Кевин Уиллис: Американдық баскетболшының мансабы

American basketball player

Kevin Alvin Willis (born September 6, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player mostly known for playing with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 7 foot power forward/center. Excluding players not yet eligible, he holds the record for most games played among those not in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Willis is one of fifteen players in NBA history with over 16,000 career points and 11,000 career rebounds. He was named to the NBA Eastern Conference All Star Team in 1992, when he finished the season with a career high average of 15.5 rebounds a game. Willis holds career averages of 12.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and he would continue to be until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2006–07 season at the age of 44.

Born in Los Angeles, Willis graduated from Pershing High School in Detroit and joined the basketball team in his junior year. as a fashion and textiles major.

He was selected in the 1984 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. On March 11, 1986, Willis scored a career high 39 points and grabbed 21 rebounds during a 128–116 win over the Denver Nuggets. In total, he played with the Hawks for nine seasons (plus two games of a tenth season) until 1994. Willis teamed with Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb, and Doc Rivers to frequently guide the Hawks to playoff appearances as well as providing a fierce rebounding presence in the post. Near the end of his stint with the Hawks, he and Wilkins were both made team captains.

Willis was traded to the Miami Heat in 1994 for Grant Long and Steve Smith. Willis’ first season was tumultuous, and the trade was so poorly received in Miami that it indirectly led to the organization seeking to, and eventually succeeding in, hiring Pat Riley to be their new head coach and General Manager.

On the 1996 NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors acquired Willis, along with Bimbo Coles, in exchange for Chris Gatling and Tim Hardaway.

Willis signed with the Houston Rockets in 1996.

On June 9, 1998, Willis was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Roy Rogers and two 1998 first round picks.

On January 12, 2001, the Denver Nuggets acquired Willis, Aleksandar Radojević, Garth Joseph, and a 2001 2nd round pick in a deal that brought Tracy Murray, Keon Clark, and Mamadou N'Diaye to Toronto. He and Radojević were traded together nine months later to the Milwaukee Bucks for Scott Williams and a 2002 second round pick.

Without playing a game for the Bucks, Willis was traded back to the Rockets for another 2002 second round pick.

Willis signed with the San Antonio Spurs. It was in 2003 with the Spurs that he finally won an NBA Championship ring.

Willis returned to the Hawks for one more season in 2004–05, and by doing so, positioned himself to be the oldest player in the league.

On March 30, 2007, The Dallas Morning News reported that Willis needed only to pass a physical to be able to sign with the Western Conference leading Dallas Mavericks. Willis, who did not play in 2005–06, was reported to take the team's vacant 15th roster spot. The deal became official when he signed a 10 day contract with the Mavericks on April 2, 2007. Hall of Famer Robert Parish, who – at age 43 – played 43 games with the Chicago Bulls in 1996–97, previously held many of Willis’ longevity and age based records.

Willis ended his playing career after the 2006–07 season, returning to his clothing business, Willis & Walker. The Atlanta based company, which specializes in custom wear for big and tall men, was founded in 1988 by Willis and his former Michigan State teammate Ralph Walker. Professional wrestler Lex Luger revealed that Willis made him various suits in his time as a clothier, as well as a white, collared Nehru shirt that he would later prominently wear in his WCW return on Nitro in 1995. Luger knew Willis from years prior, with the former having worked in the Georgia based promotion originally from 1987 1992.

In 2007, Willis made three appearances on the Spike TV reality show, Pros vs Joes.