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 (appr ...

player who played as

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 ...

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 native of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, he 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 ...

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

before being drafted in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

in the second round 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. 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 league's Western Con ...

where he spent most of his six seasons and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player and a two-time All-Star. 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 Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

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, 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, R ...

and grew up in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he played basketball at

Thornridge High School Thornridge High School is a public four-year high school located in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb about 20 miles south of Chicago. The school is part of Thornton Township High School District 205. Thornridge High School first opened to the public i ...

. 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

(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 The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...

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 (from la, per centum, "by a hundred") 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 use ...

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 Key (basketball), restricted ...

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

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (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 s ...

. 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 is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

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 franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion ...

, allowing Duckworth to become the starting center. The

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

and

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

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 positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

for

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Harvey Grant Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year ...

. 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

for

Bob McCann Robert Glen McCann (April 22, 1964 – July 1, 2011) was an American professional basketball player. He was listed as a power forward at 6'7" (or 6'6") and 244–248 lbs. McCann died of heart failure in July 2011. McCann was born in Morristo ...

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 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 ...

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

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 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 largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 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 commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 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 ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 8 , , 1 , , 7.3 , , .214 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.1 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, 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 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, align="left" ,

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

, align="left" ,

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

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, 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 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, align="left" ,

, 21 , , 21 , , 30.8 , , .495 , , .000 , , .660 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" ,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, 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-cove ...

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, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

. He settled in

Tigard, Oregon Tigard ( ) is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tua ...

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, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

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 the heart becomes thickened without an obvious cause. The parts of the heart most commonly affected are the interventricular septum and the ventricles. This r ...

with

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. He was 44. Following his death, the

and the

Oregon Community Foundation Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) is a non-profit organisation with the mission of improving lives for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. It is the fifth largest community foundation in the United States as ranked by asset size i ...

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 The Eastbank Esplanade (officially Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade) is a pedestrian and bicycle path along the east shore of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. Running through the Kerns, Buckman, and Hosford-Abernethy neighb ...

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 African-American basketball players 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 National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Harvey, Illinois People from Tigard, Oregon Portland Trail Blazers players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois Washington Bullets players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people