Kevin Willis

Kevin Alvin Willis (born September 6, 1962) is an American retired professional basketball player mostly known for playing with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 7-foot power forward/center.

Willis is one of fifteen players in NBA history with over 16,000 career points and 11,000 career rebounds. He was named to the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team in 1992, when he finished the season with a career-high average of 15.5 rebounds a game. Willis holds career averages of 12.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 0.9 apg while averaging 27 minutes per game in 21 NBA seasons. He shares the record for most seasons played in the NBA with Robert Parish and Kevin Garnett.

During the 2004–05 season, Willis was the oldest player in the league at age 42, and he would continue to be until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2006–07 season at the age of 44.

High School and College Career

Born in Los Angeles, Willis graduated from Pershing High School in Detroit and joined the basketball team in his junior year. Willis played competitively at Jackson College for his freshman season and transferred to Michigan State University, where he would play three seasons as a fashion and textiles major.

Atlanta Hawks

He was selected in the 1984 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He played with the Hawks for nine seasons (plus two games of a tenth season) until 1994. Willis teamed with Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb, and Doc Rivers to frequently guide the Hawks to playoff appearances as well as providing a fierce rebounding presence in the post. Near the end of his stint with the Hawks, he and Wilkins were both made team captains.

Miami Heat

Willis was traded to the Miami Heat in 1994.

Golden State Warriors

After that he played with the Golden State Warriors.

Houston Rockets

He served two separate stints with the Houston Rockets.

Denver Nuggets

He also spent two stints with the Denver Nuggets

Toronto Raptors

He also spent some time with the Toronto Raptors.

San Antonio Spurs

Now quite old, Willis joined the San Antonio Spurs. It was in 2003 with the Spurs that he finally won an NBA Championship ring.

Return to the Atlanta Hawks

Willis returned to the Hawks for one more season in 2004–05, and by doing so, positioned himself to be the oldest player in the league.

Dallas Mavericks

On March 30, 2007, The Dallas Morning News reported that Willis needed only to pass a physical to be able to sign with the Western Conference-leading Dallas Mavericks. Willis, who did not play in 2005–06, was reported to take the team's vacant 15th roster spot. The deal became official when he signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks on April 2, 2007. He appeared in 5 late regular season games and was on the Mavericks playoff roster as the 12th man but did not play in the Mavericks shock early first round exit. By playing five games during 2006–07, Willis became the oldest person to play more than one game in an NBA season (Providence Steamrollers coach Nat Hickey activated himself for one game in 1948, at 45 years and 363 days old.) Hall of Famer Robert Parish, who – at age 43 – played 43 games with the Chicago Bulls in 1996–97, previously held many of Willis’ longevity and age-based records.

Retirement

Willis ended his playing career after the 2007 season, returning to his clothing business, Willis & Walker. The Atlanta-based company, which specializes in custom wear for big and tall men, was founded in 1988 by Willis and former Michigan State teammate Ralph Walker.

In 2007, Willis made three appearances on the Spike TV reality show, Pros vs Joes.

Regular season

Playoffs