Kevin Jerome Duckworth (April 1, 1964 – August 25, 2008) 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 who played as center 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). A native of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, he played

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for the Eastern Illinois Panthers before being selected by 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 ...

in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft. Before completing his rookie season with the Spurs, he was traded to 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 Northwest Division (N ...

where he spent most of his six seasons and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player and a two-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. After playing with three more teams he retired in 1997 and returned to

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

where he would later work for the Trail Blazers' organization.

Early life and career

Duckworth was born in

Harvey, Illinois Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor, Illinois, Dixmoor and Riverdale, Illinois, Riverdale to the north; ...

, and grew up in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he played basketball at Thornridge High School. At Thornridge, he participated in the 1980 and 1981 Illinois State Holiday Classic tournaments, which eventually became known as the State Farm Holiday Classic. Duckworth surpassed Cody Winter to become the greatest scorer in the event's history. He attended

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradual ...

(EIU), where he set a university record of 867

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, a record that still held at the time of his death. He also led EIU to the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Championship in 1985 and was the tournament MVP in 1986.

Professional career

Duckworth was the ninth pick in the 2nd round of the 1986 NBA draft, chosen by the

. Later that season, he was traded to the

for rookie Walter Berry. His rookie season was unspectacular, as Duckworth came off the bench to back up center Steve Johnson (who in turn got the starting center position when

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 ...

suffered a broken leg). However, the next season Johnson went down with an injury (in addition; Bowie broke his leg again at the beginning of the season), and Duckworth was pushed into the starting role, from where he averaged 15.8 points and 7.4

per game. Also, after having previously never averaged over 70.0

percent In mathematics, a percentage () is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the ''percent sign'' (%), although the abbreviations ''pct.'', ''pct'', and sometimes ''pc'' are also used. A percentage is a dime ...

from the

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

line, he shot 77% that year, rebounded well, and played good defense – earning him the 1988

NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportsw ...

. The following season, Duckworth improved his averages to 18.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, and was named to the Western Conference All-Star team. After the 1988–89 campaign, Bowie was traded to 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 ...

for

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

and Steve Johnson. Johnson was left unprotected in the 1989

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

, allowing Duckworth to become the starting center. The

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

and

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 ...

seasons were also successful for Duckworth and the Blazers. Although 1988–89 was statistically Duckworth's best season, the team enjoyed greater success in the following years — advancing to the NBA Finals in 1990, and posting a 63–19 record in 1990–91. The presence of Williams as the starting

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

, with rebounding as his main assignment, allowed Duckworth to concentrate on scoring and defense. In 1991 Duckworth was selected as an NBA All-Star for a second time. Duckworth's production began to slip in 1991–92, he was outplayed at times in the 1992 NBA Finals and was even less productive throughout the following season. At the end of 1992–93, Duckworth was traded to 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 ...

for forward Harvey Grant. Duckworth played two seasons with the Bullets, where he struggled with weight problems. During the 1994–95 season, during which he was reported to weigh 310 lbs, he was suspended indefinitely for not staying in good physical condition. He was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

for Bob McCann during the 1995–96 season, missing most of the season due to injuries. He then played for the

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

in 1996–97, after which he retired from professional basketball.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 14 , , 1 , , 8.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , .643 , , 2.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 51 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .491 , , .000 , , .692 , , 3.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 50 , , 28.5 , , .496 , , .000 , , .770 , , 7.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 79 , , 33.7 , , .477 , , .000 , , .757 , , 8.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 18.1 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 30.0 , , .478 , , .000 , , .740 , , 6.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 16.2 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 31.0 , , .481 , , .000 , , .772 , , 6.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 27.1 , , .461 , , .000 , , .690 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 55 , , 23.8 , , .438 , , .000 , , .730 , , 5.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 69 , , 52 , , 21.5 , , .417 , , .000 , , .667 , , 4.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 40 , , 22 , , 20.5 , , .442 , , .200 , , .643 , , 4.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 8 , , 1 , , 7.3 , , .214 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.1 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" , L.A Clippers , 26 , , 22 , , 14.8 , , .437 , , .750 , , .688 , , 2.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 684 , , 527 , , 25.5 , , .468 , , .208 , , .736 , , 5.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 11.8

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .500 , , .000 , , .400 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , 1988 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 37.8 , , .486 , , .000 , , .783 , , 11.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 21.5 , - , align="left" ,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 27.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , .545 , , 5.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 15 , , 15 , , 30.2 , , .439 , , .000 , , .717 , , 5.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 16 , , 31.9 , , .401 , , .000 , , .732 , , 6.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" ,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, align="left" ,

, 21 , , 21 , , 30.8 , , .495 , , .000 , , .660 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 11.9 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 14.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 67 , , 59 , , 29.2 , , .447 , , .000 , , .702 , , 5.9 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 11.7

Post-retirement

In 1996, Duckworth and

Kermit Washington Kermit Alan Washington (born September 17, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. Washington is best remembered for punching opposing player Rudy Tomjanovich during an on-court fight in 1977. Washington was not a highly cov ...

opened Le'Slam Sports Cafe in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

. He settled in

Tigard, Oregon Tigard ( ) is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 54,539 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Oregon, 12th most populous city in Oregon. Incorporated in 1961, the city i ...

, with his girlfriend Tala and her two children Aria and Beau. He was a Heritage Ambassador for the Trail Blazers and was active in the community. He spent several years at the end of his life working at Royal Marine Sales, a small locally owned company where he bought and sold small yachts.

Death

Duckworth died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

on August 25, 2008, in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. He collapsed in his hotel room, and emergency services were unable to revive him. His death was confirmed by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. Duckworth was in town as part of a Trail Blazers group hosting a free children's basketball clinic. An autopsy identified the cause of death as

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, or HOCM when obstructive) is a condition in which muscle tissues of the heart become thickened without an obvious cause. The parts of the heart most commonly affected are the interventricular septum and the ...

with

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

. He was 44. Following his death, the

and the Oregon Community Foundation established a memorial scholarship in Duckworth's name for college and professional training for students in Oregon and Southwest Washington, the

wore a memorial stripe on their jerseys and a patch on their warmups stitched with Duckworth's number ('00') during the 2008–09 season, and the Portland City Council renamed the L-shaped dock adjacent to the floating portion of Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade after Duckworth, calling it the Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock. Led by the advocacy of Human Access Project, the city of Portland made a commitment in September 2017 to convert the Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock to a fishing, swimming and non-motorized dock.

References

External links

NBA.com profile

at basketball-reference.com

at truthaboutit.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Duckworth, Kevin 1964 births 2008 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Centers (basketball) Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Milwaukee Bucks players NBA All-Stars Basketball players from Harvey, Illinois People from Tigard, Oregon Sportspeople from Washington County, Oregon Portland Trail Blazers players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Washington Bullets players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Deaths from cardiomyopathy