Les Hunter

Leslie Henry Hunter (August 16, 1942 – March 27, 2020) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA). A 6 ft 7 in forward/center, Hunter was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and attended Pearl High School, where he played alongside Vic Rouse. The two led Pearl to 54 consecutive victories and black national high school championships in 1958, 1959, and 1960, and would later attend Loyola University Chicago together.

At Loyola, Hunter was the starting center for the Ramblers team that won the 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, upsetting the University of Cincinnati in overtime. Hunter and the other four Loyola starters played the entire championship game without substitution. Earlier in that tournament, Hunter and the Ramblers defeated Tennessee Tech 111–42 in a first-round Mideast Regional game, a result that remains the record margin of victory in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Hunter went on to play professionally in both the NBA and the ABA, where he was a two-time ABA All-Star. He died on March 27, 2020.