The Hall of Fame point guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich has handwritten and signed this offered letter. Maravich, a star first at Louisiana State University and later for the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Jazz, was a wizard with the rock, scoring points and dropping dimes with lethal precision honed by his coach father, Press Maravich. Maravich, a dead-eye shooter, was a five time All-Star and the 1976-77 NBA scoring leader with 31.1 points per game. Over his 10 season NBA career, Maravich averaged 24.2 points per game without the benefit of the three-pointer. Maravich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was posthumously named one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996.  

This letter is handwritten on Pistol Pete Enterprises letterhead. It is dated to November 23rd, 1987, shortly before Maravich’s tragic death on January 5th, 1988. This letter is addressed to “Mel”, and it reads “I certainly appreciate your letters (notes) (ha) of concern. Thank you, brother. I am feeling much better. The measure of pain is only 5% of what it was, and I expect it to disappear as time marches on. I no longer ride the circumstantial train. Because of His grace, goodness, mercy, joy, and peace, I am flying above it. I hope this is a great day for you, Mel. Thanks again for caring”. Maravich signed the letter with “His peace, Peter Maravich / John 14:27”. This letter has been written in black fine-tip marker. Typed below the text is “Pete had been in bed for several weeks in early November with pain in left arm and leg”. This illuminating and historically significant letter comes with a LOA from JSA (Z25204).

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