Larry Kenon facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1952 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| High school | Ullman (Birmingham, Alabama) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
|
| NBA Draft | 1973 / Round: 3 / Pick: 50th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Pro career | 1973–1983 |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1975 | New York Nets |
| 1975–1980 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1980–1982 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1982–1983 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1983 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1984–1985 | Wyoming Wildcatters |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,954 (17.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,701 (8.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,672 (2.2 apg) |
Muhsin Kenon (born Larry Joe Kenon, December 13, 1952) is a former American professional basketball player. During his playing days, 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 teams like the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. People called him "KAT," "Mr. K," and "Special K."
Contents
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.
Leading the Tigers
In his junior year, during 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 to the NCAA championship game.
Championship Game and Awards
In that big game, his team played against the Bill Walton-led UCLA Bruins. Even though they lost, Larry's performance was outstanding. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year that season. After this successful year, Larry decided to become a professional basketball player.
Playing in the ABA
In 1973, Larry Kenon was chosen by two different professional basketball leagues. The Detroit Pistons picked him in the NBA draft. At the same time, the Memphis Tams from the ABA also drafted him. However, the New York Nets in the ABA got his draft rights.
Winning an ABA Championship
Larry joined the New York Nets for his first professional season in 1973–74. He played alongside the famous Julius Erving. In his rookie year, Larry averaged almost 16 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. His team, the Nets, went on to win the 1974 ABA Championship.
Moving to the Spurs
After averaging 18.7 points in the 1974–75 season, Larry was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. He continued to play well, averaging 18.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. This was the Spurs' last season in the ABA. Soon after, the Spurs, Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers joined the NBA.
ABA All-Star and Slam Dunk Contest
Larry Kenon was chosen for the ABA All-Star Team in all three of his ABA seasons. He even took part in the very first Slam Dunk Contest during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. In his 249 ABA games, Larry scored 4,419 points and grabbed 2,759 rebounds. This means he averaged about 17.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
NBA Career Highlights
Larry Kenon had his best years in the NBA playing for the San Antonio Spurs. He teamed up with another great player, George Gervin. For four seasons, both players averaged at least 20 points per game.
Top Scoring Seasons
In those four NBA seasons, Larry's scoring averages were impressive:
- 21.9 points per game in 1976–77
- 20.6 points per game in 1977–78
- 22.1 points per game in 1978–79
- 20.1 points per game in 1979–80
He also grabbed at least 10.7 rebounds per game in each of those seasons. His highest was 12.0 rebounds in 1976–77.
NBA All-Star Appearances
Larry was selected for the NBA All-Star team twice, in 1978 and 1979.
Later Career and Overall Stats
After the 1979–80 season, Larry signed with the Chicago Bulls. His playing time went down, but he still averaged 14.1 points per game. This was his last really strong season. In his seven NBA seasons, Larry played 503 games and scored 8,535 points, averaging 17.0 points per game. When you combine his ABA and NBA totals, he scored 12,954 points, averaging 17.2 points per game.
Amazing Achievements
Larry Kenon had some special moments and records during his career.
NBA Steals Record
On December 26, 1976, in a game against the Kansas City Kings, Larry set an NBA record. He recorded eleven steals in that single game! This record was later tied by Kendall Gill in 1999. In that same game, Larry also had 29 points and 15 rebounds. This is a rare achievement called a points-rebounds-steals triple-double.
Retired Jersey Number
The University of Memphis honored Larry Kenon by retiring his number 35 jersey. This means no other player on the Memphis Tigers basketball team will wear that number again. Many consider him one of the most successful professional basketball players to come from the University of Memphis.
Personal Life
After he stopped playing basketball, Larry Kenon became a Muslim. He now goes by the name Muhsin Kenon.
ABA and NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Kenon's team won an ABA championship |
| Bold | Denotes career highs |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74† | New York (ABA) | 84 | – | 34.6 | .462 | .000 | .703 | 11.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
| 1974–75 | New York (ABA) | 84 | – | 37.7 | .509 | .500 | .770 | 10.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 18.7 |
| 1975–76 | San Antonio (ABA) | 81 | – | 36.0 | .481 | .000 | .781 | 11.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 18.7 |
| 1976–77 | San Antonio | 78 | – | 37.6 | .492 | – | .823 | 11.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 21.9 |
| 1977–78 | San Antonio | 81 | – | 35.4 | .489 | – | .854 | 9.5 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 20.6 |
| 1978–79 | San Antonio | 81 | – | 36.4 | .504 | – | .845 | 9.8 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 22.1 |
| 1979–80 | San Antonio | 78 | – | 35.9 | .485 | .111 | .783 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 20.1 |
| 1980–81 | Chicago | 77 | – | 28.1 | .480 | – | .735 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 14.1 |
| 1981–82 | Chicago | 60 | 30 | 17.3 | .466 | – | .568 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.2 |
| 1982–83 | Chicago | 5 | 0 | 5.0 | .333 | – | .800 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 1982–83 | Golden State | 11 | 0 | 11.0 | .436 | – | .636 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| 1982–83 | Cleveland | 32 | 7 | 19.5 | .472 | .000 | .761 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| Career | 752 | 37 | 32.6 | .487 | .143 | .784 | 8.9 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 17.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974† | New York (ABA) | 14 | – | 33.6 | .495 | – | .613 | 11.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 15.8 |
| 1975 | New York (ABA) | 5 | – | 39.8 | .534 | – | .765 | 12.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 21.4 |
| 1976 | San Antonio (ABA) | 7 | – | 39.6 | .466 | .333 | .900 | 11.4 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 21.4 |
| 1977 | San Antonio | 2 | – | 39.5 | .485 | – | 1.000 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 17.0 |
| 1978 | San Antonio | 6 | – | 33.3 | .447 | – | .737 | 9.2 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 17.7 |
| 1979 | San Antonio | 14 | – | 39.8 | .438 | – | .736 | 11.4 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 21.1 |
| 1980 | San Antonio | 3 | – | 27.0 | .294 | – | .545 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.7 |
| 1981 | Chicago | 6 | – | 19.0 | .391 | .000 | .500 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 6.7 |
| Career | 57 | – | 34.7 | .459 | .250 | .725 | 10.1 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 17.2 | |
See also
In Spanish: Muhsin Kenon para niños
- List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game
