| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-04-01)April 1, 1964 Harvey, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 2008(2008-08-25) (aged 44) Gleneden Beach, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thornridge (Dolton, Illinois) |
| College | Eastern Illinois (1982–1986) |
| NBA draft | 1986: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Antonio Spurs |
| Playing career | 1986–1997 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 54, 00 |
| Career history | |
| 1986 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986–1993 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1993–1995 | Washington Bullets |
| 1995–1996 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1996–1997 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 8,085 (11.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,945 (5.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 598 (0.9 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Kevin Jerome Duckworth (April 1, 1964 – August 25, 2008) was an American professionalbasketball player who played ascenter in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). A native ofIllinois, he playedcollege basketball for theEastern Illinois Panthers before being selected by theSan Antonio Spurs in the second round of the1986 NBA draft. Before completing his rookie season with the Spurs, he was traded to thePortland Trail Blazers where he spent most of his six seasons and was named theNBA's Most Improved Player and a two-timeAll-Star. After playing with three more teams he retired in 1997 and returned toOregon where he would later work for the Trail Blazers' organization.
Duckworth was born inHarvey, Illinois, and grew up inChicago, where he played basketball atThornridge High School.[1] 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 attendedEastern Illinois University (EIU), where he set a university record of 867rebounds, a record that still held at the time of his death.[1] He also led EIU to theMid-Continent Conference Tournament Championship in 1985 and was the tournament MVP in 1986.[1]
Duckworth was the ninth pick in the 2nd round of the1986 NBA draft, chosen by theSan Antonio Spurs. Later that season, he was traded to thePortland Trail Blazers for rookieWalter Berry.
His rookie season was unspectacular, as Duckworth came off the bench to back up centerSteve Johnson (who in turn got the starting center position whenSam Bowie 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 7.4rebounds per game. Also, after having previously never averaged over 70.0percent from thefree throw line, he shot 77% that year, rebounded well, and played good defense – earning him the1988NBA Most Improved Player Award.
The following season, Duckworth improved his averages to 18.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, and was named to theWestern ConferenceAll-Star team. After the1988–89 campaign, Bowie was traded to theNew Jersey Nets forBuck Williams and Steve Johnson. Johnson was left unprotected in the 1989expansion draft, allowing Duckworth to become the starting center.
The1990 and1991 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 theNBA Finals in 1990, and posting a 63–19 record in 1990–91. The presence of Williams as the startingpower forward, with rebounding as his main assignment, allowed Duckworth to concentrate on scoring and defense.[citation needed] In 1991 Duckworth was selected as anNBA All-Star for a second time.
Duckworth's production began to slip in1991–92, he was outplayed at times in the1992 NBA Finals and was even less productive throughout the following season. At the end of1992–93, Duckworth was traded to theWashington Bullets forforwardHarvey Grant.
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.[2] He was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks forBob McCann during the 1995–96 season, missing most of the season due to injuries. He then played for theLos Angeles Clippers in1996–97, after which he retired from professional basketball.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | San Antonio | 14 | 1 | 8.7 | .400 | .000 | .643 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.2 |
| 1986–87 | Portland | 51 | 0 | 14.8 | .491 | .000 | .692 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 6.0 |
| 1987–88 | Portland | 78 | 50 | 28.5 | .496 | .000 | .770 | 7.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 15.8 |
| 1988–89 | Portland | 79 | 79 | 33.7 | .477 | .000 | .757 | 8.0 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 18.1 |
| 1989–90 | Portland | 82 | 82 | 30.0 | .478 | .000 | .740 | 6.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 16.2 |
| 1990–91 | Portland | 81 | 81 | 31.0 | .481 | .000 | .772 | 6.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 15.8 |
| 1991–92 | Portland | 82 | 82 | 27.1 | .461 | .000 | .690 | 6.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 10.7 |
| 1992–93 | Portland | 74 | 55 | 23.8 | .438 | .000 | .730 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 9.9 |
| 1993–94 | Washington | 69 | 52 | 21.5 | .417 | .000 | .667 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 6.6 |
| 1994–95 | Washington | 40 | 22 | 20.5 | .442 | .200 | .643 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
| 1995–96 | Milwaukee | 8 | 1 | 7.3 | .214 | .000 | .500 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| 1996–97 | L.A Clippers | 26 | 22 | 14.8 | .437 | .750 | .688 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.0 |
| Career | 684 | 527 | 25.5 | .468 | .208 | .736 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 11.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Portland | 4 | 0 | 13.3 | .500 | .000 | .400 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| 1988 | Portland | 4 | 4 | 37.8 | .486 | .000 | .783 | 11.0 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 21.5 |
| 1989 | Portland | 3 | 3 | 27.7 | .400 | .000 | .545 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 11.3 |
| 1990 | Portland | 15 | 15 | 30.2 | .439 | .000 | .717 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 13.1 |
| 1991 | Portland | 16 | 16 | 31.9 | .401 | .000 | .732 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 11.7 |
| 1992 | Portland | 21 | 21 | 30.8 | .495 | .000 | .660 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 11.9 |
| 1993 | Portland | 4 | 0 | 14.5 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 4.5 |
| Career | 67 | 59 | 29.2 | .447 | .000 | .702 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 11.7 | |
In 1996, Duckworth andKermit Washington opened Le'SlamSports Cafe inVancouver, Washington.[3][4] He settled inTigard, Oregon, 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.[5]
Duckworth died ofheart failure on August 25, 2008, inGleneden 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 ashypertrophic cardiomyopathy withcongestive heart failure. He was 44.[6]
Following his death, thePortland Trail Blazers and theOregon Community Foundation established a memorial scholarship in Duckworth's name for college and professional training for students in Oregon and Southwest Washington,[7] thePortland Trail Blazers wore a memorial stripe on their jerseys and a patch on their warmups stitched with Duckworth's number ('00') during the2008–09 season,[8] and thePortland City Council renamed the L-shaped dock adjacent to the floating portion ofVera Katz Eastbank Esplanade after Duckworth, calling it theKevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock.[9][10] Led by the advocacy ofHuman 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.[11][12][13]
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