Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former

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 (appr ...

player who was a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). A three-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. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

, he won four

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

s with 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 league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

and

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. Nicknamed "Silk", 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 pres ...

. Wilkes played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

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 Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American and won two

NCAA championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

s under coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

. He was selected in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft by Golden State. In his first season with the Warriors, he was named the

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

and helped the team win a league title. Wilkes won three more NBA championships with the Lakers. His jersey No. 52 was

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

by both the Bruins and the Lakers.

Early life

Jackson Keith Wilkes was born in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and grew up in Ventura. He was one of five children of L. Leander Wilkes, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister, and Thelma (Benson) Wilkes. Because he did not like the nickname Jackie, he went by Keith. Wilkes was the incoming student body president and an All-CIF basketball star at

Ventura High School Ventura High School (VHS) is a public high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District and serves students in the western portion of Ventura and surrounding unincorporated communities including Casita ...

in 1969. However, his father became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, and the family moved there prior to his senior year. Starring for

Santa Barbara High School Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the Dis ...

with fellow future NBA player Don Ford, Wilkes was voted CIF Class 4A Player of the Year after leading the Dons to 26 consecutive wins and to the playoff semifinals during the 1969–70 season. Wilkes was an All-America Prep player at Santa Barbara High School. Wilkes' number was retired by both Ventura and Santa Barbara High School.

College career

Wilkes was a two-time consensus first-team All-American at UCLA. He teamed with

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

to bring UCLA the 1972 and 1973 NCAA titles, and a third-place finish in 1974. Wilkes was part of UCLA teams that won a record 88 consecutive games. In three years at UCLA, Wilkes averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg and shot 51.4 percent from the field. He was a two-time first-team All-Pacific-8 selection (1973–1974), a member of the 1972 NCAA All-Tournament Team, and a three-time first-team Academic All-American (1972–1974). Prior to joining the varsity team, Wilkes (20.0 ppg), along with Greg Lee (17.9 ppg) and Walton (18.1, 68.6 percent), was a member of the 20–0 UCLA Frosh team. Wilkes graduated from UCLA in 1974 with a BA in Economics. In March 2007, Wilkes was inducted into the Pac-10 Men's Basketball Hall of Honor. In an interview with the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' in 1985 and in several public speaking engagements, legendary coach

stated, when asked to describe his ideal player: "I would have the player be a good student, polite, courteous, a good team player, a good defensive player and rebounder, a good inside player and outside shooter. Why not just take Jamaal Wilkes and let it go at that."

NBA career

In 12 professional seasons with the

, and

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

, Wilkes was a member of four NBA championship teams – one with Golden State in 1975, the season he was named the

– and three with the

Showtime Lakers Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

(1980, 1982, 1985), though an injury prevented him from playing in the 1985 NBA finals against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, yet the Lakers won the series in six games over the Celtics, 4–2. One of the most memorable games of his career was the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

; Wilkes had 37 points and 10 rebounds, but was overshadowed by rookie teammate

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

, who started at center in place of an injured

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. "Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game", said Johnson in 2011. "Everybody talked about my 42 oints but it was also his 7-point effort" In 1982, Wilkes signed a six-year $5.3 million contract with the Lakers. Wilkes missed the first seven games of the 1984 Playoffs due to a

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

virus. When he returned to action on May 8, he received a standing ovation from the Forum crowd. He lost his starting spot to

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

early in the 1984–85 season and missed the final 40 games of the season and the playoffs after having torn ligaments in his left knee. The Lakers waived Wilkes on August 28, 1985, after he rehabilitated his knee, and he was signed by the Clippers on September 27 for the league minimum salary. On December 24, 1985, Wilkes shocked the Clippers by announcing his retirement, noting his lack of contributions to the team. For his career, Wilkes registered 14,664 points (17.7 ppg) and 5,117 rebounds (6.2 rpg), averaging 16.1 ppg in 113 postseason games. He played in the 1976, 1981, and 1983

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

s and was named to the

NBA All-Defensive Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

twice. ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' named Wilkes to its NBA All-Pro Second Team three years. On April 2, 2012, Wilkes was announced as a member of the

induction class of 2012. He formally entered the Hall on September 7. On December 28, 2012, the Lakers retired Wilkes' jersey, number 52, and on January 17, 2013, UCLA retired his collegiate jersey, also number 52.

Player profile

Wilkes played well without needing the ball in his hands. He was a threat shooting from outside, and was also able to drive inside. He had an unorthodox jump shot, which he developed as a child to be able to compete against bigger kids on the playground.

Later years

Wilkes was hired as vice president of basketball operations by the

Los Angeles Stars LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

for the inaugural season of the new

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(ABA) in 2000. At Wilkes' request, Wooden also joined the Stars as a consultant.

Personal life

Along with being one of the co-authors behind the book and audio course, ''Success Under Fire: Lessons For Being Your Best In Crunch Time'', Wilkes became a motivational speaker. Upon his retirement from the NBA, he worked in real estate and financial services for 22 years. In 2003, along with business partner Liza Wayne, he founded Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, a firm specializing in wealth management. Wilkes is a long-time resident of

Playa Del Rey Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, the community had a populat ...

, where late Lakers owner

Jerry Buss Gerald Hatten Buss (January 27, 1933 – February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, chemist, and philanthropist. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 l ...

, former Lakers coach

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

, and other Lakers and Clippers players have resided. He has two sons and a daughter. His older son, Omar (born May 13, 1984), graduated from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

where he played as

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 positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

(6'4") for the basketball team. His youngest, Jordan (born August 10, 1987), also graduated from Berkeley, where he played

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

(7'0").Jordan Wilkes Cal profile
/ref> Only daughter Sabreen graduated from UCLA in 2005 (also playing

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

for the college) and went on to pursue a modeling and acting career. Wilkes made his feature-film debut as Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton in the 1975 basketball-themed drama, ''

Cornbread, Earl and Me ''Cornbread, Earl and Me'' is a 1975 American coming-of-age drama film that stars Tierre Turner, Laurence Fishburne (in his film debut), and NBA player Jamaal Wilkes. It was directed and co-produced by Joseph Manduke. The film is loosely based on ...

''. Wilkes converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and legally changed his name to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef in 1975, but he continued to use his birth surname only for purposes of public recognition.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , – , , 30.7 , , .442 , , – , , .734 , , 8.2 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , – , , 33.1 , , .463 , , – , , .772 , , 8.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 76 , , – , , 33.9 , , .478 , , – , , .797 , , 7.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 51 , , – , , 29.2 , , .440 , , – , , .716 , , 7.5 , , 3.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 35.5 , , .504 , , – , , .751 , , 7.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 37.9 , , .535 , , .176 , , .808 , , 6.4 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 37.4 , , .526 , , .077 , , .758 , , 5.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 22.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.4 , , .525 , , .000 , , .732 , , 4.8 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 31.9 , , .530 , , .000 , , .757 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 74 , , 33.4 , , .514 , , .250 , , .743 , , 4.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 8 , , 18.1 , , .488 , , .000 , , .773 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 13 , , 1 , , 15.0 , , .400 , , .333 , , .815 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 5.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 828 , , 245 , , 32.9 , , .499 , , .135 , , .759 , , 6.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 17.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .481 , , – , , 1.000 , , 4.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 11.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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;”, Golden State , 17, , –, , 29.6, , .446, , –, , .702, , 7.0, , 1.6, , 1.5, , 0.8, , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 3 – 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 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 13, , –, , 34.6, , .430, , –, , .778, , 7.9, , 2.2, , 0.9, , 0.6, , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 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 (now the Democratic R ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 10, , –, , 34.6, , .429, , –, , .821, , 8.0, , 1.6, , 1.6, , 0.6, , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 go ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 3, , –, , 36.0, , .469, , –, , .545, , 8.7, , 2.7, , 1.0, , 0.3, , 12.0 , - , 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;”,

, 8, , –, , 38.4, , .477, , –, , .676, , 8.5, , 2.0, , 1.9, , 0.3, , 18.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 16, , –, , 40.8, , .476, , .000, , .815, , 8.0, , 3.0, , 1.5, , 0.3, , 20.3 , - , 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 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 3, , –, , 37.7, , .438, , .000, , .667, , 2.7, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 14, , –, , 38.2, , .502, , .000, , .776, , 5.0, , 2.6, , 1.1, , 0.2, , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 The year 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 Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 15, , –, , 39.3, , .498, , .000, , .614, , 6.0, , 3.4, , 1.3, , 0.7, , 19.9 , - , 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 Southeast A ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 14, , –, , 14.0, , .400, , .000, , .636, , 1.9, , 0.6, , 0.3, , 0.1, , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 113 , , – , , 33.6 , , .465 , , .000 , , .727 , , 6.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 16.1

References

External links

Wilkes' official website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, Jamaal 1953 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American Muslims All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Berkeley, California Converts to Islam Golden State Warriors draft picks Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Ventura, California Small forwards Sportspeople from Ventura County, California UCLA Bruins men's basketball players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople