Kenneth Kay Gardner (born September 27, 1949 in

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

) is a retired American

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. He is best known for playing for the now-defunct French club AS Berck, with which he won the French National Championship in 1973 and 1974. Gardner went on to play for the also defunct

Nice BC The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season ...

of the LNB (French National Basketball League) and the

Utah Stars The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. History prior to moving to ...

of the ABA. Gardner was twice named the best American player in France during his five-year career there, during which he averaged 22.8 points per game. His 6,012 career points still rank in the top 100 among all-time scorers in the French league. Gardner played for the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

in college and ranks top ten in points per game and top five in rebounds per game in the school's history. Gardner was one of only two unanimous selections to the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

all-conference basketball team in 1971. Gardner was also 2nd Team all-conference as a Junior in 1970. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1970 Utah Classic after leading the Utes with 25 points and 20 rebounds in a win over the University of Washington in the championship game.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Ken 1949 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in France American men's basketball players Basketball players from Utah Phoenix Suns draft picks Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah Utah Stars players Utah Utes men's basketball players