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
Kenny Gattison: A Basketball Star
Early Life and College Days
Kenny Gattison was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He grew up loving basketball. He often played at the park with a famous future player, Michael Jordan.
High School Rivalries
Kenny went to New Hanover High School. He even played against Michael Jordan's team. Kenny's team won the high school state championship! Years later, in 2004, New Hanover High School named its basketball court after him. In 2013, he joined the Greater Wilmington Area Sports Hall of Fame.
College Success at ODU
After high school, Kenny went to Old Dominion University (ODU). He was a fantastic player there. He was named an All-American twice. Kenny holds the record for the most rebounds in the Sun Belt Conference, with 963. He is also fourth all-time in rebounds at ODU. He scored 1,623 points in his college career, ranking 11th at ODU.
Kenny had 34 "double-doubles" (meaning he got double digits in two stats, like points and rebounds) and scored double figures in 87 games. He played for the U.S. Junior World Cup team in 1983. In 1985, he averaged 16.1 points per game. The next year, in 1986, he averaged 17.4 points per game.
He helped ODU reach the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament two years in a row. In 1986, his senior year, ODU won their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament game. They beat West Virginia. That same year, Kenny made an amazing 63.7% of his shots.
Kenny was recognized as an All-American by the Associated Press in both 1985 and 1986. He was also named the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1986. Later, he was chosen for the Sun Belt Conference's All-Decade team. The ODU Alumni Association named him the 1986 Male Athlete of the Year.
Kenny graduated from Old Dominion with a degree in education. In 1991, he was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame. A year later, in 1992, ODU retired his jersey number 44. This means no other player at ODU can wear that number.
Playing in the NBA
Joining the Suns and Hornets
The Phoenix Suns picked Kenny in the 1986 NBA draft. He was the 55th player chosen overall. Kenny played for nine seasons in the NBA. He played for three different teams. These teams were the Phoenix Suns (1986–87, 1988), the Charlotte Hornets (1989–95), and the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–96).
He was traded to the Orlando Magic in 1996. Later that year, the Magic traded him to the Utah Jazz. However, he did not play in any games for either of those teams.
Career Highlights
During his NBA career, Kenny Gattison played in 494 games. He scored a total of 3,923 points. His best season was during the 1991–92 NBA season with the Charlotte Hornets. He played in all 82 games that year. He started 71 of those games. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Kenny Gattison's shooting percentage with the Charlotte Hornets is the best in the team's history. He made 52.9% of his shots.
Life After Playing: Coaching
From Player to Coach
After he stopped playing basketball, Kenny Gattison became a coach. He worked as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1998. He helped coach under John Calipari.
In 2001, he went back to his old college, Old Dominion. He was an assistant coach there until 2003.
Helping Other Teams
In 2003, Kenny became an assistant coach for the New Orleans Hornets. This was his former team, the Charlotte Hornets, which had moved and changed its name. He stayed with them until 2009.
On July 28, 2010, Kenny was named an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. He worked under head coach Larry Drew.
Later, on June 25, 2013, he became an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. This was another one of his former teams. He coached under Jeff Hornacek, who was a teammate of his. His time with the Suns ended in 2015.
In 2016, Kenny Gattison took on a new role. He became Vice President of membership and Player Programming for the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA). This group helps former players from different basketball leagues.
See also
In Spanish: Kenny Gattison para niños
