Say Billy Cunningham, and you might think of the moments that made him a Top 75 NBA Player. I think of all the memories. Here’s the muse between us: the top 75 NBA Memories.
And so, we’ve landed on story no. 32.
If you’ve ever wondered where my Dad got the number 32, funny, I was asking the same thing.
The number 32 holds a special place in our family and Sixer history, and even with friends.
Dad’s dear friend, Sandy Koufax, wore the number 32 when he played for the New York/Los Angeles Dodgers.
If you share the number 32 with Dad, that’s something special.
Plus, it’s one of the most iconic numbers of all time.
Think of the great men who’ve worn it besides Mr. Koufax.
The number 32 is so popular that ranker.com wrote a post, The Best Athletes Who Wore #32.
FYI, Dad was ranked #23. I love how the number 23 is his number reversed.
Speaking of reverse numerology, the same thing happened when Dad won the championship for the 76ers in ’67, yet they retired his number in ’76.
Reverse order yet again. Or, my Mom and Dad’s birthdays are the reverse of one another.. Cool, right?
But Dad wasn’t into the meaning behind a number when he got the #32.
Dad got the number 32 before Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal, who also wore it. Even Julius Erving wore it before he came to the Sixers and had to switch (because Dad’s number had already been retired).
Ask Dad, and he’ll tell you about anyone who wore the number 32.
With a build-up like this, Dad’s reason for getting the number 32 has gotta be good, right?
I couldn’t wait to ask Dad.
He laughed, sensing my excitement. “It’s not much of a story.”
“I was a sophomore at Erasmus High School, and all the older players got to pick their numbers first; it was the last number left.”
The number followed him to UNC-Chapel Hill and the 76ers until it was retired on December 17, 1976.
I wish I could say I have fond memories of when the 76ers retired Dad’s number, but I was only 7. However, finding a newspaper article dated December 18, 1976, joggled my memory and made sense of some cool memorabilia in our basement.
76ers Put No. 32 in Retirement
“He received a plaque and a watch from the 76ers and his wife received a diamond-studded necklace.”
Dad got so many watches in his career, and he always hated watches. The diamond-studded necklace might have been the one that said the number 32 in diamonds. It was my favorite piece of jewelry my Mom owned. Neither one of those is to be found today, but the plaque, funny that plaque, survived the test of time.
But the article continues,
“Billy Cunningham, it will be remembered, (he holds the team record for technicals) and so they sent him a technical-foul form and said it was because he was “over-acting” as usual.”
I found that technical foul! Here it is.
The article continued, “Then he dashed off into the depths of the Spectrum and asked where he could find some soda for his daughters.”
It had to be my sister because I never drank soda.
It’s amazing how a number can hold so many memories, and all those memories started with a twist of fate—the last number picked.
And, for old time’s sake, while we’re on the number 32 anyway, you know I had to have Dad ask Mr. Koufax how he got his number 32.
This time, I was expecting a story similar to Dad’s. And sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed.
He was a rookie making the team, and they threw him a uniform. It happened to be the number 32, so he kept it.
Dad laughed, “It was the last number for me and the first number they threw him.”
Of course, it had to be that way. It’s not the number itself but the journey and stories it accrues that make it legendary.
Plus, once 32, always 32 at heart.
