Joseph William Kleine (born January 4, 1962) is a retired 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 fifteen seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA) and for the US national team. He won a gold medal as a member of the

United States men's basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in ...

at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

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 ...

. In 1998, he won the

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 a ...

as a member of 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 ...

. Kleine is now a restaurant proprietor, owning a number of successful Corky's Ribs & BBQ restaurants.

College career

Kleine, a seven-foot

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 ...

, graduated from Slater High School in

Slater, Missouri Slater is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,856 at the 2010 census. History Slater was laid out in 1889. A post office called Slater has been in operation since 1878. The community has the name of John F. Sla ...

and originally enrolled to play basketball at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

. After his freshman season, Kleine transferred to the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

where he played alongside

Darrell Walker Darrell Walker (born March 9, 1961) is an American college basketball coach and retired professional player. He is currently head men's coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. At 6'4" (1.93 m) and 180 lb (82 kg), he played as ...

and

Alvin Robertson Alvin Cyrrale Robertson (born July 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 1993, and for one final season in 1995–96. Robertson holds the record for th ...

, who, like Kleine, would go on to have productive professional careers. Kleine's first season at Arkansas, he helped the Razorbacks to a 26-4 record, finish second in the Southwest Conference (SWC), and make the second round the NCAA Tournament. His junior season, Kleine helped Arkansas to a record of 25-7, another second place finish in the SWC, and a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The biggest victory of the season came on February 12, 1984 at the Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, when Kleine helped the Razorbacks upset the #1 ranked North Carolina Tarheels, led by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, thanks to a basket by teammate Charles Balentine at the end of the game. It is considered one of the greatest victory's in Razorback basketball history. Kleine finished that game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. As a senior in the 1984-85 season, Kleine was named 1st Team All-SWC. Arkansas (22-13) finished second in the SWC for the third year in a row, and a second round loss in the NCAA Tournament. During his career at Arkansas, Kleine's most memorable games were against fellow center

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets a ...

and the University of Houston. Olajuwon was nicknamed "The Dream", while Kleine was known as "The Nightmare".

Professional career

Kleine was selected by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

with the sixth pick in the

1985 NBA Draft The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the previous few years lasting up to 10 roun ...

. Kleine went on to have a fifteen-year NBA career, playing with the Kings as well as 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 ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. Kleine played on teams with legendary NBA players

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

, Kevin McHale,

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,6 ...

, Scottie Pippen, and

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...

. He won an

in 1998, as a center, for a Chicago Bulls team that included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and

Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...

. His best season was with the Kings in 1985, when he averaged 9.8 PPG. At the time of his retirement from the NBA, he'd scored 4,666 points, had 3,991 total rebounds, and had scored 849

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 restricted area. Free throws ...

s out of 1,069 attempts.

National team career

Kleine played for the US national team in the

1982 FIBA World Championship The 1982 FIBA World Championship was the 9th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by Colombia from 15 to 28 August 1982. Qualification Venues Competing nation ...

, winning the silver medal. Along with his college teammate Robertson, he also won a gold medal as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team coached by

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-ti ...

. Sportswriter Jon Goode would later write that "Joe Kleine was never a star, but what made Kleine great was that he accepted his role and was ready to play every night."

Coaching career

After coaching AAU and high school basketball in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

and serving as an analyst for Arkansas basketball games, Kleine was hired as an assistant coach at the

University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year ...

in 2007.

Movie appearances

Kleine appeared in the 1996 movie Eddie as himself.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 80 , , 18 , , 14.8 , , .465 , , – , , .723 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 79 , , 31 , , 21.0 , , .471 , , .000 , , .786 , , 6.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , .4 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 82 , , 60 , , 24.4 , , .472 , , – , , .814 , , 7.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .7 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 47 , , 11 , , 19.4 , , .383 , , .000 , , .920 , , 5.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , .4 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 28 , , 2 , , 17.8 , , .457 , , .000 , , .828 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 4 , , 16.9 , , .480 , , .000 , , .830 , , 4.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 1 , , 11.8 , , .468 , , .000 , , .783 , , 3.4 , , .3 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 3 , , 14.2 , , .491 , , .500 , , .708 , , 4.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 3 , , 14.5 , , .404 , , .000 , , .707 , , 4.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 74 , , 4 , , 11.5 , , .488 , , .455 , , .769 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 42 , , 12.6 , , .449 , , .000 , , .857 , , 3.5 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 9 , , 11.8 , , .420 , , .286 , , .800 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 10 , , 15.9 , , .400 , , 1.000 , , .722 , , 3.5 , , .5 , , .4 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , 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 ...

, 8 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .250 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, 28 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .427 , , .500 , , .722 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , .4 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 46 , , 1 , , 8.6 , , .368 , , – , , .833 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 5 , , 12.1 , , .405 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 7 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .364 , , – , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .3 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.6 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 965 , , 204 , , 15.2 , , .453 , , .271 , , .794 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.8

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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 en ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .385 , , – , , .833 , , 4.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-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 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 21.7 , , .545 , , .000 , , .778 , , 5.7 , , .7 , , .0 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .765 , , .000 , , .833 , , 2.8 , , .4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 Phi ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 1 , , 6.2 , , .444 , , – , , – , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 9.1 , , .409 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.4 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-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 peacefu ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .600 , , – , , – , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 10.1 , , .429 , , – , , .667 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , .5 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 16.7 , , .574 , , .500 , , – , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .000 , , – , , – , , .5 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .500 , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 50 , , 11 , , 11.8 , , .515 , , .200 , , .793 , , 2.7 , , .4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.8

References

External links

Career Statistics at Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleine, Joe 1962 births Living people American men's basketball players Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Colorado Springs, Colorado Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Little Rock Trojans men's basketball coaches Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics New Jersey Nets players Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Sacramento Kings draft picks Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado United States men's national basketball team players 1982 FIBA World Championship players