Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former 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 (appro ...
player at the
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...
position in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA). He played 14 seasons with the
New Jersey Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
,
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
,
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
,
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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
, and
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
. King is a four-time
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
, four-time
All-NBA selection and led the NBA in scoring in the
1984–85 season. He was inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
on September 8, 2013.
His younger brother,
Albert, also played in the NBA during his career.
Early life and college
Bernard King was born on December 4, 1956, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York. He developed his basketball skills on the playgrounds of
Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. King used the outdoor courts in New York City to refine his game and as an escape from his surroundings. Reflecting on this time, King noted how the parks provided a space where he could focus entirely on basketball, teaching him discipline and motivating him to pursue greatness.
King attended the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
, where he had a successful collegiate basketball career. His time in college prepared him for his future in professional basketball.
NBA career
At and 205 pounds, King was an explosive, high-scoring
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...
utilizing long arms and a quick release. King was a tremendous scorer. In the season, he led the NBA in scoring with 32.9 points per game.
New Jersey Nets
After playing
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
for the Tennessee Volunteers, the
New York Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
selected King with the seventh overall pick in the
1977 NBA draft, Months later, the Nets relocated from
Uniondale, New York
Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...
, to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and became known as the
New Jersey Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
.
In
1977–78, his rookie season, King set a New Jersey Nets franchise record for most points scored in a season with 1,909, at
24.2 points per game. For his efforts, he was named to the NBA all-rookie first team and placed third in
NBA Rookie of the Year voting, behind
Walter Davis and
Marques Johnson
Marques Kevin Johnson (born February 8, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and character actor who is a basketball analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Bally Sports Wisconsin. He played as a small forward in the National B ...
. He would surpass this record with his 2,027-point season in
1983–84, earning the first of his back-to-back All-NBA First Team selections.
Utah Jazz
King played for the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
in the 1979–80 season and averaged 9.3 points per game in 19 games.
Golden State Warriors
The Jazz traded King to the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
before the
1980–81 season. Over two years, he averaged 21.9 points per game, in his first year playing alongside players such as 1980 NBA All-Star
World B. Free,
Joe Barry Carroll, and
Clifford Ray and 23.2 points per game in his second year with the team. Just before the start of the
1982–83 season, King was traded to the
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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
in exchange for
Micheal Ray Richardson
Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...
.
New York Knicks
On a Texas road trip on January 31 and February 1, 1984, King made history by becoming the first player since
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...
in 1967 to score at least 50 points in consecutive games. He scored 50 points on 20 for 30 shooting with 10 free throws in a 117–113 Knicks' victory over the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
on January 31. King followed this with another 50-point performance at Dallas, setting a
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...
single-game scoring record in the process. He scored 11 points in both the first and second quarters and 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters. King drew 13 fouls on
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
defenders, including
Mark Aguirre
Mark Anthony Aguirre ( ; born December 10, 1959) is a Mexican-American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first overall pick of th ...
, who fouled out. King shot 20 for 28 from the field with 10 free throws in the 105–98 win over the Mavericks.
The next season, on Christmas Day, 1984, King lit up the New Jersey Nets for 60 points in a losing effort, becoming just the tenth player in NBA history to score
60 or more points in a single game. King had scored 40 points by halftime, and finished the game with 19 of 30 shooting from the field and 22 of 26 from the free throw line.
At the peak of his career, however, King suffered a devastating injury to his right leg
while planting it under the hoop attempting to block a dunk by
Kansas City King Reggie Theus
Reginald Wayne Theus (born October 13, 1957) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a two-time NBA All-Star. He is currently the men's basketball head co ...
on March 23, 1985. The injury included a torn
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...
, torn
meniscus, and
lateral condyle fracture of the
femur
The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
The Femo ...
, required major reconstruction, causing King to miss all of the
1985–86 season. To that point no NBA player had returned to form after such a potentially career-ending injury, surgery, and loss of time.
Rehabilitating completely out of the media spotlight, King drove himself back into competitive shape. Despite averaging 22.7 points per game during his first six games back, he had not recovered his pre-injury explosiveness and was released by the Knicks at the end of the
1987 season.
Washington Bullets
King spent the 1987–88 season climbing back to his former stature as a scorer with the
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
. That season, during which King, fellow all-star journeyman
Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone Sr. (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A ...
, and
Jeff Malone teamed up to form a formidable trio, would be the only time Washington made the playoffs during King's tenure. In the first round, the Bullets lost a contested five-game series 3–2 against the up-and-coming
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
, who would go on to make the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
.
On November 3, 1990, King scored 44 points in a win over
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
and the Bulls, which was the most points King had scored in a game since his devastating 1985 knee injury. On December 29, in a game against the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
, King scored a season high 52 points in a 161–133 victory. It was the most points a Washington player had scored since the team moved from
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
in 1972. That season, King was selected to his fourth all-star team.
From 1989 to 1991, King averaged 20-plus points in three consecutive seasons. His scoring average peaked at 28.4 points per game at age 34 in
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, which included ten games where King scored more than 40 points.
New Jersey Nets
After a year-and-a-half hiatus due to yet another knee injury, King returned for a 32-game stint with the
New Jersey Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
at the end of the
1992–93 season, until
knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
problems forced him to retire from the NBA permanently.
NBA career statistics
King retired with 19,655 points in 874 games, good for a 22.5 points per game average and number 16 on the
all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement.
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 79 , , , , 39.1 , , .479 , , , , .677 , , 9.5 , , 2.4 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 24.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 82 , , , , 34.9 , , .522 , , , , .564 , , 8.2 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 21.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, 19 , , , , 22.1 , , .518 , , , , .540 , , 4.6 , , 2.7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 9.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 81 , , , , 36.0 , , .588 , , .333 , , .703 , , 6.8 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , 21.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 79 , , 77 , , 36.2 , , .566 , , .200 , , .705 , , 5.9 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 23.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 68 , , 68 , , 32.5 , , .528 , , .000 , , .722 , , 4.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 21.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 77 , , 76 , , 34.6 , , .572 , , .000 , , .779 , , 5.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 26.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 55 , , 55 , , 37.5 , , .530 , , .100 , , .772 , , 5.8 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 32.9*
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 6 , , 4 , , 35.7 , , .495 , , , , .744 , , 5.3 , , 3.2 , , .3 , , .0 , , 22.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 69 , , 38 , , 29.6 , , .501 , , .167 , , .762 , , 4.1 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 17.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 81 , , 81 , , 31.6 , , .477 , , .167 , , .819 , , 4.7 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 20.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 82 , , 82 , , 32.8 , , .487 , , .130 , , .803 , , 4.9 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .1 , , 22.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 64 , , 64 , , 37.5 , , .472 , , .216 , , .790 , , 5.0 , , 4.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 28.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 32 , , 2 , , 13.4 , , .514 , , .286 , , .684 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 7.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 874 , , 547 , , 33.7 , , .518 , , .172 , , .730 , , 5.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 22.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star
, 4 , , 1 , , 21.0 , , .474 , , , , .692 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.3
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 2 , , , , 40.5 , , .500 , , , , .417 , , 5.5 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 26.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 6 , , , , 30.7 , , .577 , , .333 , , .800 , , 4.0 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .0 , , 23.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
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 ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
, 12 , , , , 39.8 , , .574 , , .000 , , .756 , , 6.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 34.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1988
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 5 , , 4 , , 33.6 , , .491 , , , , .810 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 13.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 3 , , 1 , , 8.0 , , .571 , , , , , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.7
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 28 , , 5 , , 33.4 , , .559 , , .250 , , .729 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .2 , , 24.5
Awards and recognition
At the age of 24, King won the
NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award for his play during the 1980–1981 season with the Golden State Warriors. That year, King averaged 21.9 points per game after having played just 19 games the season before with the Utah Jazz.
On February 13, 2007, Bernard King's number 53 was retired at the halftime of the Tennessee-Kentucky basketball game at
Thompson–Boling Arena in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. His jersey number was the first jersey number retired by the Volunteers, who later retired the number of
Ernie Grunfeld, King's former teammate. The late 1970s Tennessee men's basketball team was known as the "Ernie and Bernie Show" (in reference to Grunfeld and King) and is viewed by many as the golden age of UT men's basketball. During an ESPN interview after halftime, King stated he had not returned to the University of Tennessee in more than 30 years, but expressed his sincere appreciation to the university and his plans to return again. His reason for not visiting his alma mater was simply that he had not been asked. King's ceremony punctuated an 89–85 Tennessee victory over the visiting Wildcats.
During the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, a panel of basketball analysts for the
TNT network selected Bernard King as one of nominees of the "Next 10", a list of 10 unofficial additions to the
NBA's 50 greatest players list in honor of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
's 60th anniversary.
In 2013, he was elected to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
with inductees such as
Rick Pitino and
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best know ...
.
Broadcasting career
King is now working as a part-time broadcaster for
NBA TV
NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular se ...
as well as the
MSG Network, filling in on some occasions as color commentator when
Walt Frazier is on vacation.
Acting career
King made an appearance in ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...
'' as Matt Ferguson, son of Judge Roger Ferguson (played by
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...
), a basketball star with the fictitious Florida Sunblazers in the episode "The Fix". He also appeared in the 1979 movie ''
Fast Break
Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...
'' (with
Reb Brown).
Personal life
Legal Troubles
In July 1977, a month after being drafted by the Nets, King was arrested and charged with burglary for breaking into a UT athletics building to steal a television set. He had earlier been suspended from the Tennessee team after being arrested for marijuana possession (later acquitted), drunk driving, and resisting arrest (all later dropped),
which stemmed from an arrest after police were called by a woman who said a man was trying to break into her apartment, and upon arrival they found King in the hallway.
In December 1978, King was arrested by the NYPD while sleeping in his car with "less than $10 worth" of cocaine on hand, and was charged with several misdemeanors, later dropped.
In January 1980, King was arrested in Salt Lake City after complaint of forcible sexual assault by a woman. Facing a possible 10-year sentence, he took multiple lie detector tests to support his assertion that he had been so intoxicated he had no recollection of the events in question. That June, he would plead guilty to a reduced charge of attempted forcible sexual abuse, and received a fine and suspended sentence.
In his 2017 autobiography, King would say that he battled alcohol addiction in the late 1970s, and that it was "the darkest period of my life". Following his early-1980 arrest, he spent a month at a California rehab center, and then sought help through
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
.
After his playing career was over, more troubles followed. In August 1994, an intoxicated King was arrested in New York and charged with assaulting a 22-year-old woman in his apartment, after allegedly grabbing her around the neck in an altercation (for which she was treated for bruises at a local hospital). In October 2004, King was again arrested in New York for battery of his wife Shana, who told authorities he had pushed her to the ground three times; the incident left her black and blue with bruises on her eye and swelling on her forehead. The charges were dropped after King agreed to marriage counseling sessions, but the incident cost King a promotional relationship with local property developer
Bruce Ratner, as well as resulting in his name being removed as an honoree of the
Brooklyn Public Library
The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two Brooklyn Publ ...
.
See also
*
List of NBA career turnovers leaders
*
List of NBA single-season scoring leaders
*
List of NBA rookie single-season scoring leaders
*
List of NBA single-game scoring leaders
References
External links
*
Bernard King bio@ ''NBA.com''
@ nytimes.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Bernard
1956 births
Living people
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Brooklyn
Fort Hamilton High School alumni
Golden State Warriors players
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
NBA All-Stars
New Jersey Nets draft picks
New Jersey Nets players
New York Knicks players
New York Nets draft picks
Sportspeople from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Small forwards
Tennessee Volunteers basketball players
Utah Jazz players
Washington Bullets players