| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-04-09)April 9, 1966 (age 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dobbins Technical (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1990: 1st round, 8th overall pick |
| Selected by theLos Angeles Clippers | |
| Playing career | 1990–1998 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 30, 16 |
| Coaching career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1990–1992 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1992–1993 | New York Knicks |
| 1993–1994 | CRO Lyon |
| 1994–1995 | Rapid City Thrillers |
| 1995 | Hartford Hellcats |
| 1996–1997 | La Crosse Bobcats |
| 1997 | LUCKIPar |
| 1997–1998 | Yakima Sun Kings |
| As coach: | |
| 2022–present | Overbrook HS |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 574 (5.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 162 (1.5 rpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Gregory Kevin "Bo"Kimble (born April 9, 1966) is an Americanbasketball coach and former professional player. He playedcollege basketball for theLoyola Marymount Lions. As a senior in the 1989–90 season, Kimble was named a consensus second-teamAll-American as well as theconference player of the year in theWest Coast Conference (WCC). He led the 11th-seeded Lions to theregional finals of theNCAA tournament after the death of teammateHank Gathers. Kimble was selected by theLos Angeles Clippers in the first round of the1990 NBA draft with the eighth overall pick. He played three seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) with the Clippers and theNew York Knicks.
Kimble played prep ball withHank Gathers at Dobbins Technical High School in Philadelphia, with the pair leading the team to the Public League City championship in 1985.
Both Gathers and Kimble were recruited to theUniversity of Southern California by head coachStan Morrison and his top assistant, David Spencer. They were joined by high school All-American, Tom Lewis, and Rich Grande as the "Four Freshmen" star recruiting class.[1][2] Following an 11–17 season coaching USC, Morrison and Spencer were fired after the 1985–86 season was over, despite winning the Pac-10 the previous year. It was reported that the players would not remain unless certain conditions were met, including having a say in the next coaching staff.[1] USC hiredGeorge Raveling as the next head coach of the Trojans.[3] Raveling gave the players a deadline to respond whether they would remain on the team. When they did not respond, he revoked the scholarships of Gathers, Kimble, and Lewis.[4] Raveling's controversial[5] statement was, "You can't let the Indians run the reservation." "You've got to be strong, too. Sometimes you have to tell them that they have to exit," he said.[1] Kimble and Gathers transferred together from USC toLoyola Marymount University (LMU). Lewis transferred to Pepperdine. Grande remained at USC.
After sitting out the 1986–87 season as required underNCAA rules for transfer students, the pair became the centerpiece of arguably the most entertaining college team in history. TheLions' then-coachPaul Westhead installed an extraordinarily fast-paced game plan. On offense, LMU typically took shots within 10 seconds of gaining possession, with many of the shots being three-pointers. The Lions' defense was a full-court press designed to force opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game. Kimble led the nation in scoring in 1990 averaging 35.3 points per game, and he was also aconsensus second team All-American selection that year.[6][7] Kimble's teams ledDivision I in scoring in 1988 (110.3 points per game), 1989 (112.5), and 1990 (122.4).[8] LMU's 122.4 point per game in 1990 was still a record as of March 2019.[9] As of October 2010, Loyola Marymount held the five highest combined score games in Division I history. Four of the five occurred during Kimble's career, including a record 331 in the 181–150 win overUnited States International University on January 31, 1989.[10]
During the1990 WCC tournament, Gathers collapsed and died of a heart condition in LMU's semifinal againstPortland. As a result of Gathers's death, the tournament was suspended, and Loyola Marymount was given the league's automatic bid tothe NCAA tournament (as a No. 11 seed) due to their regular season championship. During LMU's subsequent run to theElite Eight, Kimble (who was right-handed), Gathers' friend and teammate, shot his firstfree throw of each game left-handed in memory of Gathers (although right-handed, he struggled so much with free throws that he tried shooting them left-handed for a time), making all three attempts (Kimble did not have any free-throw attempts in the Sweet 16 win over Alabama).[11]
Kimble's No. 30 and Gathers's No. 44 wereretired by LMU in a joint ceremony in 2000.[12][13] In 2005, the entire1989–90 team was inducted into Loyola Marymount's Hall of Fame.[14]
Later that year, Kimble was selected by theLos Angeles Clippers with the 8th overall pick of the1990 NBA draft. At the time, the Clippers were playing in theLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, the same building that Kimble played in with Gathers while they were at USC. As a rookie, he averaged 6.9 points per game and for his career averaged 5.5 points per game while mostly sitting on the end of the bench. Kimble revealed in 2015 that getting very little playing time despite his ability while the Clippers floundered drove him to considersuicide several times.[15] HisNBA career was plagued by injuries. In the summer of1992, Kimble was traded to theNew York Knicks as part of a three-team, six-player deal that broughtMark Jackson to the Clippers. Kimble played only nine games for the Knicks, and was released at the end of the season, bringing his brief NBA career to an end.
Kimble played for several years in theContinental Basketball Association after his NBA career ended. He played for theRapid City Thrillers,La Crosse Bobcats,Hartford Hellcats andYakima Sun Kings.[16]
In 2022, Kimble was appointed as head coach of the boys' basketball team atOverbrook High School in Philadelphia.[17] His brother, Jabbar, serves as his assistant coach.[17]
He starred in the 1991 movieHeaven is a Playground as fictional high school student Matthew Lockhart. Kimble co-founded and sits on the board of directors of Forty-Four for Life Foundation, a non-profit organization involved in reducing cardiac related fatalities.[18]
Los Angeles County declared July 17, 1990, "Bo Kimble Day" for "not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for providing a positive role model for Los Angeles' youth."[19]
On March 7, 2011, Kimble traveled toHolland, Michigan, to meet withFennville High School and Lawrence High School's varsity basketball team. Fennville had just lost their star player, Wes Leonard, after he collapsed and died moments after hitting the winning shot in the team's 57–55 overtime victory overBridgman High School in the last game of the regular season. Leonard's death, caused bycardiac arrest due to anenlarged heart, occurred one day shy of the 21st anniversary of Hank Gathers' death.[20][21]