Gregory Fuller Kite (born August 5, 1961) is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Kite was a member of two NBA Championship teams with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in 1984 and 1986. Kite played eleven NBA seasons.

Early life

Kite was the youngest of four siblings with a brother and two sisters. He first played team basketball when he was 10 years old at the Southwest YMCA in Houston, while also playing other sports. He attended Pershing Junior High, where he played basketball in grades seven through nine. Kite attended

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentuc ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, under Coach Lee Tynes. Kite was 6′10” by the time he was 15, and had given up other sports. Basketball Weekly ranked Madison as high as 5th in the nation in 1979 and 1st in Texas. With a record of 39–0, Madison lost in the state semifinals to

Lufkin High School Lufkin High School is a public high school located in Lufkin, Texas (United States) and is classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League. It is part of the Lufkin Independent School District that serves the Lufkin area and ce ...

from

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Kite averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds as a senior. Kite was selected to play in the 1979

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

, alongside players such as

Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...

Antoine Carr Antoine Labotte Carr (born July 23, 1961) is an American retired basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played power forward (and sometimes center) for six different teams in the National Basketball Association across 16 seasons. Early life ...

Quintin Dailey Quintin "Q" Dailey (January 22, 1961 – November 8, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard who played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, he later went on to a career in the NBA, playing for the Chicago Bu ...

, Sidney Green,

Clark Kellogg Clark Clifton Kellogg Jr. (born July 2, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who is the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers. Basketbal ...

, Sidney Lowe,

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

, Byron Scott, Steve Stipanovich,

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for '' NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Gr ...

Dereck Whittenburg Dereck Whittenburg (born October 2, 1960) is a former collegiate basketball player who played for North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the 1982–83 team that won the NCAA national championship. He is currently employed by the ...

Dominique Wilkins Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All ...

and

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

College career

Kite was recruited by Duke, Kentucky and UCLA among others. Family connections led to him attending

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, where he played for coach Frank Arnold. Kite was a sophomore on the 1980-1981 BYU team that finished 25-7 under Coach Frank Arnold. Playing alongside future Celtic teammates

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-s ...

and

Fred Roberts Frederick Clark Roberts (born August 14, 1960) is an American former basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming a successful journeymen in ...

, Kite averaged 8.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists as the Cougars defeated Princeton, UCLA and Notre Dame in the

1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship g ...

, before losing to

and Virginia in the East Regional Final. Kite had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over UCLA. Kite averaged 6.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 112 games over his four-year college career.

Professional career

Kite was selected 21st overall by the

in the 1983 NBA draft. Said Kite about the draft: "That summer the Celtics traded Rick Robey to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

for Dennis Johnson and a first round pick. What that did was open up a spot for a backup center.

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...

really wanted to pick Roy Hinson from Rutgers. Hinson was a heck of a player who ended up having some knee problems later on, and Roy had really long arms like Kevin McHale. He could reach four or five inches higher than I could, even though he was only 6′-9”. So Red really wanted him and hoped he would last until the Celtics could pick, but Roy was selected by Cleveland. I was the alternative." As a Celtic, he won two championship rings in 1984 and 1986, serving as a reserve center behind Hall of Famers

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,6 ...

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

, and Kevin McHale. On June 7, 1987 in game three of the

1987 NBA Finals The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1986–87 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conferenc ...

, with Robert Parish in foul trouble and

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

ailing, Kite was called upon by Coach

KC Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...

to match up against

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

for 22 minutes. He responded with defense that tired Jabbar, and blocked a shot by

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

. Kite had zero points, nine rebounds, two assists, one block, and five fouls in his 22 minutes and his play helped the Celtics to a 109-103 victory. "Kite didn't score a point?" Laker Coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

asked after the game. "It looked like he had 100." After the game, Larry Bird said, "I've seen Greg play real well at times. He's got limited offensive ability, but he is a banger and he is probably our hardest worker. He kept Kareem off balance and got a lot of rebounds. His work ethic finally paid off. He stayed with his game and did a real good job." Kite played five seasons with Boston, until he was waived on February 1, 1988. “My time in Boston was incredible, unique. I played with Larry, Kevin, Dennis Johnson. I loved New England, made a lot of friends there. It was a great time, great era." Kite recalled. "We went into the 87-88 season and Bird, McHale were getting pretty banged up. They brought in Artis Gilmore and put me on injured reserve, even though I wasn’t injured. You can always have a bad back.” Kite then played for the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

and five other NBA teams, including 12 games with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

in that team's inaugural season of 1988-89. “When I went to the Celtics I wanted to play, but there were four Hall of Famers there. I stuck around after practice to work on my game and there were other veterans on the team who would do that, too." Kite said. “When I left the Celtics, yes, I was able to play more, but when you go from a championship team to a team like the Clippers, who were one of the worst teams back then, you can develop some bad habits. You didn’t see anyone sticking around after practice there.” With the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

on January 6, 1990, Kite made the only 3-pointer of his career against the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. Kite shot 1 of 6 from three for his career. "I led the league in three-point shooting one year. I was 1-for-1 shooting threes for the Sacramento Kings. So I quit while I was ahead." Kite said of his three. Kite played for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

between 1990 and 1994. In his first season with the team, he started all 82 games at center and led the Magic with 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game, both career highs. He served as backup to

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greate ...

in his final two seasons in Orlando. Kite finished the 1992–93 season playing with the

Rapid City Thrillers The Rapid City Thrillers were a semi-professional basketball team in Rapid City, South Dakota, that competed in the Continental Basketball Association beginning in the 1987 season. They were reincarnated in 1998 as an International Basketball As ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

(CBA). He was brought back to Orlando on a veterans' minimum contract. Kite finished his NBA career with the Knicks and Pacers in 1995. Kite played 680 games in eleven NBA seasons, starting 225 of them. He averaged 2.5 points, 2.3 fouls and 3.8 rebounds in 14 minutes per game. Kite played for the

(1983-1988),

(1988-1989),

(1989),

(1989-1990),

(1990-1994),

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

(1995) and the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

(1995). “With my skills and ability, I was a backup,” Kite said. “I played 12 years and played until I was 35. I wanted it to last longer. It would’ve been great to play my whole career in Boston.”

Post-playing career

Currently residing in Central Florida, Kite is commissioner of the

Florida Basketball Association The Florida Basketball Association (FBA) is a semi-professional men's basketball league that began play in the fall of 2012 with teams in Orlando, Lake Wales, and Palm Beach Gardens. The commissioner of the FBA is former NBA player Greg Kite. H ...

, while also working as a financial adviser. In 1997, Kite served as an interim assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, Brigham Young University.

Personal life

Kite and his wife Jennifer have 10 adopted children.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 35 , , 1 , , 5.6 , , .455 , , – , , .313 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 55 , , 4 , , 7.7 , , .375 , , – , , .688 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 64 , , 2 , , 7.3 , , .374 , , .000 , , .385 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .4 , , 1.3 , - , align="left", , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 1 , , 10.1 , , .427 , , .000 , , .382 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 6.6 , , .391 , , – , , .167 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L. A. Clippers , 40 , , 19 , , 24.4 , , .456 , , .000 , , .534 , , 6.0 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L. A. Clippers , 58 , , 12 , , 12.6 , , .405 , , – , , .452 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , .8 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 12 , , 12 , , 17.8 , , .533 , , – , , .600 , , 4.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , .7 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 71 , , 47 , , 21.3 , , .432 , , 1.000 , , .500 , , 5.3 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .7 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em", 82* , , style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em", 82* , , 27.1 , , .491 , , – , , .512 , , 7.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 72 , , 44 , , 20.5 , , .437 , , .000 , , .588 , , 5.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , .8 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 64 , , 1 , , 10.0 , , .452 , , .000 , , .542 , , 3.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .371 , , – , , .364 , , 2.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .000 , , – , , – , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .214 , , – , , .200 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 680 , , 225 , , 14.8 , , .438 , , .167 , , .486 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , .6 , , 2.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

† , align="left" ,

, 11 , , , , 3.5 , , .125 , , – , , .833 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .6 , - , align="left" ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .417 , , – , , .500 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

† , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .700 , , – , , .571 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, align="left" ,

, 20 , , 1 , , 8.6 , , .350 , , – , , .429 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , .4 , , .9 , - , align="left" ,

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .333 , , – , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .0 , , .1 , , .0 , , .5 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 61 , , 1 , , 6.2 , , .396 , , – , , .625 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , .9

References

External links

Historical Player Profile
at

NBA.com The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

Greg Kite at Basketball-Reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kite, Greg 1961 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Houston Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players BYU Cougars men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Fort Wayne Fury players Indiana Pacers players McDonald's High School All-Americans New York Knicks players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Rapid City Thrillers players Sacramento Kings players