This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is our American stories.

Pistol Pete Marevich is widely regarded as one of the greatest players

in basketball history, also one of my personal hoops heroes. Maravich starred in college with the

LSU Tigers while playing for his father, head coach Press Marevich, with 3,667 points,

and he averaged 44.2 points per game.

All of his accomplishments were achieved before the adoption of the three-point shot

and the shot clock, and despite being able to play varsity as a freshman under the NCAA rules.

That's crazy.

Maravich played 10 years in the NBA and is considered by many to be the best

ball handler of all time. Just days before his death, on January 8, 1988, the 40-year-old

Pistol Pete spoke to guests who gathered near the poolside of Jimmy Walker's house, an NBA

All-Star. We'd like to thank Vision Video for giving us special

access to this rare bonus footage you were about to hear from their fantastic, uplifting

movie, The Pistol, the Birth of a Legend, Threaty G. Here's Pete Marevich looking back

on his life just days before his death. I grew up in Clemson, South Carolina.

When I was four years old, the only thing I ever knew was basketball.

By the time I was five years old, I was already playing organized basketball.

My parents baited me into the game.

They never forced me.

When I was seven years old, my dad came to me, and he says, Pete, he says, I don't have any money to send

you to college. You're going to have to get a scholarship. And if you get a scholarship, they'll pay your way. I only make $2,900 a year, and that's just not going to pay your way by the time you get there. And if you're good enough, Pete, you might even make it to the pro basketball. That's where the greatest players play. And there's so few. And if you get there, you might play on a team

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