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Leonard King (basketball)

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Leonard King
Personal information
Born1966 (age 57–58)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
High schoolCleveland Heights
(Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
CollegeFlorida A&M (1984–1989)
NBA draft1989: undrafted
Playing career1991–2004
PositionGuard / forward
Coaching career2007–2013
Career history
As player:
1991–1998Otago Nuggets
1999–2000North Otago Penguins
2004Otago Nuggets
As coach:
2007–2010Mackay Meteors
2011Brisbane Spartans
2012–2013Northside Wizards
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

  • 2× QBL Coach of the Year (2009, 2010)

Leonard King (born 1966[1]) is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida A&M Rattlers before playing the majority of his career in New Zealand with the Otago Nuggets. Listed as a forward in college,[2] he was named the recipient of the New Zealand NBL Most Outstanding Guard Award in 1994.

High school and college career

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King attended Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he was named Class AAA All-Ohio as a senior in 1983–84.[3]

King played college basketball for the Florida A&M Rattlers between 1984 and 1989. He sat out the 1987–88 season. In 107 games, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.[2]

Professional career

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As a professional, King played in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and New Zealand.[1]

King played for the Otago Nuggets in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) from 1991 to 1998 and again in 2004.[4] He was named NZNBL Most Outstanding Guard in 1994 and earned NZNBL All-Star Five honors in 1994 and 1995.[5][6] He played 181 games for the Nuggets[7] and averaged more than 25 points a game.[8] As of 2019, he is the franchise's all time leader in points, rebounds and steals, as well as second in assists and blocks.[7]

In 1999 and 2000, King played for the North Otago Penguins in the Conference Basketball League (CBL). He helped them win back-to-back championships and earned the Most Valuable Player award in 2000.[9][10]

Coaching career

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Following the conclusion of his playing career, King began working with Basketball New Zealand as a high performance coach. He was an assistant coach with the New Zealand Tall Blacks in 2005 and 2006.[1]

In 2007, King moved to Queensland, Australia, to coach the Mackay Meteors in the Queensland Basketball League (QBL).[11][12] He was named the QBL Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2010.[13] He left the Meteors following the 2010 season.[14]

In 2011, King served as head coach of the Brisbane Spartans of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).[15][16]

In 2012 and 2013, King served as head coach of the Northside Wizards in the QBL.[17][18]

King worked for Basketball Queensland during the 2010s and was the Emerging Boomers' assistant coach in 2016. In 2017, he returned to Basketball New Zealand as their general manager for high performance.[19]

Personal life

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King and his wife Tracey have two children, Tylah and Mojave.[1] His son is also a professional basketball player.[20]

King's great-grandmother was full Native American while his grandfather was half Native American and half African American.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Seconi, Adrian (December 17, 2011). "Basketball: Otago still much a part of former Nuggets star". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Leonard King". sports-reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "83-84 All-Ohio Teams" (PDF). ohsaa.org. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Seconi, Adrian (December 6, 2008). "Nuggets' demise saddens stalwarts". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  5. ^ "2005 League Handbook" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  6. ^ "2015 Bartercard NBL Handbook" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Cheshire, Jeff (April 10, 2019). "Young Dunedin-born player turning heads in US". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Meikle, Hayden (January 2, 2012). "Best of the rest: Leonard King, an All-Star and outstanding guard". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  9. ^ "CBL Final". plug.co.nz. August 25, 1999. Archived from the original on January 18, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "2000". basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "Mackay Meteors and Meteorettes score coup with NZ signing". couriermail.com.au. February 28, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Coach fires at player tactics". couriermail.com.au. December 8, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2023. King came from New Zealand eight months ago, where he was the high performance coach for the men's national team, to manage the Meteors.
  13. ^ "QBL AWARD WINNERS". qbl.basketballqld.com.au. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Payne, Charlie (November 9, 2010). "Coach King to leave the Meteors". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Payne, Charlie (January 13, 2011). "Gypsy king moving on from Mackay". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  16. ^ "King to rule at Spartans". Southern Districts Basketball Association. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "King to lead the Wizards". facebook.com/northsidewizards. December 2, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "QBL State Champions & Award Winners". qbl.basketballqld.com.au. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  19. ^ "Australian Leonard King returns to take on Basketball New Zealand high performance role". stuff.co.nz. October 20, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  20. ^ Santamaria, Liam (April 11, 2019). "Meet Mojave King: Australian Basketball's Next Big Thing". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  21. ^ Glier, Ray (August 8, 2019). "From Down Under, With a Nod to the Mojave Desert, Comes a New Hoops Star". OZY Media. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
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