Kenny Gattison facts for kids
Gattison shoots in the 1986 NCAA tournament
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | May 23, 1964 Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| High school | New Hanover (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Old Dominion (1982–1986) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 55th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1986–1996 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1996–present | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1986–1989 | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Fulgor Libertas Forlì | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Quad City Thunder | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1995 | Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Vancouver Grizzlies | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | New Jersey Nets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Old Dominion (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2009 | New Orleans Hornets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 3,923 (7.9 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,327 (4.7 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 444 (0.7 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Kenneth Clay Gattison (born May 23, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked as an assistant coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents
Early Life and College Basketball
Kenny Gattison was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He grew up playing basketball at a local park. He even played against Michael Jordan when they were young. Kenny went to New Hanover High School. His team beat Jordan's team in the high school state championship.
Playing for Old Dominion
After high school, Kenny went to Old Dominion University. He was a great player there. He was named an All-American twice. Kenny holds the record for the most rebounds in the Sun Belt Conference. He had 963 rebounds during his college career. He also scored 1,623 points, which is 11th all-time at Old Dominion.
Kenny had 34 "double-doubles" in college. A double-double means getting double-digit numbers in two stats. For example, 10 points and 10 rebounds in one game. He scored double-digit points in 87 games. In 1983, Kenny was chosen for the U.S. Junior World Cup team. He helped Old Dominion reach the NCAA tournament twice. In 1986, his team won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
College Awards and Honors
Kenny Gattison received many awards in college. The Associated Press named him an All-American in 1985 and 1986. He was also named the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1986. Later, he was part of the Sun Belt Conference's All-Decade team.
Old Dominion University honored Kenny by retiring his number 44 jersey in 1992. This means no other player at ODU can wear that number. In 2004, his high school, New Hanover, named their basketball court after him. He was also inducted into the Greater Wilmington Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
Professional Basketball Career
In 1986, the Phoenix Suns picked Kenny Gattison in the NBA draft. He was the 55th player chosen overall. Kenny played nine seasons in the NBA. He played for three different teams.
NBA Teams and Highlights
Kenny played for the Phoenix Suns from 1986 to 1988. Then he joined the Charlotte Hornets from 1989 to 1995. His last NBA team was the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995-1996. He played in 494 NBA games. In total, he scored 3,923 points.
His best season was in 1991-1992 with the Charlotte Hornets. He played in all 82 games that season. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Kenny's shooting percentage with the Hornets was 52.9%. This is the best in the team's history.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Kenny Gattison became a basketball coach. He started as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1998.
Coaching Roles
Kenny returned to his college, Old Dominion, as an assistant coach from 2001 to 2003. He then became an assistant coach for the New Orleans Hornets (formerly the Charlotte Hornets) from 2003 to 2009.
He also worked as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks from 2010 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, he was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. This was a special role because he coached for his former team.
Current Role
Since September 2016, Kenny Gattison has been a Vice President. He works for the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA). This group helps former basketball players from the NBA and other leagues.
See also
In Spanish: Kenny Gattison para niños
