Chadwick Oliver Kinch ( – ) was an American 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. He was a ,

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

and played collegiately at the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

after starring at

Perth Amboy High School Perth Amboy High School (or PAHS) is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive community state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school which serves students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades fro ...

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

,Staff
Chad Kinch, 35, Ex-Basketball Star
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', April 8, 1994. Accessed February 28, 2011. "CARTERET, N.J., April 7— Chad Kinch, a former basketball star at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey and the Cleveland Cavaliers' No. 1 draft choice in 1980, died at home on Sunday. He was 35." his place of birth. He was selected with the 22nd pick in the first round of the

1980 NBA draft The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selectin ...

by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. ; retrieved June 26, 2007 He spent his only

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 ...

season ( 1980–81) split between the Cavaliers and the

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 ...

. The Cavs traded Kinch, along with a 1985 first-round draft choice, to the Mavericks in exchange for Geoff Huston and a 1983 third-round draft choice on February 7, 1981. Kinch averaged 2.9 points per game in his only season in the NBA. The tragic loss of his brother, Raymond, in a house fire reportedly had a profound effect on Kinch and impacted his NBA career. After leaving the NBA and starting a family, he descended further into a fierce drug habit, eventually contracting HIV.Araton, Harvey (1994). "Glory Days Died Too Soon; Then Kinch Did(.) Life Never Lived Up to that Moment in the Sun" ''New York Times'' 18 April 1994.
Retrieved July 11, 2021. Kinch died of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

-related complications in 1994,Still stunning the world 10 years later
''ESPN The Magazine'' aged 35, at his home in

Carteret, New Jersey Carteret is a borough in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population reached 25,326, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,482 (+10.9%) from the ...

Notes

External links

NBA stats
@ basketballreference.com
Chad Kinch profile
@ thedraftreview.com season in the NB {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinch, Chad 1958 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen AIDS-related deaths in New Jersey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Middlesex County, New Jersey Charlotte 49ers men's basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players People from Carteret, New Jersey Perth Amboy High School alumni Shooting guards Sportspeople from Perth Amboy, New Jersey