Pee Wee Kirkland

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Pee Wee Kirkland
Born
Richard Kirkland

(1945-05-06) May 6, 1945 (age 78)
Charles Evans Hughes High School
Alma materKittrell College, Norfolk State University

Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland (born May 6, 1945) is a former American streetball player and drug kingpin.

Career

Basketball

Born in

drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the fourth pick in the thirteenth round. It is speculated that he turned the offer down because he was making more money in current ventures, including being a drug dealer, than he would in professional basketball.[2][3] At the time, the opportunities offered to him outside of the NBA were far more lucrative, in terms of financial gain and public recognition.[4][dubious – discuss] Kirkland was imprisoned for committing crimes, first in 1971 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. [citation needed
]

He also played in prison from 1981 to 1988 at Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in Texas. In the Anthracite Basketball League of central Pennsylvania he scored 100 and 135 points in two different games.[citation needed]

Motivational speaker

Kirkland travels the country speaking to youth about decision-making and pathways to success, in addition to self-esteem and other various issues plaguing the inner-cities of America.

He presents his messages in the "School of Skillz"—a basketball and life skills campaign that is co-sponsored by Nike. The camps began in the 1990s on Saturdays in Harlem and has since become a nationwide endeavor. He has won championships as a high school coach at The Dwight School, a prestigious private school on the Upper West Side, in New York City. One of his early breakthroughs involved reaching out to youth such as Hanif "Camel" Warren. As an educator and social worker, Kirkland utilizes the respect he receives from young people because of his gangster past to reach at-risk youth and break down their misconceptions about "keepin' it real" on the streets.[5]

Kirkland earned a master's degree in human services from Lincoln University.[6]

Media

In the basketball film

Curren$y and Young Dolph. He also appears in the documentary Sneaker Stories, filmed in 2008. Most recently, he appeared in the documentary Doin' It in the Park filmed in 2012 about the New York outdoor courts and players who lived on them.[8]
He is also mentioned by South Memphis rapper Young Dolph as a featured artist in the song 'All Work' by well-known rapper Curren$y where Dolph describes himself as a legend just as Pee Wee Kirkland. Kirkland also makes an appearance as himself in the 2018 basketball comedy Uncle Drew. On June 24, 2023, Kirkland was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame[citation needed].

References

  1. ^ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (1997-01-12). "The Legend of Pee Wee Kirkland Grows". The New York Times Print Edition. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  2. JSTOR 466817
    .
  3. ^ ESPN.com Interview by Mary Buckheit "Pee Wee Kirkland: From American gangster to crossover legend"
  4. ^ "Social Text", No. 50, The Politics of Sport (Spring, 1997), pp. 97-110
  5. ^ ESPN.com Interview by Mary Buckheit "Pee Wee Kirkland: From American gangster to crossover legend"
  6. ^ ESPN.com Interview by Mary Buckheit "Pee Wee Kirkland: From American gangster to crossover legend"
  7. ^ "Richard Ray Kirkland". IMDb.
  8. ^ Doin' It in the Park, a film about pick up basketball
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