Jamaal Wilkes

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Jamaal Wilkes
Wilkes with UCLA c. 1971
Personal information
Born (1953-05-02) May 2, 1953 (age 70)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeUCLA (1971–1974)
NBA draft1974: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career1974–1985
PositionSmall forward
Number41, 52
Career history
1974–1977Golden State Warriors
1977–1985Los Angeles Lakers
1985Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points
14,644 (17.7 ppg)
Rebounds5,117 (6.2 rpg)
Assists2,050 (2.5 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2016

Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former

NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Nicknamed "Silk",[1] he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
.

Wilkes played

NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the team win a league title. Wilkes won three more NBA championships with the Lakers. His jersey No. 52 was retired
by both the Bruins and the Lakers.

Early life

Jackson Keith Wilkes was born in

Baptist minister, and Thelma (Benson) Wilkes.[4] Because he did not like the nickname Jackie, he went by Keith.[5]

Wilkes was the incoming student body president and an All-CIF basketball star at Ventura High School in 1969. However, his father became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, and the family moved there prior to his senior year. Starring for Santa Barbara High School with fellow future NBA player Don Ford, Wilkes was voted CIF Class 4A Player of the Year after leading the Dons to 26 consecutive wins[6] and to the playoff semifinals during the 1969–70 season.[7] Wilkes was an All-America Prep player at Santa Barbara High School.

Wilkes' number was retired by both Ventura and Santa Barbara High School.[8][9]

College career

Wilkes was a two-time consensus first-team

All-Pacific-8 selection (1973–1974),[10] a member of the 1972 NCAA All-Tournament Team, and a three-time first-team Academic All-American (1972–1974). Prior to joining the varsity team, Wilkes (20.0 ppg), along with Greg Lee (17.9 ppg) and Walton (18.1, 68.6 percent), was a member of the 20–0 UCLA Frosh team.[11]
Wilkes graduated from UCLA in 1974 with a BA in Economics.

In March 2007, Wilkes was inducted into the

Pac-10 Men's Basketball Hall of Honor. In an interview with the New York Post in 1985 and in several public speaking engagements, legendary coach John Wooden
stated, when asked to describe his ideal player: "I would have the player be a good student, polite, courteous, a good team player, a good defensive player and rebounder, a good inside player and outside shooter. Why not just take Jamaal Wilkes and let it go at that."

NBA career

Wilkes spent 12 professional seasons with the

Showtime Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985). One of the most memorable games of his career was the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers; Wilkes had 37 points and 10 rebounds, but was overshadowed by rookie teammate Magic Johnson, who started at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. "Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game", said Johnson in 2011. "Everybody talked about my 42 [points], but it was also his [37-point effort]."[12] An injury prevented him from playing in the 1985 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics
, yet the Lakers won the series in six games over the Celtics, 4–2.

In 1982, Wilkes signed a six-year $5.3 million contract with the Lakers.[13]

Wilkes missed the first seven games of the 1984 Playoffs due to a gastrointestinal virus. When he returned to action on May 8, he received a standing ovation from the Forum crowd.[1] He lost his starting spot to James Worthy early in the 1984–85 season and missed the final 40 games of the season and the playoffs after having torn ligaments in his left knee. The Lakers waived Wilkes on August 28, 1985, after he rehabilitated his knee,[14] and he was signed by the Clippers on September 27 for the league minimum salary. On December 24, 1985, Wilkes shocked the Clippers by announcing his retirement, noting his lack of contributions to the team.[13]

For his career, Wilkes registered 14,664 points (17.7 ppg) and 5,117 rebounds (6.2 rpg), averaging 16.1 ppg in 113

All-Star Games and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. The Sporting News named Wilkes to its NBA All-Pro Second Team three years. On April 2, 2012, Wilkes was announced as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction class of 2012. He formally entered the Hall on September 7.[15] On December 28, 2012, the Lakers retired Wilkes' jersey, number 52, and on January 17, 2013, UCLA retired his collegiate jersey, also number 52.[16]

Player profile

Wilkes played well without needing the ball in his hands. He was a threat shooting from outside, and was also able to drive inside. He had an unorthodox jump shot, which he developed as a child to be able to compete against bigger kids on the playground.[17]

Later years

Wilkes was hired as vice president of basketball operations by the Los Angeles Stars for the inaugural season of the new American Basketball Association (ABA) in 2000.[18] At Wilkes' request, Wooden also joined the Stars as a consultant.[19]

Personal life

Along with being one of the co-authors behind the book and audio course, Success Under Fire: Lessons For Being Your Best In Crunch Time, Wilkes became a motivational speaker.[citation needed] Upon his retirement from the NBA, he worked in real estate and financial services for 22 years. In 2003, along with business partner Liza Wayne, he founded Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, a firm specializing in wealth management.[citation needed]

Wilkes is a long-time resident of

University of California at Berkeley where he played as shooting guard (6'4") for the basketball team.[21] His youngest, Jordan (born August 10, 1987), also graduated from Berkeley, where he played center (7'0").[22] Only daughter Sabreen graduated from UCLA in 2005 (also playing volleyball
for the college) and went on to pursue a modeling and acting career.

Wilkes made his feature-film debut as Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton in the 1975 basketball-themed drama, Cornbread, Earl and Me.

Wilkes converted to Islam and legally changed his name to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef in 1975,[23] but he continued to use his birth surname only for purposes of public recognition.[2]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75† Golden State 82 – 30.7 .442 – .734 8.2 2.2 1.3 0.3 14.2
1975–76 Golden State 82 – 33.1 .463 – .772 8.8 2.0 1.2 0.4 17.8
1976–77 Golden State 76 – 33.9 .478 – .797 7.6 2.8 1.7 0.2 17.7
1977–78 L.A. Lakers 51 – 29.2 .440 – .716 7.5 3.6 1.5 0.4 12.9
1978–79 L.A. Lakers 82 – 35.5 .504 – .751 7.4 2.8 1.6 0.3 18.6
1979–80† L.A. Lakers 82 – 37.9 .535 .176 .808 6.4 3.0 1.6 0.3 20.0
1980–81 L.A. Lakers 81 – 37.4 .526 .077 .758 5.4 2.9 1.5 0.4 22.6
1981–82† L.A. Lakers 82 82 35.4 .525 .000 .732 4.8 1.7 1.1 0.3 21.1
1982–83 L.A. Lakers 80 80 31.9 .530 .000 .757 4.3 2.3 0.8 0.2 19.6
1983–84 L.A. Lakers 75 74 33.4 .514 .250 .743 4.5 2.9 1.0 0.5 17.3
1984–85† L.A. Lakers 42 8 18.1 .488 .000 .773 2.2 1.0 0.5 0.1 8.3
1985–86 L.A. Clippers 13 1 15.0 .400 .333 .815 2.2 1.2 0.5 0.2 5.8
Career 828 245 32.9 .499 .135 .759 6.2 2.5 1.3 0.3 17.7
All-Star 3 0 18.0 .481 – 1.000 4.7 2.3 1.3 0.0 11.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1975† Golden State 17 – 29.6 .446 – .702 7.0 1.6 1.5 0.8 15.0
1976 Golden State 13 – 34.6 .430 – .778 7.9 2.2 0.9 0.6 15.9
1977 Golden State 10 – 34.6 .429 – .821 8.0 1.6 1.6 0.6 15.5
1978 L.A. Lakers 3 – 36.0 .469 – .545 8.7 2.7 1.0 0.3 12.0
1979 L.A. Lakers 8 – 38.4 .477 – .676 8.5 2.0 1.9 0.3 18.4
1980† L.A. Lakers 16 – 40.8 .476 .000 .815 8.0 3.0 1.5 0.3 20.3
1981 L.A. Lakers 3 – 37.7 .438 .000 .667 2.7 1.3 0.3 0.3 18.0
1982† L.A. Lakers 14 – 38.2 .502 .000 .776 5.0 2.6 1.1 0.2 20.0
1983 L.A. Lakers 15 – 39.3 .498 .000 .614 6.0 3.4 1.3 0.7 19.9
1984 L.A. Lakers 14 – 14.0 .400 .000 .636 1.9 0.6 0.3 0.1 4.5
Career 113 – 33.6 .465 .000 .727 6.4 2.2 1.2 0.5 16.1

References

  1. ^ a b "Silk returns". The Dallas Morning News. May 9, 1984.
  2. ^ a b Cotton, Anthony (February 9, 1981). "Like Snow On A Bamboo Leaf". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Jamaal Wilkes Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  4. ^ "Honoring the Life of Reverend Leander Wilkes". capitolwords.org. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Bruce (August 28, 2012). "Jamaal Wilkes defined smooth". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Super Shot". independent.com. March 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Jamaal Wilkes". sbroundtable.org. February 5, 2011.
  8. ^ "Wilkes to be recognized prior to Ventura-Santa Barbara game". presidiosports.com. January 24, 2013.
  9. ^ "Honoring Jamaal Wilkes". independent.com. September 12, 2012.
  10. ^ "Pac-12 Conference 2011–12 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. 2011. p. 119. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  11. ^ 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, College Athletics Publishing Service, 1971
  12. ^ Medina, Mark (August 29, 2012). "Magic, Kareem among Jamaal Wilkes' presenters at Hall of Fame". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Wilkes Stuns Clippers by Announcing His Retirement". Los Angeles Times. December 25, 1985. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  14. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  15. ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2012" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  16. ^ Kartje, Ryan (January 16, 2013). "Jamaal Wilkes' No. 52 jersey to be retired at Thursday's game". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  17. Newspapers.com
    .
  18. ^ Shaikin, Bill (August 8, 2000). "Wilkes to Guide Team in ABA Revival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  19. ^ Crowe, Jerry (January 31, 2001). "Wooden Becomes Star Among the Stars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  20. The Register (CA)
    . p. C1, C12.
  21. ^ Omar Wilkes Cal profile
  22. ^ Jordan Wilkes Cal profile
  23. ^ "Wilkes wants name changed to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. July 26, 1975. p. 3B.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jamaal Wilkes.
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