Larry Kenon facts for kids

Muhsin Kenon (born Larry Joe Kenon, December 13, 1952) is a former professional basketball player from America. During his time playing basketball, he was known as Larry Kenon.

Larry was a tall forward at 6 feet 9 inches. He had a very successful career in two major basketball leagues: the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for several teams, including the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. People called him by fun nicknames like "KAT," "Mr. K," and "Special K."

College Basketball Journey

Larry Kenon started his college basketball career at Amarillo College. Later, he moved to Memphis State University to play for their team, the Tigers.

In his junior year, which was the 1972–73 season, Larry was amazing. He scored about 20 points and grabbed nearly 17 rebounds in each game. He helped lead the Memphis Tigers all the way to the NCAA championship game. This is a huge tournament where the best college teams compete. However, they lost to the Bill Walton-led UCLA Bruins in that final game. After this great season, where he was named the best player in the Missouri Valley Conference, Larry decided to become a professional basketball player.

Playing in the ABA League

In 1973, two different basketball leagues wanted Larry Kenon. The Detroit Pistons chose him in the NBA draft. At the same time, the Memphis Tams from the ABA league also drafted him. But it was the New York Nets who got his rights to play in the ABA.

During his first season, the 1973–74 year, Larry was a rookie. He scored about 16 points and grabbed 11.5 rebounds per game. He played alongside the famous Julius Erving on the Nets team. Together, they won the 1974 ABA Championship, which was a big win!

In the 1974–75 season, Larry continued to play well, averaging 18.7 points. After that season, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. He kept up his strong performance, averaging 18.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in his final ABA season. The Spurs then joined the NBA, along with the Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers.

Larry was chosen for the ABA All-Star Team in all three of his seasons in the league. He even took part in the very first Slam Dunk Contest during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. In total, he played 249 games in the ABA. He scored 4,419 points and grabbed 2,759 rebounds, showing how important he was to his teams.

Joining the NBA League

Larry Kenon had the best years of his career when he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He played alongside another great player, George Gervin. For four seasons after the ABA and NBA leagues merged, both Larry and George scored at least 20 points per game.

In those four NBA seasons, Larry's scoring was impressive. He averaged 21.9 points in 1976–77, 20.6 points in 1977–78, 22.1 points in 1978–79, and 20.1 points in 1979–80. He was also selected for the NBA All-Star team in both 1978 and 1979. Plus, he grabbed at least 10.7 rebounds per game in each of those four seasons, with a high of 12.0 rebounds in 1976–77.

After the 1979–80 season, Larry signed with the Chicago Bulls. Even though he played fewer minutes per game there, he still averaged 14.1 points. This was his last season where he played a major role.

Throughout his seven seasons in the NBA, Larry played 503 games. He scored 8,535 points, averaging 17.0 points per game. When you combine his points from both the NBA and ABA, he scored a total of 12,954 points, averaging 17.2 points per game.

Amazing Achievements

Larry Kenon achieved some remarkable things during his basketball career:

• On December 26, 1976, in a game against the Kansas City Kings, Larry set an NBA record. He made eleven steals in a single game! This record was later tied by another player, Kendall Gill, in 1999. In that same game, Larry also scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. This made it a rare "triple-double" with points, rebounds, and steals.
• The University of Memphis has honored Larry by retiring his jersey number, 35. This means no other player on the Memphis Tigers team will ever wear that number again. Many people believe he had one of the most successful professional careers of any basketball player from Memphis.

Life After Basketball

After he stopped playing professional basketball, Larry Kenon became a Muslim. He now goes by the name Muhsin Kenon.

See also

In Spanish: Muhsin Kenon para niños

• List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game