Dudley Bradley earned his nickname playing college ball with North Carolina.
The Tar Heels were taking on bitter rivals North Carolina State in a huge ACC Showdown.
Bradley prided himself on being tough to score onGettyWith his team one point behind with 10 seconds remaining of a hostile in-state road game, Bradley stole the ball and slammed in an uncontested dunk at the buzzer.
The Secretary of Defense was born.
“The best memory is playing with the guys I played with. Guys like Phil Ford, Mitch Kupchak, we all had one common goal, just to win,” he humbly said of his time in college — typical of his game in the pros.
“Don’t be one dimensional. If you can do more than one thing well, it greatly enhances your chances of making the squad. Every team needs another defensive stopper,” he later said when asked what his advice to young players would be.
Bradley went to the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1979 NBA Draft, which proved unlucky for opponents.
His time in the league saw him play for seven teams and come up against some of the all-time greats.
He fought with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and a young Michael Jordan.
But one name stood above those illustrious stars.
Asked who was the toughest man he ever guarded, he was adamant.
“Undoubtedly, George Gervin,” Dudley told nba.com.
GettyMJ ran rings around opponents for years[/caption] GettyBird was a nightmare to match up against[/caption] GettyGervin played with Jordan after joining the Bulls late in his career[/caption]“The man was just sensational, a true gentleman. He could put the ball in the bucket so many ways.
“Instead of talking trash, Gervin would just kill you with kindness. He would be talking to you like you were buddies and the next thing you know he would have 30 points on you. He just had so many ways to put it in.”
Gervin was nicknamed the ‘Iceman’ because of his scoring ability and effortless style of play, which rarely saw him break a sweat.
The super-cool shooting guard was traded to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs for $228,000 in 1974 before becoming one of The Association’s best players.
He was a nine-time NBA All-Star and four-time scoring champion who lit up the league in an era dominated by big men.
The 6ft 7in star was inducted into the Hall of Fame and named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, cementing his status as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
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Every young player wants to throw no-look passes and put a rival on a poster.
Tough defense isn’t something that is talked about often, especially in today’s NBA.
But while it may lack glamor, Dudley insists there is huge skill involved.
“It is not something you can just turn on and off, it is very tough to play defense,” he explained. “You need to do your homework. You cannot just show up and play hard and think you are a great defensive player. You need to know tendencies.”
“I don’t see too many guys that love playing defense anymore. But the game goes in waves, and defense will be back.”
Bradley became a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer in 2003.
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