Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich

Just a terrific telling of the life of Peter Press Maravich, featuring rare and previously unseen footage.

Especially enjoyable were the home movies taken when Pistol played for the New Orleans Jazz. Just excellent.

As a kid, I truly idolized "Pistol" Pete Maravich. I, too, was a basketball gym rat. While I didn't try to play as flashy as Pistol, his passing and pure shooting were as beautiful as the works of the finest artists. This documentary gives many who knew Pistol a chance to give their views on his life and his game. While some (Lou Hudson especially) still harbor negative feelings about the huge professional contract Pete got as a rookie in the NBA, others painfully recall the difficult emotional times he endured on and, especially, off the basketball court. The documentary does a good job of building these difficulties to a crescendo, leaving the viewer to feel all is about to be lost. At this time, though, Pistol Pete became a Born-again Christian. This filled an emptiness that had been all-consuming throughout Pete's life. Those close to Pete are able to describe how his life completely changed, and how he became a completely different person. "Happy", "smiling" and "contented" are terms used to describe a man who, seemingly, had the world by the tail as a basketball superstar for nearly 20 years but who never enjoyed inner peace. Tragically, Pistol Pete died at the incredibly young age of 41-years old. Ironically, he died playing a pick-up basketball game in a church gymnasium, site of his life's transformation.

A well prepared documentary highlighting the life of one of basketball's greatest performers. And maybe the greatest collegiate player ever.

Pistol Pete was one of a kind and this comes through clearly in this bio. While there are other films and books available about Pete Maravich, this one is the best.

This should be in every sports enthusiast's home video library. However, I am not sure that it is available. I have been unable to find it and I have been looking for years.

Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich is a remarkable documentary about a stunning athlete. It captures how a truly creative individual revolutionized the game of basketball---particularly as a passer and ball handler.

The selected footage does an excellent job portraying the complexity of a person driven to excel at basketball at great cost to him as a person. I recommend the film to all who want to learn about a basketball innovator and the human side of a much celebrated, yet flawed, human being who found peace and fulfillment late in life before his death at a young age.