What he did: Cliff Levingston may be best remembered by Hawks fans for a shot he didn't make, but the San Diego native had what has to be one of the most interesting careers for an NBA sixth man. Levingston was part of a Hawks team that went to four playoffs in six years during what could be called the most exciting time in Atlanta franchise history.
He was also on the Detroit Pistons team that would eventually lead to the “Bad Boy’’ years. And he has two NBA championship rings for himself.
He didn’t start playing the game until the ninth grade at Samuel F.B. Morse High School in San Diego. He had wanted to play baseball with his cousin Mark McLemore, who would go on to have a 19-year major league career. But Levingston’s high school basketball coach leaned on him to stick with the game and he ended up going to Los Angeles every weekend to play on an AAU team that included Bryan Scott and Greg Kite.
When the decision came to choose a college, he wanted to play for Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV but his mother didn’t love the coach known as “the Shark’’ and also didn’t want him in Las Vegas. So Levingston chose Wichita State. It was a great fit . He, Antoine Carr and the Shockers had quite a run with the pair there.
Wichita went to the Elite Eight his sophomore season and beat rival Kansas while he averaged 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds a game. His junior season, the Shockers were ranked No. 1 in some polls but the NCAA had begun an investigation into the program the year before and WSU was put on probation.
Wichita was banned from NCAA tournament and after the season Levingston, whose numbers had dropped to 13.9 points and 10. 1 rebounds, decided to turn pro.
He was taken ninth overall in the 1992 draft by Detroit. Levingston struggled under head coach Scott Robinson, starting only five games. Robinson was fired after the season and on came coach Chuck Daly, who would eventually lead the Pistons to two NBA titles. Levingston was with the Pistons for one more season, getting more time on the court but was then traded to the Hawks on draft day for veteran Dan Roundfield. He was very upset with the move.
Levingston, however, became a solid sixth man with the Hawks under coach Mike Fratello, who had such stars as Dominque Wilkins, Tree Rollins, Eddie Johnson and Doc Rivers. He would also reunite with Carr and was used as a defensive and rebounding specialist. His best year came in the 1987-88 season, when he averaged 10 points and 6.1 rebounds.
That was also the season he missed a shot with four seconds left in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, a missed shot today that lives in Hawks infamy. The Celtics won by two and took the series in seven games.
After the 1989-90 season when the Hawks brought in Moses Malone and Reggie Theus, Levingston became a free agent, signing with Chicago. As a role player, he won two championships with the Michael Jordan-led Bulls before going to play in Greece and Italy for two years. He returned to play for Denver for one season and retired in 1995.
He finished his career with 830 games, averaging 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds.
In 2000, he went back into coaching for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA. He would also coach in the USBL where he was named coach of the year in 2002 and then head back to the CBA. He also coached a high school team in Michigan City, Indiana. His number (54) is retired at Wichita.
Where he lives: Levingston, 55, lives in Michigan City and has four children: Tristan, Naquan, Kelsey and Chandler. He is not married but his significant other of nine years is Valerie McCline. Together, they have five grandchildren.
What he does: He trains and mentors athletes, plays golf and lives on a farm with "horses, goats, chickens and pigs." He has family in Atlanta and returns here frequently to see them and the Hawks play.
On going to Wichita State: "I wanted to play for UNLV. But my mother ended up making the decision. But Vegas was incredible and Jerry's (Tarkanian) wife was part of the academic counseling and she was going to be involved in helping me with school. But my mom ended up being right. I fit in better at Wichita.''
On whether he took anything illegal to go to Wichita: "They didn't do anything under the table with me. I think what happened was there was a three-year period where Kansas lost recruits to Wichita and they got upset and went to the NCAA. I met with representatives from the NCAA and they found nothing. Wichita offered me a chance to play ball and that is what I did.''
On his time in Detroit: "Scott Robinson hated rookies. He called me a dumb rookie and used to say I should be paying them to be on the court. I broke my hand my first year and missed six weeks. Scott was fired after the season and Chuck Daly came in. I started to fit in but then they traded me. I didn't want to go and sent someone to set my home up in Atlanta. But when I got to Atlanta, I didn't want to leave.''
On his best years with the Hawks: "I have two rings from the Bulls but I liked playing for the Hawks better because we were a true team. We would get lunch together, go to a movie, go party and hang out together. When I was in Chicago, it was like two teams: the first team with Michael and Scottie (Pippen) and then us. I walked across that line and hung out with Michael and Scottie but in Atlanta, we were all together. And we really pushed ourselves in practice. I always was trying to take the job of the guy in front of me.''
On the rivalry with the Celtics: "The old Garden was special. We would show up and the locker room would be freezing and the windows open and snow blowing in. Then at halftime, it would be super hot. They would do anything to take our focus off the game. Then there were the dead spots on the floor and Boston knew where they were and they would get you into those spots and the ball wouldn't bounce. We didn't like each other.''
On playing with Jordan: "Let me say that I played with at least one Hall of Fame everywhere I played and I describe Michael like this: He was the only star I knew that would play 38 minutes a night, get knocked to the floor and banged up and then come back the next day and go hard through the entire practice. That was Michael Jordan.''
On whether he wears his title rings: "Yeah, when I am out talking to kids, which I do a lot of these days. Those rings mean a lot but playing in Atlanta and becoming friends with the guys, that was the best part of my career.''
About the Author
