Pistol Pete’s cause of death was ruled out to be a heart condition that went undetected. The basketball legend played for ten years at a high level without a left coronary artery complex.
Star basketball player in the 60s, nobody had seen a phenomenon like Pete. Born and raised in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Pete Maravich grew up in a competitive household with a dad as a basketball coach.
After his dad joined North Carolina State University, Pete attended Needham B. Broughton High School. That was where he got his famous nickname as he shot the ball from his side as if he was holding a revolver.
Pete joined LSU after his dad accepted a coaching position with the Tigers. In his three years with LSU, Maravich scored 3667 points and averaged 44.2 points.
December 25, 1970: “Pistol" Pete Maravich highlights from Atlanta’s Christmas Day game in Phoenix.
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) December 25, 2024
Maravich finished with 28 PTS/9 REB/6 AST. The Suns won, 127-115. pic.twitter.com/GDdNtZbDPS
Pistol Pete scored more than 60 points in four games, including 69 against Alabama, which is the second-highest mark in NCAA DI history.
Pete was the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft selected by the Atlanta Hawks. Maravich averaged 23.2 points and finished third on the Rookie of the Year list.
He had a poor showcasing in his sophomore year but returned with a bang in his third and fourth seasons, earning him a spot on the All-Star team both years.
Maravich moved to the Jazz in 1974 and had some of his best years with them. He averaged 31.1 points in the 1976 season and made it to the All-Star team three times.
Pete’s knee problems didn’t leave him alone despite his success with the Jazz. He moved to the Celtics in January 1980 and retired later that year, realizing his knee problems won’t heal soon.
Pete followed religious paths after retirement and didn’t do many interviews. He passed away at 40 in 1988 while playing basketball.
Pistol Pete’s Cause of Death Shocked Many, With Several Questioning How He Even Became An Athlete
Pistol Pete suddenly passed away while playing pickup basketball at a Pasadena Church.
A preliminary report concluded that the cause of death was heart disease, but the specific type had not been identified.
A few days after his demise, the autopsy declared that Pete lacked a left coronary artery system.
In a 1974 interview with the Beaver County Times, NBA Hall-of-Famer "Pistol" Pete Maravich expressed, "I have no desire to spend a decade in the NBA only to face a heart attack at the age of 40." Remarkably, he did indeed play professional basketball for a decade, spanning from… pic.twitter.com/vhiSeQuSb0
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) February 20, 2024
Over time, his heart accumulated a quantity of fiber-like tissue, leading to a deterioration of the heart muscle. The condition is specifically called cardiomyopathy.
Dr. Paul Thompson, an expert at Brown University, said,
This (type of episode) is characteristic of the 16-year-old who collapses during a football game. But for a guy to go 10 years in the NBA and have a congential anomaly like that is to say the least, very unusual.
via: LA Times
Other experts noted that Maravich’s sudden death may have been related to the undetected heart defect.
Rare heart defects cause people to drop dead after their cardiovascular systems are unable to compensate for abrupt, dramatic changes in blood pressure.
The changes might come with exercise and at the sudden conclusion of exercise.
It is alleged that Pete predicted his demise 14 years before it happened.
In a 1974 interview, Pete said, “I don’t want to play tens years in the NBA and die of a heart attack at 40. I’ve got other things to do. Who needs basketball?“
Pete Maravich’s Son Died At Age 42 In 2024
Before his demise, Pistol Pete had started a family with Jackie Maravich, and the couple had two sons, Josh and Jaeson Maravich.
Pete and Jackie’s youngest son, Josh, played at St. Paul’s High School and scored more than 1000 points in three years.
He followed in his father’s footsteps and enrolled at LSU. His college years weren’t exciting like that of his dad.
Former LSU basketball player Josh Maravich, son of late Hall of Fame basketball player “Pistol Pete” Maravich, has died at age 42-years-old. pic.twitter.com/wpvR0grg5q
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 9, 2024
After graduating from LSU in 2005, Josh said he came to LSU to make his dad proud.
Josh said, “I knew I wasn’t going to be a star player, but for me being a walk-on was what I always wanted to do.”
In June 2024, LSU announced that Josh passed away at age 42 at his home.
The cause of death wasn’t released, but many speculated that the Maravich family had a genetic heart disease.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Before WNBA star Caitlin Clark broke his father’s NCAA record of most points scored, Pete’s older son Jaeson Maravich said his father would’ve been a big fan of hers.
- NBA Hall of Famer Julius Irving called Pistol Pete the most skilled basketball player he had ever seen.
