South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-10 NBA Gamecocks of all-time
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 7 Greatest NBA Player of All-Time:
Point Guard/Shooting Guard Mike Dunleavy
One of a long line of New York high school basketball stars to make his way to the University of South Carolina under head coach Frank McGuire, Mike Dunleavy (1973-1976) was a really good player in the mid-’70s for the Gamecocks. He parlayed his collegiate success playing both point guard and shooting guard into a 12-year career in the NBA.
Dunleavy battled injuries early in his NBA career but got healthy when he became a Houston Rocket. As a backup to both guards (Calvin Murphy and John Lucas), Dunleavy carved out a nice role for five seasons with the Rockets. He finished his career with the Milwaukee Bucks before getting into coaching with the organization.
Or…at least it appeared he finished his career. After three seasons in retirement, Dunleavy un-retired to help the Bucks on the court in the 1988-1989 and 1989-1990 seasons. Dunleavy finished his career with just under 4000 points and 2000 assists despite never being a primary starter.