Muhsin Kenon (born Larry Joe Kenon, December 13, 1952), 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, known in his playing career as Larry Kenon. A 6'9" forward who had a productive career in both the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA) and 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), Kenon played for 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 ...

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 ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. His nicknames were "KAT," "Mr. K" (to go with Nets teammate "Dr. J.",

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

), and "Special K."

College

Kenon transferred from Amarillo College to play basketball at Memphis State University. In his junior year, 1972–73, he averaged 20.1 points and 16.7 rebounds per game and led the Tigers to the NCAA championship game, where they were defeated by the

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...

-led

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

. After that season, one in which he was named Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Kenon left Memphis State and turned pro.

ABA career

In 1973, the

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 ...

selected Kenon in the third round (15th pick overall) of the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

. He was also drafted by the Memphis Tams of the ABA, but the New York Nets secured his draft rights. During his 1973–74 rookie season, Kenon averaged 15.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game on the

-led Nets team that won the 1974 ABA Championship. After averaging 18.7 points during the 1974–75 season, Kenon was traded to San Antonio for Swen Nater. Once again he averaged 18.7 points, along with 11.1 rebounds per game in the Spurs' final season in the ABA before they joined the NBA with the Nets,

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 ...

and

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Kenon made the All-Star Team in each of his three ABA seasons, and competed in the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. In 249 ABA games, Kenon had scored 4,419 points and grabbed 2,759 rebounds for an average of 17.7 and 11.1 per game, respectively.

NBA career

Kenon enjoyed the best years of his career in San Antonio playing alongside George Gervin. In each of the four seasons they were teammates after the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

, both averaged at least 20 points per game. In those four NBA seasons, Kenon averaged 21.9 ( 1976–77), 20.6 ( 1977–78), 22.1 ( 1978–79) and 20.1 ( 1979–80) points per game. He also made the NBA All-Star team in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

and

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 ...

. He also averaged at least 10.7 rebounds per game in each of those four seasons, his high being 12.0 in 1976–77. After the 1979–80 season Kenon signed with the Chicago Bulls. While his minutes per game went down in Chicago (28.1 during the 1980–81 season; he had never averaged fewer than 34.6 previously), he averaged 14.1 points per game; however, this would be his last effective season. In his seven NBA seasons, Kenon played 503 games and scored 8535 points for a 17.0 average. His NBA and ABA totals were 12,954 points for a 17.2 average.

Other accomplishments

*In a December 26, 1976 game against the

Kansas City 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

Kemper Arena Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports arena. It ...

, which San Antonio won 110–105, Kenon set an NBA record for steals in a game with eleven. (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 ...

' Kendall Gill tied the record in an April 3, 1999 game against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

.) He also recorded 29 points and 15 rebounds for a rare points-rebounds-steals triple-double. *The

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

has retired Kenon's number 35. He arguably had the most successful pro career of any Memphis basketball player, with his primary competitors for that honor being Derrick Rose and Anfernee Hardaway.

Personal life

Kenon converted to the

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

faith after retiring from basketball; he now goes by the name of Muhsin Kenon.1971–1975 3rd–4th Round Rundown
/ref>

ABA and NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;", † , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 84 , , – , , 34.6 , , .462 , , .000 , , .703 , , 11.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left", , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 84 , , – , , 37.7 , , .509 , , .500 , , .770 , , 10.7 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", San Antonio (ABA) , 81 , , – , , 36.0 , , .481 , , .000 , , .781 , , 11.1 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 78 , , – , , 37.6 , , .492 , , – , , .823 , , 11.3 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 21.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 35.4 , , .489 , , – , , .854 , , 9.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 36.4 , , .504 , , – , , .845 , , 9.8 , , 4.1 , , 1.9 , , 0.2 , , 22.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , – , , 35.9 , , .485 , , .111 , , .783 , , 9.9 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 20.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 77 , , – , , 28.1 , , .480 , , – , , .735 , , 5.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 30 , , 17.3 , , .466 , , – , , .568, , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .333 , , – , , .800 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 11 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .436 , , – , , .636 , , 2.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 32 , , 7 , , 19.5 , , .472 , , .000 , , .761 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 7.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 752 , , 37 , , 32.6 , , .487 , , .143 , , .784 , , 8.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 17.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;", 1974† , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 14 , , – , , 33.6 , , .495 , , – , , .613 , , 11.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 5 , , – , , 39.8 , , .534 , , – , , .765 , , 12.8 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio (ABA) , 7 , , – , , 39.6 , , .466 , , .333 , , .900 , , 11.4 , , 2.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , – , , 39.5 , , .485 , , – , , 1.000 , , 7.5 , , 3.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.5 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;,

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , – , , 33.3 , , .447 , , – , , .737 , , 9.2 , , 3.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;,

, style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , – , , 39.8 , , .438 , , – , , .736 , , 11.4 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.1 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , – , , 27.0 , , .294 , , – , , .545 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , – , , 19.0 , , .391 , , .000 , , .500 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 57 , , – , , 34.7 , , .459 , , .250 , , .725 , , 10.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 17.2

References

External links

NBA stats
@ basketballreference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenon, Larry 1952 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen ABA All-Stars Amarillo Badgers men's basketball players American men's basketball players American Muslims Basketball players from Birmingham, Alabama Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Converts to Islam Detroit Pistons draft picks Golden State Warriors players Memphis Tams draft picks Memphis Tigers men's basketball players NBA All-Stars New York Nets players Power forwards San Antonio Spurs players Wyoming Wildcatters players

College

ABA career

NBA career

Other accomplishments

Personal life

ABA and NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links