Bernard King is not only one of the most unstoppable scorers in NBA history but also one of the least appreciated. A constant threat in the offensive end and a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee; he was perhaps the biggest entertainer in the league at some point.
Moreover, King set the standard for players who overcome substance abuse and countless struggles away from the game. He required major reconstruction just to play basketball again in the very next season and defied the odds by coming back as the same tremendous scorer he always was.
That’s why today, we’re going to honor one of the ultimate legends of the league, a guy whose game spoke for itself and who thrived with the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Washington Bullets, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors: Bernard King.
Bernard King – Early Life
Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 4, 1956; Bernard King didn’t have it easy growing up. His parents were devotee Catholics who often called him out and beat him for not going to church on Sunday. King used basketball to escape racism and the tough, dysfunctional environment he grew up in, yet his parents never supported his athletic career.
He once described himself as an angry, shy, lonely kid with low self-esteem, and his fame off the court wasn’t exactly related to basketball. On a side note, his younger brother Albert King also played in the NBA for some years and was considered one of the greatest high school players of all time.
Bernard King – College Career
King attended the University of Tennessee and immediately rose to fame. Nonetheless, his fame wasn’t always thanks to the incredible scoring outbursts he showed every time he set foot on the court. If anything, people talked about him for his difficult character and rumors of struggles with alcohol and drugs.
He turned a lot of heads in his rookie season, earning SEC Player of the Year and several distinctions with little-to-no opposition. He averaged 25.8 points per game, which is still an all-time record for the Volunteers. Moreover, he led the SEC in rebounds per game twice, holding an average of 13.2 points per game. Up to this day, he’s still the Volunteers’ second all-time leading scorer with 1,962 points.
Bernard King – Joining The New Jersey Nets
Then known as the New York Nets, they took Bernard King with the seventh overall pick of the 1977 NBA Draft after some remarkable collegiate seasons. It didn’t take long before King made a big impact in the league, establishing the New Jersey Nets franchise record for most points in a season with 1,909 points scored in his rookie season, and would later break that record six years later.
King’s incredible rookie season was just the beginning of a Basketball Hall of Famer career in the making. Averaging 24.2 points per game and a career-high 9.5 rebounds, he stayed in New Jersey for two seasons before being sent to the Utah Jazz.
Bernard King – Utah Jazz And Golden State Warriors
Despite his undeniable talent, the Nets decided to send King to the Jazz after just a couple of years with the team. His struggles off the court were just too much to deal with at the time, and things wouldn’t get much better in Utah.
After just 19 appearances and a scoring average of 9.3 points per game, Jazz traded King to the Golden State Warriors, where he became an All-Star for the first time. He stood there for two seasons and took his career back from the ground, averaging nearly 22 points per game. Even so, he was still traded to the Knicks before the start of the 1982-83 campaign.
Bernard King – The King Of The New York Knicks
Bernard King took his game up a notch as soon as he made it to the Knicks. In his very first season, he became the first player since Rick Barry to score 50+ points in consecutive games. He was an All-Star in just his second season with the team, having one of the all-time greatest Christmas Day performances by lighting up the Nets for 60 points, going 19/30 from the field and 22/26 from the free-throw line.
He holds the Knicks’ franchise record for the most points scored in a playoff game with 46, in a game he single-handedly led his team to a huge win over the Detroit Pistons. He made the All-Star Game again in 1985 and was one of the best players in the world before knee injuries took a toll on his game.
Bernard King – A Career-Threatening Injury
Just when he was at the best moment of his playing days, the four-time NBA All-Star’s career was going to take a massive turn. King suffered a devastating injury trying to block a dunk by Reggie Theus. King suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, broken leg bone, and torn knee cartilage and required major reconstruction.
With his career in jeopardy, King was forced to miss all but the final six games of the following season, but no one was going to stop him or his desire to play again. King returned to game shape and looked poised to make an epic comeback, but the Knicks released him at the end of the season fearing he’d never get his explosiveness and speed back.
Bernard King – The Final Years
King set the standard for players looking to prove themselves after a major injury. He joined the Washington Bullets for a one-season audition and proved that he still had it, averaging at least 20 points per game in three consecutive seasons. His tenure with the Washington Bullets was quite successful, as he even scored 28.4 points per night in his final season (the third-highest in the league behind just Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. King retired for one season and a half before attempting a comeback with the New Jersey Nets. He played 32 games but struggled to stay healthy with a chronic knee condition.
Bernard King – Awards And Accolades
Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Bernard King was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team, All-NBA First Team (x2), All-NBA Second Team, and All-NBA Third Team. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game four times and was the NBA Scoring Champion in 1985. He also won the NBA’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1981. King retired with a career average of 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, and scored 19,655 total points.
His days in college were also quite successful. He was a consensus first-team All-American, consensus second-team All-American, Third-team All-American, a three-time SEC Player of the Year, and his Bernard King’s number 53 jersey was retired by the Tennessee Volunteers, which was the first retired jersey in program history.
Bernard King – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame
After everything he did for the game and being one of the best scorers in basketball history, Bernard King was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside Rick Pitino and Gary Payton.
Bernard King – Personal Life And Post-Playing Career
King’s career was stained by controversies and was even forced to step away from the game at a time. During his days with the Jazz, the NBA suspended him for cocaine possession at a time when drug use was a growing concern around the league.
He was also charged with several counts of forced sodomy and convicted of a misdemeanor of attempted forcible sexual assault. He was later cleared from the charges as he passed several lie detectors tests after stating that he had no recollection of the events due to being in a state of ‘extreme drunkness’.
Now fully sober and recovered, he’s serving as a part-time broadcaster for NBA TV. He’s also a part-time broadcaster for MSG Network and subs in for Knicks legend Walt Frazier when he’s unable to attend the games. King has also made several cameos on movies and TV shows over the years.
Bernard King – Net Worth
Bernard King is a retired NBA star with an estimated net worth of $2 million. He was one of the best players of his era, playing for the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and Washington Bullets. King’s career spanned over 15 years in the NBA, earning him millions of dollars in salary and endorsements.
How many 50 point games did Bernard King have?
Despite not being named often when discussing the greatest scorers in basketball history, King sure made his case over the years. He became just the tenth player to score at least 60 points in a game and recorded 8 50+ point games in his career. That’s the 12th-most in NBA history and more than legends like Kevin Durant, Pete Maravich, Jerry West, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird, Carmelo Anthony, and Shaquille O’Neal.
What was Bernard King’s nickname?
After torching the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks with back-to-back 50-point games during the 1983-84 season, people deemed Bernard King ‘The Texas Massacre’. No one had ever done that in the NBA in the two decades prior.
