Billy McKinney (basketball) facts for kids
Billy McKinney speaks at his number retirement night during the Northwestern vs. Iowa men's basketball game
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1955 Waukegan, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Zion-Benton (Zion, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Northwestern (1973–1977) |
| NBA Draft | 1977 / Round: 6 / Pick: 115th overall |
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
| Pro career | 1978–1985 |
| Career history | |
| 1978–1980 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1980 | Utah Jazz |
| 1980–1983 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1983–1984 | San Diego Clippers |
| 1985 | Chicago Bulls |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,823 (8.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 677 (1.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,661 (3.5 apg) |
William Mervin McKinney III (born June 5, 1955) is an American who used to play professional basketball. He was also a radio announcer for basketball games. Today, he is the mayor of Zion, Illinois. People called him "The Crazed Hummingbird" because he was so fast on the court.
Billy McKinney is 6 feet tall. He played basketball at Zion-Benton High School and then at Northwestern University. He studied education there. For 35 years, he was the top scorer for the Wildcats team. Another player, John Shurna, broke his record in 2012.
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Playing in the NBA
From 1978 to 1986, McKinney played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for several teams. These included the Kansas City Kings, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets. He also played for the San Diego Clippers and the Chicago Bulls. During his NBA career, he scored about 8 points and made 3.5 assists per game. An assist is when a player passes the ball to a teammate who then scores.
Life After Playing Basketball
After his playing career, Billy McKinney worked in different roles for NBA teams. He was an Assistant Vice President for the Bulls. He also worked as Director of Player Personnel for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Later, he became Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons. He was also an Executive Vice President for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. He held the same position for the WNBA's Seattle Storm.
Before becoming mayor, McKinney was a radio announcer. He provided commentary for the Minnesota Timberwolves games. In 2008, he joined the Milwaukee Bucks as their Director of Scouting. He became Vice-President of Scouting in 2015.
Becoming a Mayor
Billy McKinney was elected as the mayor of Zion, Illinois, in April 2019. He won the election with 1,281 votes, which was 63.10% of all votes. He ran against Ron Molinaro, who received 749 votes.
He was re-elected as mayor in April 2023. In that election, he received 1,017 votes. This was 83.22% of the total votes.
Honors and Recognition
On March 2, 2024, Northwestern University honored Billy McKinney. They retired his jersey number, 30. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again. It is a very special honor for a player.
Images for kids
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Billy McKinney speaks at his number retirement night during the Northwestern vs. Iowa men's basketball game
External links
- Billy-McKinney.com, McKinney's official website
- Career statistics and player information from Basketball-Reference.com
- Timberwolves Broadcasting Crew at NBA.com
- [1] Election Results
- [2] Mayor McKinney's about page - City of Zion, Illinois
See also
In Spanish: Billy McKinney para niños
