25 Greatest Players in ABA History

7. Billy Cunningham

Position: Forward
Years Active: 1972-1974
Team(s): Carolina Cougars
ABA Averages: 38.3 MPG, 23.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.4 SPG
Accolades: ABA MVP, All-ABA First Team

The ABA only received two seasons from Hall of Fame player and coach Billy Cunningham, but they were glorious. He thrived as one of basketball’s original point forwards, redefining what it means to be a frontcourt player and establishing himself as one who was far ahead of his time.

Many have done what Cunningham has in the generations that followed, but few preceded him as the well-rounded forward that he was.

Cunningham’s career ABA averages speak for themselves. He was a productive scorer and a nightly double-double threat, but what truly made Cunningham dangerous was the versatility that enabled him to play both forward spots, and his uncanny ability to facilitate.

Players such as Larry Bird, LeBron James, Lamar Odom, and Scottie Pippen have all followed in his footsteps as all-around players who have been slapped with the title of a, “Point forward.”

The term didn’t exist when Cunningham played—it was coined by Marques Johnson in the 1980s—but it certainly would’ve applied. Cunningham won an MVP award on the strength of his versatility, and his arrival helped the Carolina Cougars go 57-27 in his first ABA season.

Cunningham is one of the most underrated players in NBA history, but no one overlooks Cunningham’s greatness on the ABA front.

Next: No. 6