“Messin’ With the Old Ice Man”: When George Gervin Defended Losing to Michael Jordan in a 1-on-1 Game by Recalling His Glory Days

George Gervin had a long and illustrious 14-year career in the ABA and the NBA. He was nicknamed ‘The Iceman’, and was known for his ability to score the ball. During his twelve years in the NBA, Gervin spent the majority with the San Antonio Spurs. However, in his last season, the Hall of Fame player teamed up with a young and upcoming Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls. The author of the book ‘Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby‘, shares a story, where the two legends were up against 1 vs 1.

Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 and immediately put the league on notice by winning the Rookie of the Year award. He showcased an incredible athletic ability and the will to impact the game on both ends of the floor. When Gervin joined the Bulls in 1985, Jordan did not waste time challenging the player to a game of 1-on-1. However, Gervin was quick to realise that there was no match to Jordan’s energy.

“‘We played,’ Gervin acknowledged, implying that he was no match for Jordan’s boundless energy. ‘We shot around. I was a veteran on my way out, so he was messin’ with the old Ice Man. He wasn’t messin’ with the Ice Man of old. You know what I’m sayin’?”

There is no reward for guessing who won the game, however, Gervin was quick to point out that he was way past his prime in 1985. He mentions Jordan messing with the old version of the player and implies he would be more than a match to Jordan if the game happened in his prime. That being said, the Iceman gave Jordan his flowers and praised his athletic abilities.

“He had his own style. Mike was a great athlete. He developed that jump shot later on in his career. I was a jump shooter and a scorer from the beginning. So we had different kinds of games. He jumped a lot. I glided a lot. I was like Fred Astaire. He was like a jumping jack.”

George Gervin’s finger roll shots were a thing of beauty. No one did it better than him. He also had a lethal jumper, which allowed him to average 26.2 points per game for his career. The player drew comparisons to Jordan and mentioned the latter not having a jump shot while entering the league.

On the other hand, Gervin had that in his arsenal from the get-go. The Iceman retired from the league in 1986 with four scoring titles and nine NBA All-Star appearances.

How did George Gervin get his nickname?

George Gervin was one of the best scorers the league had ever seen. He was named in the NBA’s 50th Anniversary team and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. The player’s ability to score the ball with immense confidence while being unfazed by the moment contributed to his overall personality of being called ‘The Iceman’. But how did the name come into existence?

Gervin credits his ABA teammate – Roland Taylor, for starting the nickname by initially calling him ‘Ice’. This was because, apart from being a cold-blooded scorer, Gervin was not one to show many emotions or even divulge in conversations. He just went about doing his thing.

The player also credited Julius Erving for bringing about the ‘Ice’ persona in him through their 1-on-1 matchups in practice. ‘Ice’ soon evolved to ‘Iceman’, and it remains the coolest nickname in NBA’s history, no pun intended.