Kenny Sears

Kenneth Robert Sears (August 17, 1933 – April 23, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He holds the distinction of being the first basketball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, appearing on the December 20, 1954 issue.

A 6'9" forward from Santa Clara University, Sears played eight seasons (1955–1961, 1962–1964) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks and San Francisco Warriors. He averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in his NBA career, appearing as an NBA All-Star in 1958 and 1959. Sears also led the NBA in field goal percentage twice (1959, 1960).

Sears spent the 1961–62 basketball season in the short-lived American Basketball League.