Jamaal Wilkes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jamaal Wilkes

Wilkes with UCLA c. 1971
Personal information
Born	(1953-05-02) May 2, 1953 (age 71) Berkeley, California, U.S.
High school	Ventura (Ventura, California) Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, California)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (1971–1974)
NBA Draft	1974 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	1974–1985
Career history
1974–1977	Golden State Warriors
1977–1985	Los Angeles Lakers
1985	Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA champion (1975, 1980, 1982, 1985) 3× NBA All-Star (1976, 1981, 1983) 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1976, 1977) NBA Rookie of the Year (1975) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1975) No. 52 retired by Los Angeles Lakers 2× NCAA champion (1972, 1973) 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1973, 1974) No. 52 retired by UCLA Bruins
Career statistics
Points	14,644 (17.7 ppg)
Rebounds	5,117 (6.2 rpg)
Assists	2,050 (2.5 apg)

Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Nicknamed "Silk", he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wilkes played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American and won two NCAA championships under coach John Wooden. He was selected in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft by Golden State. In his first season with the Warriors, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the team win a league title. Wilkes won three more NBA championships with the Lakers. His jersey No. 52 was retired by both the Bruins and the Lakers.

Early life

Jackson Keith Wilkes was born in Berkeley, California. He was one of five children of L. Leander Wilkes, a Baptist minister, and Thelma (Benson) Wilkes. Because he did not like the nickname Jackie, Wilkes went by Keith. He grew up in Ventura, having moved there in the second grade when his father became the pastor at Olivet Baptist Church. Wilkes attended Washington Elementary School and Cabrillo Middle School. He skipped the fifth grade.

As a junior at Ventura High School in 1969, Wilkes earned his second all-league selection in the Channel League and was named the league's player of the year. Over the summer, his father became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, and the family moved there prior to his senior year. Wilkes was Ventura High's incoming student body president, and his parents allowed him to stay in Ventura. However, he decided right before the school year began that he did not want to be apart from his family. His decision to move was controversial, but his Ventura coach, Bob Swanson, supported him. "If he was my kid I would have done the same thing", said Swanson. "He was a 16-year-old kid. He belonged with his family."

Starring for Santa Barbara High School with fellow future NBA player Don Ford, Wilkes led the Dons to 26 consecutive wins, and reached the playoff semifinals during the 1969–70 season. Wilkes was voted the California Interscholastic Federation Class AAAA Player of the Year by the Helms Foundation. He was named a prep All-American by Parade, Scholastic Magazines, and Sunkist–Coach and Athlete.

Wilkes' number was retired by both Ventura and Santa Barbara High School.

College career

Wilkes was a two-time consensus first-team All-American at UCLA. He teamed with Bill Walton to bring UCLA the 1972 and 1973 NCAA titles, and a third-place finish in 1974. Wilkes was part of UCLA teams that won a record 88 consecutive games. In three years at UCLA, Wilkes averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg and shot 51.4 percent from the field. He was a two-time first-team All-Pacific-8 selection (1973–1974), a member of the 1972 NCAA All-Tournament Team, and a three-time first-team Academic All-American (1972–1974). Prior to joining the varsity team, Wilkes (20.0 ppg), along with Greg Lee (17.9 ppg) and Walton (18.1, 68.6 percent), was a member of the 20–0 UCLA Frosh team. Wilkes was an Academic All-American and graduated from UCLA in 1974 with a BA in economics.

In March 2007, Wilkes was inducted into the Pac-10 Men's Basketball Hall of Honor. In an interview with the New York Post in 1985 and in several public speaking engagements, legendary coach John Wooden stated, when asked to describe his ideal player: "I would have the player be a good student, polite, courteous, a good team player, a good defensive player and rebounder, a good inside player and outside shooter. Why not just take Jamaal Wilkes and let it go at that."

NBA career

Wilkes was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft with the 11th overall pick. In his first season in 1974–75, he became a starter after only eight games. He averaged 14.2 points per game, second on the Warriors behind Rick Barry (30.6), and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year en route to a sweep over Washington in the 1975 NBA Finals. Wilkes averaged 15.0 points in the playoffs, when he was also praised for his defense against Bob Love of Chicago and Washington's Elvin Hayes. The following season in 1975–76, Wilkes ranked second on the team in rebounding again, and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. His scoring average improved to 17.8 in the regular season and 15.9 in the postseason, as Golden State advanced to the Western Conference finals, which they lost in seven games. After three years with Golden State, averaging 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, Wilkes signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. According to Wilkes, then-Warriors general manager Dick Vertlieb had reneged on his promise to renegotate their contract if Wilkes had a good rookie showing; Vertlieb denied making such an agreement. Wilkes reportedly took less money by signing with the Lakers. He said "money isn't everything" and that he "needed a change of scenery, a fresh start". Returning to Southern California, where he grew up and went to college, weighed heavily in his decision.

The Lakers was coming off a league-high 53-win season, but had been eliminated 4–0 in the Western Conference finals by the eventual NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers. Wilkes was the top-rate forward that Lakers head coach Jerry West coveted. Wilkes' career with the Lakers began solidly in 1977–78, but a broken finger and other injuries limited him, and he was out much of the second half of the season, finishing with 51 games played and averaging 12.9 points. He flourished the following season with his best pro season to date, averaging 18.6 points per game with a field goal percentage of 50.4%. In 1979–80, Los Angeles traded 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) Adrian Dantley to Utah for 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) Spencer Haywood, the Lakers' first bona-fide power forward during Wilkes' stint with the team, switching him to small forward and freed from guarding players as much as 5 inches (13 cm) and 50 pounds (23 kg) bigger. He had played been playing power forward his entire NBA career, having paired with the small forward Barry at Golden State. Relieved from the pounding, Wilkes blossomed with the Lakers' fast break, averaging 20 points per game and shooting 53.5% that season. He helped the Showtime Lakers win three NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985). One of the most memorable games of his career was the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers; Wilkes had 37 points and 10 rebounds, but was overshadowed by rookie teammate Magic Johnson, who started at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. "Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game", said Johnson in 2011. "Everybody talked about my 42 [points], but it was also his [37-point effort]."

Wilkes had his best offensive season in 1980–81, when he averaged 22.6 points, which ranked 11th in the NBA, shot 52.6% and played in the 1981 NBA All-Star Game. However, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Houston in a best-of-three series. They bounced back in 1981–82, with Wilkes averaging 21.1 points and shooting 52.5%, as Los Angeles faced Philadelphia again in the 1982 NBA Finals. He scored a team-high 27 points in game 6 as the Lakers won the series 4–2. In 1982, Wilkes signed a six-year $5.3 million contract with the Lakers. In 1983–84, he missed seven regular season games and the first seven games of the playoffs due to a gastrointestinal virus. With persistent headaches, stomach cramps and cold chills, he initially though he had the flu. Upon returning on May 8 against Dallas, he received a standing ovation from the Forum crowd. Out of shape after the layoff, he saw limited play and shot just 40%. After the Lakers began 1984–85 season with a 3–5 record, he lost his starting spot to James Worthy. Wilkes' play eventually improved, culminating in a season-high 24 points in a win over Portland on January 29, 1985. Three days later against New York at the Forum on February 1, ligaments in his left knee were torn when the Knicks' Ernie Grunfeld ran into him, and Wilkes missed the final 40 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. He finished with then-career-lows of 42 games played and 8.3 points per game, but the Lakers won the 1985 NBA Finals over Boston with Worthy as one of their leaders.

Wilkes' leg atrophied, and he had to learn to walk again. After he played in the Southern California Summer Pro League and rehabilitated his knee, the Lakers waived him on August 28, 1985, with three years and $2.4 million remaining on his guaranteed contract. The team attributed the move to the NBA salary cap, freeing him to negotiate with any team without his Lakers' salary affecting that team. He was signed by the Los Angeles Clippers on September 27 for the league minimum salary of $70,000. However, he was out for almost a month of the season due to a sprained ankle. On December 24, Wilkes shocked the Clippers by announcing his retirement after a 12-year career, noting his lack of contributions to the team. He was averaging 5.8 points in 15 minutes per game.

For his career, Wilkes registered 14,664 points (17.7 ppg) and 5,117 rebounds (6.2 rpg), averaging 16.1 ppg in 113 postseason games. He played in the 1976, 1981, and 1983 All-Star Games and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice. The Sporting News named Wilkes to its NBA All-Pro Second Team three years. On April 2, 2012, Wilkes was announced as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction class of 2012. He formally entered the Hall on September 7. On December 28, 2012, the Lakers retired Wilkes' jersey, number 52, and on January 17, 2013, UCLA retired his collegiate jersey, also number 52.

Player profile

Wilkes was nicknamed "Silk" by his teammates at UCLA because of his smooth moves, both on an off the court. He played well without needing the ball in his hands. He was a threat shooting from outside, and was also able to drive inside. He had an unorthodox jump shot, which he developed as a child to be able to compete against bigger kids on the playground.

Later years

Wilkes was hired as vice president of basketball operations by the Los Angeles Stars for the inaugural season of the new American Basketball Association (ABA) in 2000. At Wilkes' request, Wooden also joined the Stars as a consultant.

Personal life

Wilkes and his wife had a daughter, Taara, who was born in 1977 with a hole in her heart and weighing just 3 pounds (1.4 kg). She died after four months. During that period, Wilkes separated from his wife and filed for a divorce, ending their two-year marriage.

Wilkes remarried in 1980, and they have two sons and a daughter. His older son, Omar (born May 13, 1984), graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he played as shooting guard (6'4") for the basketball team. He became a sports agent. His youngest, Jordan (born August 10, 1987), also graduated from Berkeley, where he played center (7'0"). He joined the Lakers' basketball operations staff before the 2014–15 season. Wilkes' daughter Sabreen played on the UCLA volleyball team.

After retiring from basketball, Wilkes worked in real estate, but he said there was "too much haggling and arguing", while he considered himself a "people person" and wanted to "help people solve problems". He then moved into financial services and motivational speaking. He was a co-author of the book Success Under Fire: Lessons For Being Your Best In Crunch Time. In 2003, he co-founded Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, a firm specializing in wealth management.

Wilkes made his feature-film debut playing the lead titular character of basketball player Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton in the 1975 drama Cornbread, Earl and Me. He co-authored his autobiography, Smooth as Silk: Memoirs of the Original, which released in 2015.

Wilkes converted to Islam and legally changed his name to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef in 1975, but he continued to use his birth surname only for purposes of public recognition.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Jamaal Wilkes para niños