Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland (born May 6, 1945) is an American

streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

player and drug trafficker.

Career

Basketball

Born in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, Kirkland played varsity basketball at Charles Evans Hughes High School in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York, and was made an All-City guard. He was awarded a scholarship and attended Kittrell College, a community college in North Carolina, and was on the basketball team, averaging 41 points per game. He then attended

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnersh ...

and played on the basketball team, teaming up with future NBA star

Bob Dandridge Robert L. Dandridge Jr. (born November 15, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Greyhound", Dandridge was a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion, who scored 15,530 points in his career. He was ele ...

. The Spartans won the CIAA title in 1968 with a 25–2 record; they lost in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men's Tournament. The next year their record was 21–4, and they lost in the first round of the D-II tournament. In 1969 he was drafted by the

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 ...

with the fourth pick in the thirteenth round. It is speculated that he turned the offer down because he was making more money in current ventures, including being a drug dealer, than he would in professional basketball.ESPN.com Interview by Mary Buckheit "Pee Wee Kirkland: From American gangster to crossover legend"
/ref> At the time, the opportunities offered to him outside of the NBA were far more lucrative, in terms of financial gain and public recognition.

Motivational speaker

He presents his messages in the "School of Skillz"—a basketball and life skills campaign that is co-sponsored by

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

. The camps began in the 1990s on Saturdays in Harlem and have since become a nationwide endeavor. He has won championships as a high school coach at The Dwight School, a prestigious private school on the Upper West Side in New York City. One of his early breakthroughs involved reaching out to youth such as Hanif "Camel" Warren. As an educator and social worker, Kirkland utilizes the respect he receives from young people because of his gangster past to reach at-risk youth and break down their misconceptions about "keepin' it real" on the streets. Kirkland earned a master's degree in human services from Lincoln University.

In popular culture

In the 1994 film ''

Above the Rim ''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina. The film stars Duane Martin, ...

'', Kirkland appeared as Georgetown recruiter Phil Redd. Kirkland is referenced in the

Clipse Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during t ...

single, ''

Grindin' "Grindin'" is the debut single by the American hip-hop duo Clipse. The song was produced by the Neptunes, and was issued as the lead single for Clipse's debut studio album, ''Lord Willin (2002) on May 14, 2002. The song became a summer top 40 ...

'', and appears in the track's music video.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkland, Pee Wee 1945 births 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American drug traffickers American men's basketball players American motivational speakers Basketball players from Brooklyn Chicago Bulls draft picks Kittrell College alumni Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni Living people Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball players Shooting guards Street basketball players