Kevin Robert Kunnert (born November 11, 1951) 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 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 7'0" and 230 lb

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 eccentricity ...

–

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, was drafted out of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

in the first round (12th overall) of the

1973 NBA draft The 1973 NBA draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24 and May 5, 1973, before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...

. He also helped the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

to a Central Division title during the 1976–77 season.

Early life

Kunnert was born in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

as one of 10 children and graduated from Dubuque Wahlert High School in 1969. Kunnert lead Wahlert to a third-place finish in the Iowa High School State Basketball Tournament as a senior.

College

Kunnert attended the

, where he scored 1,145 career points, and was the Hawkeyes' all-time leading rebounder at the time of his graduation. Kunnert led the Big Ten in rebounding and field goal percentage his senior year, averaging 19.2 points and 13.9 rebounds on 54.5% shooting. He averaged 18.2 points and 14.7 rebounds as a junior in 1971-1972. For his career he averaged 15.9 points and 12.7 rebounds for the Hawkeyes under Coach

Dick Schultz Dick Schultz (born September 5, 1929) is an American retired sports coach and administrator. He served as the head baseball coach at the University of Iowa from 1963 to 1970 and at the school's head men's basketball coach from 1970 to 1974. Schul ...

, after being recruited to Iowa by

Ralph Miller Ralph H. Miller (March 9, 1919 – May 15, 2001) was an American college basketball coach, a head coach for 38 years at three universities: Wichita (now known as Wichita State), Iowa, and Oregon State. With an overall record of , his teams had ...

NBA career

Kunnert was the 12th overall selection in the First Round of the

by the Chicago Bulls. In September, 1973 Kunnert was traded by the Bulls to the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

with

Gar Heard Garfield Heard (born May 3, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA draft. He had a ...

for

John Hummer John Hummer (born May 4, 1948) is an American venture capitalist and retired professional basketball player who was an original member of the Buffalo Braves after starring for the Princeton Tigers men's basketball team. He also led his high scho ...

and two draft picks. Kunnert played nine seasons in the NBA for the Buffalo Braves (1973-1974),

(1973-1978),

San Diego 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 ...

(1978-1979), and 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 ...

(1979-1982), reaching the NBA playoffs three times. For his career he averaged 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. His best season was with the Rockets in 1975-1976, when he averaged 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds.

The Washington Punch

An unfortunate incident occurred on December 9, 1977. Kunnert, playing for the Rockets 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 ...

of the

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 ...

got into a tussle after a missed shot.

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 ...

of the Lakers joined in and Kunnert went to one knee on the court in the skirmish. His teammate

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

, rushing towards the players, was punched by Washington, sending him down, where he struck his head on the court. Tomjanovich suffered a fractured skull, broken jaw, broken nose, facial injuries and leakage of spinal fluid in the incident. Washington was suspended 60 days and fined $10,000.

Honors

Kunnert was a Two-time team Most Valuable Player for the Hawkeyes, in 1972 and 1973. Kunnert was inducted into the Dubuque Wahlert Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. Kunnert was selected in the Top University of Iowa All-Time Players.

Personal life

Kunnert resided in the Portland area,

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 ...

after retiring from the NBA. He has three daughters and met his wife while both were students at Iowa.

References

External links

Career stats
at basketball-reference.com

(involves scrolling down) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunnert, Kevin 1951 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Iowa Buffalo Braves players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls draft picks Houston Rockets players Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players People from Dubuque, Iowa Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) San Diego Clippers players People from Tigard, Oregon