<P> Peter Press Maravich ( June 22 , 1947 -- January 5 , 1988 ) , nicknamed Pistol Pete , was an American professional basketball player . He was born in Aliquippa , Pennsylvania , part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , and raised in the Carolinas . Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University ( LSU ) and played for three NBA teams until injuries forced his retirement in 1980 . He is the all - time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored and an average of 44.2 points per game . All of his accomplishments were achieved before the three - point line and shot clock were introduced to NCAA basketball and despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then - NCAA rules . One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame , Maravich was cited by the Hall as `` perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history '' . In an April 2010 interview , Hall of Fame player John Havlicek said that `` the best ball - handler of all time was Pete Maravich '' . </P>
how many points did pete maravich average in the nba
an average of 44.2 points per game