Kenny Gattison
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Clay Gattison is an American former professional
basketball
player and current NBA
assistant coach.
. He is the Sun Belt Conference's all-time rebound leader with 963 recoveries, and ranks fourth all-time at ODU. His 1,623 career points ranks him 11th all-time in ODU history.
Kenny performed 34 double-doubles and had 87 double figure games. Gattison competed in the 1983 National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs for the East Squad. He also was selected to the U.S. Junior World Cup team in 1983. Gattison averaged 16.1 points per game for ODU in 1985 and
17.4 points per game in 1986. He helped lead ODU to two straight NCAA Tournament bids and in his senior year of 1986, the eighth seeded Monarchs defeated West Virginia for ODU's first ever NCAA Division I Tournament win. That same year, Gattison shot .637 (218–342) from the field.
Gattison was named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press
in 1985 and 1986. He was named the Sun Belt Conference
Player of the Year in 1986, and was later named to the Sun Belt Conference's All-Decade team. The ODU Alumni Association named Gattison as the 1986 Male Athlete of the Year. Gattison graduated from Old Dominion with a degree in distributive education, specializing in personnel management. Gattison is also a 1991 ODU Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
in the 3rd round (55th overall) of the 1986 NBA Draft
. A 6'8" forward-center, Gattison played in nine NBA seasons for 3 different teams. He played for the Phoenix Suns
(1986–87, 1988), Charlotte Hornets (1989–95) and Vancouver Grizzlies
(1995–96). On February 22, 1996 he was traded by the Grizzlies to the Orlando Magic
, and on August 9, 1996 Magic traded him to Utah Jazz
, but he did not appear in any games for those teams.
In his NBA career, Gattison played in 494 games and scored a total of 3,923 points. His best season as a professional came during the 1991–92 NBA season as a member of the Hornets, appearing in 82 games (71 starts) and averaging 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
's staff with the NBA New Jersey Nets
from 1996–98. He then returned to his alma mater, Old Dominion in 2001 as an assistant coach until 2003 when he was named assistant coach with his former team, the New Orleans (former Charlotte) Hornets. He remained with New Orleans until June 2009.
On July 28, 2010, Gattison was named an assistant coach to the Atlanta Hawks
under head coach Larry Drew
.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and current NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
assistant coach.
College career
Kenny Gattison was a four-year lettermen at Old Dominion UniversityOld Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
. He is the Sun Belt Conference's all-time rebound leader with 963 recoveries, and ranks fourth all-time at ODU. His 1,623 career points ranks him 11th all-time in ODU history.
Kenny performed 34 double-doubles and had 87 double figure games. Gattison competed in the 1983 National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs for the East Squad. He also was selected to the U.S. Junior World Cup team in 1983. Gattison averaged 16.1 points per game for ODU in 1985 and
17.4 points per game in 1986. He helped lead ODU to two straight NCAA Tournament bids and in his senior year of 1986, the eighth seeded Monarchs defeated West Virginia for ODU's first ever NCAA Division I Tournament win. That same year, Gattison shot .637 (218–342) from the field.
Gattison was named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
in 1985 and 1986. He was named the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
Player of the Year in 1986, and was later named to the Sun Belt Conference's All-Decade team. The ODU Alumni Association named Gattison as the 1986 Male Athlete of the Year. Gattison graduated from Old Dominion with a degree in distributive education, specializing in personnel management. Gattison is also a 1991 ODU Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Professional career
Gattison was selected by the Phoenix SunsPhoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
in the 3rd round (55th overall) of the 1986 NBA Draft
1986 NBA Draft
-Drug and health issues involving drafted players:There were various drug-related problems that plagued players in the 1986 NBA draft. Most notable was the death of highly-touted Len Bias. Bias died less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. His...
. A 6'8" forward-center, Gattison played in nine NBA seasons for 3 different teams. He played for the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
(1986–87, 1988), Charlotte Hornets (1989–95) and Vancouver Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
(1995–96). On February 22, 1996 he was traded by the Grizzlies to the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
, and on August 9, 1996 Magic traded him to Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, but he did not appear in any games for those teams.
In his NBA career, Gattison played in 494 games and scored a total of 3,923 points. His best season as a professional came during the 1991–92 NBA season as a member of the Hornets, appearing in 82 games (71 starts) and averaging 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Coaching career
After retiring, Gattison served as an assistant coach on John CalipariJohn Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
's staff with the NBA New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
from 1996–98. He then returned to his alma mater, Old Dominion in 2001 as an assistant coach until 2003 when he was named assistant coach with his former team, the New Orleans (former Charlotte) Hornets. He remained with New Orleans until June 2009.
On July 28, 2010, Gattison was named an assistant coach to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
under head coach Larry Drew
Larry Drew
Larry Donnell Drew is the current head basketball coach of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. He is also a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round of the 1980 NBA Draft...
.