the ABA’s Spurs. I’m proud to see him around. We will be good if everybody stays healthy.
I’m still working in the Spurs front office in the community relations department. We went to Corpus Christi a couple weeks ago to promote the team and our community service efforts. I’m headed to Mexico in a few weeks to watch the Spurs and the Clippers play a pre-season game. I’m going with the NBA, so I’m quite sure we will be doing some community service projects out there.
Get Your Iceman Collector’s Item!
I’ve been really busy working on another project that’s close to my heart because the proceeds are benefiting the George Gervin Youth Center in San Antonio, which provides all kinds of services to thousands of San Antonio’s at-risk youth and their families. We’ve created an Iceman figurine collector’s item. I’m in my old school ABA uniform, with the ABA ball, and, of course, the knee high socks! Oh, I’m doing my signature finger roll move too. This Iceman figurine is very unique…it’s in limited edition, and I’m autographing each one. You can purchase the figurines online at BPIFanConnect.com.
I’m also going to Chantilly, Virginia for the Collector’s Showcase of America the weekend of October 15 to 17. The figurines will be sold there. Soon, there will even be a specialty shop in the San Antonio airport selling the figurines, so that should be pretty good…especially with the holidays coming up. Hopefully somebody coming in will want an Iceman figurine. Remember, it’s all for a good cause!
Time for me to mow the lawn…thanks for having me, Jerry! Best of luck!
About George “The Iceman” Gervin
A fixture on the San Antonio sports scene and an ambassador of community service, NBA Hall of Famer George “The Iceman” Gervin averaged 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons. Nicknamed “The Iceman” for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin, a Detroit native, was known for his offensive talents and trademark move, the finger roll. He led teams at both Eastern Michigan University and Long Beach State before signing with the ABA’s Virginia Squires. The Spurs retired Gervin’s #44 jersey, and he was named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players. Today, Gervin is committed to the George Gervin Youth Center, which provides vocational training, remedial education, mentoring, tutoring, job placement and supportive services to more than 1,400 of San Antonio's at-risk and disadvantaged youth and their families. For more information, visit www.iceman44.org.
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