Kevin Duckworth
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Jerome Duckworth | |
| birthday | April 1, 1964 | |
| place of birth | Harvey , Illinois , United States | |
| date of death | August 25, 2008 | |
| Place of death | Gleneden Beach, Oregon , United States | |
| size | 213 cm | |
| position | center | |
| college | Eastern Illinois | |
| NBA draft | 1986 , 33rd Pick, San Antonio Spurs | |
| Clubs as active | ||
1986 San Antonio Spurs 1986–1993 Portland Trail Blazers 1993–1995 Washington Bullets 1995–1996 Milwaukee Bucks 1996–1997 Los Angeles Clippers
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Kevin Jerome Duckworth (born April 1, 1964 in Harvey , Illinois , † August 25, 2008 in Gleneden Beach , Oregon ) was an American basketball player .
Career
Duckworth was selected in the 1986 NBA draft in the second draft round by the San Antonio Spurs . However, he was transferred to the Portland Trail Blazers in his first year as a pro. In Portland, he met a talented squad around Clyde Drexler , Jerome Kersey and Terry Porter . With the Blazers he was in the second year, due to numerous injuries of the nominal starters Sam Bowie and Steve Johnson , starter and improved his points average from 5.4 to 15.8. He was named Most Improved Player of the 1987/88 season.
With Portland he reached the playoffs, where he scored 21.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in 4 first round games. 1989 Duckworth received his first All-Star nomination and played his individually best season with 18.1 points and 8.0 rebounds. His second All-Star nomination followed in 1991. In 1990 and 1992 he reached the NBA finals with the Blazers. There, however, they were subject to the Detroit Pistons and later the Chicago Bulls .
Due to declining performance Duckworth was after the 1992-1993 season, for Harvey Grant , transferred to the Washington Bullets . Duckworth was struggling with weight problems and was rarely in shape. At the Bullets and later at the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers , he was only a role and supplementary player. After the 1996-97 season, he announced his retirement at the age of 32.
After his career, Duckworth ran a café in Vancouver with ex-NBA player Kermit Washington . He later relocated to Oregon , where he worked as a representative for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Duckworth died of heart failure on August 25, 2008, at the age of 44 . He collapsed in his hotel room and, despite attempts to resuscitate, could not be resuscitated.
Awards
- 2 × NBA All-Star : 1989, 1991
- NBA Most Improved Player Award 1988
Web links
- NBA.com profile
- Statistics at basketball-reference.com
- Remembering Kevin Duckworth as a Washington Bullet at truthaboutit.net
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Duckworth, Kevin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Duckworth, Kevin Jerome |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harvey |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 25, 2008 |
| Place of death | Gleneden Beach , Oregon |