Steve Smith had the poster. Still does.

George Gervin, clad only in a silver sweat suit, that I-know-something-you-don't grin and famously pictured on the throne of ice, still hangs in his father's Detroit home.

The way Smith remembers it, Nike put Gervin on his bedroom wall. The Iceman put the Motor City on the map.

"We've had a lot of pros come through Detroit," Smith said. "Chris Webber. Derrick Coleman. Jalen Rose. In the Michigan area, you've got Magic (Johnson) and Glen Rice. Those are some big names, but George was the biggest.

"No matter who you talk to, if you're from Detroit, George was your idol."