As a kid, I truly idolized "Pistol" Pete Maravich. I, too, was a basketball gym rat. While I didn't try to play as flashy as Pistol, his passing and pure shooting were as beautiful as the works of the finest artists. This documentary gives many who knew Pistol a chance to give their views on his life and his game. While some (Lou Hudson especially) still harbor negative feelings about the huge professional contract Pete got as a rookie in the NBA, others painfully recall the difficult emotional times he endured on and, especially, off the basketball court. The documentary does a good job of building these difficulties to a crescendo, leaving the viewer to feel all is about to be lost. At this time, though, Pistol Pete became a Born-again Christian. This filled an emptiness that had been all-consuming throughout Pete's life. Those close to Pete are able to describe how his life completely changed, and how he became a completely different person. "Happy", "smiling" and "contented" are terms used to describe a man who, seemingly, had the world by the tail as a basketball superstar for nearly 20 years but who never enjoyed inner peace. Tragically, Pistol Pete died at the incredibly young age of 41-years old. Ironically, he died playing a pick-up basketball game in a church gymnasium, site of his life's transformation.
Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich
(2001 TV Movie)
"Pistol" Pete's life story is a roller coaster that ends beautifully
26 March 2006