Kendall Cedric Gill (born May 25, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst. Throughout his NBA career he was known as “Cold World” for his ice cold demeanor on the court.[1]
![]() Gill in 2010 | |
Personal information | |
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Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | May 25, 1968
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Rich Central (Olympia Fields, Illinois) |
College | Illinois (1986–1990) |
NBA draft | 1990: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets | |
Playing career | 1990–2005 |
Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
Number | 13, 9, 12 |
Career history | |
1990–1993 | Charlotte Hornets |
1993–1995 | Seattle SuperSonics |
1995–1996 | Charlotte Hornets |
1996–2001 | New Jersey Nets |
2001–2002 | Miami Heat |
2002–2003 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
2003–2004 | Chicago Bulls |
2004–2005 | Milwaukee Bucks |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 12,914 (13.4 ppg) |
Rebounds | 4,002 (4.1 rpg) |
Steals | 1,519 (1.6 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2021) |
Gill was born in Chicago and attended Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Illinois. Graduating in 1986 as a senior, he led Rich Central to a second-place finish in the IHSA class AA state boys basketball tournament. Gill led his team in scoring with 54 points in the four games of the tournament finals, and was named to the six-player All-Tournament team.
After high school, Gill attended the University of Illinois. Playing four years for the Fighting Illini, he was a starter in his last three seasons. As a junior, Gill led the Fighting Illini to the 1989 Final Four before losing to Michigan on a last-second shot. Also among that fabled "Flyin' Illini" squadron were future NBA players Nick Anderson, Marcus Liberty, Kenny Battle and Illini TV/radio broadcaster Stephen Bardo as well as four-year starter Lowell Hamilton. As a senior, Gill led the Big Ten in scoring and was named a first-team All-American (UPI). He left Illinois as the seventh-leading scorer in school history. Gill's Illini earned NCAA bids each year he played. He also won the NCAA Slam Dunk championship in the Final Four his senior season.
Gill was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.
NBA career
editGill was chosen in the 1990 NBA draft as the fifth overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, and was named First Team All-Rookie for the 1990–91 season. During this same season, Gill participated in the NBA Slam-Dunk Competition. He had a tough time as a rookie trying to fit into the Hornets rotation, alongside already established back-court teammates Muggsy Bogues and Rex Chapman.
After the 1991 addition of Larry Johnson and departure of Rex Chapman to the Washington Bullets, Gill had a breakthrough year in the 1991–92 season by averaging 20.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting 46.7% from the field.
In 1993 the Hornets reached the NBA postseason for the first time in franchise history. Gill was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics during the following off-season, along with the Hornets' 1994 first-round pick, for Eddie Johnson, Dana Barros, and the SuperSonics' 1994 first-round pick. The SuperSonics, who also added Detlef Schrempf that summer, had a team led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. The SuperSonics had two first round eliminations by the Denver Nuggets in 1994 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1995. Gill returned to Charlotte for the 1995–96 season after being traded there for Hersey Hawkins and David Wingate and in January 1996 the Hornets traded Gill and Khalid Reeves to the New Jersey Nets for Kenny Anderson, who became the team's starting point guard while Bogues sat out with a knee injury that limited him to just six games for the entire season. Gill's injury limited him to 11 games in the rest of the season.
From 1996 to 2001, Gill played for the Nets, scoring a career-high 41 points on January 14, 1997,[2] helping the team reach the 1998 playoffs, and leading the league in steals in 1998–99. On April 3, 1999, Gill recorded 11 steals in a game against the Miami Heat, tying a single-game record set by Larry Kenon during the 1976–77 season. In this game, he also recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds for a rare points-rebounds-steals triple-double. Gill's final season in New Jersey, the 2000–01 season, was shortened by injury, allowing him to play in only 31 games during the season.
In his final four seasons in the NBA, Gill played the 2001–02 season with the Miami Heat, the 2002–03 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the 2003–04 season with the Chicago Bulls, before completing his career with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2004.
In his 15 seasons in the NBA, Gill played in 966 games for seven teams. He also appeared in 27 playoff games for four teams. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1991 and went on to compile 12,914 points, 2,945 assists, and 4,002 rebounds during his career.
Personal life
editGill was raised in Matteson, Illinois.[3] He is married to Wendy Gill, and has two boys, Phoenix and Kota.
Gill was a professional boxer who had his first bout on June 25, 2005 at the age of 37.
In 1994, Gill made an appearance as himself in a Nickelodeon TV show My Brother and Me. He appeared on the January 23, 2008 edition of Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes.
In 2004 his house was featured on MTV Cribs.[4]
On May 15, 2010, Gill sang a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, as they took on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Gill has provided analysis during pregame and postgame shows on Comcast SportsNet Chicago for Chicago Bulls games. On March 22, 2013, Gill was suspended by Comcast SportsNet for the remainder of the 2012–13 season after a reported physical altercation with analyst Tim Doyle in the Comcast SportsNet newsroom.[5] In September 2013, Gill indicated that he was not returning to the station. However, he was rehired by Comcast SportsNet in late 2015.[6]
In 2017, Gill was signed as a free agent in the BIG3 basketball league by Power to take the place of Corey Maggette after he suffered an injury during the season.
Honors
editHigh school
edit- 1986 – IHSA State Tournament All-Tournament Team[7]
- 1992 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player[8]
College
edit- 1989 – Kenny Battle Leadership Award Recipient
- 1989 – NCAA All-Regional Team
- 1989 – Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
- 1989 – Honorable Mention All American
- 1990 – Playboy Pre-Season All-American
- 1990 – Preseason Wooden Award Nominee
- 1990 – Illini Team Co-Captain[9]
- 1990 – Illini MVP
- 1990 – 1st Team All-Big Ten
- 1990 – Consensus 2nd Team All American
- 1990 – University of Illinois Athlete of the Year
- 2004 – Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team"
- 2008 – Honored as one of the 33 honored jerseys, which hang in the State Farm Center, to show regard for being one of the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
- 2018 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame[10]
NBA
edit- 1991 – NBA Slam Dunk Contest competitor
- 1991 – NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 1999 – annual steals leader
- 2018 – Charlotte Hornets 30th Anniversary Team[11]
NBA career statistics
editGP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
* | Led the league |
NBA
editRegular season
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990–91 | Charlotte | 82 | 36 | 23.7 | .450 | .143 | .835 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .5 | 11.0 |
1991–92 | Charlotte | 79 | 79 | 36.8 | .467 | .240 | .745 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 1.9 | .6 | 20.5 |
1992–93 | Charlotte | 69 | 67 | 35.2 | .449 | .274 | .772 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 1.4 | .5 | 16.9 |
1993–94 | Seattle | 79 | 77 | 30.8 | .443 | .317 | .782 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 1.9 | .4 | 14.1 |
1994–95 | Seattle | 73 | 58 | 29.1 | .457 | .368 | .742 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .4 | 13.7 |
1995–96 | Charlotte | 36 | 36 | 35.1 | .481 | .315 | .761 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 1.2 | .6 | 12.9 |
1995–96 | New Jersey | 11 | 10 | 38.0 | .441 | .360 | .831 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.0 | .2 | 17.5 |
1996–97 | New Jersey | 82 | 81 | 39.0 | .443 | .336 | .797 | 6.1 | 4.0 | 1.9 | .6 | 21.8 |
1997–98 | New Jersey | 81 | 81 | 33.7 | .429 | .257 | .688 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.9 | .8 | 13.4 |
1998–99 | New Jersey | 50* | 47 | 32.1 | .398 | .118 | .683 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 2.7* | .5 | 11.8 |
1999–2000 | New Jersey | 76 | 75 | 31.0 | .414 | .256 | .710 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.8 | .5 | 13.1 |
2000–01 | New Jersey | 31 | 26 | 28.8 | .331 | .286 | .722 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .2 | 9.1 |
2001–02 | Miami | 65 | 49 | 21.7 | .384 | .136 | .677 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .7 | .1 | 5.7 |
2002–03 | Minnesota | 82 | 34 | 25.2 | .422 | .322 | .764 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 8.7 |
2003–04 | Chicago | 56 | 35 | 25.2 | .392 | .237 | .735 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | .3 | 9.6 |
2004–05 | Milwaukee | 14 | 0 | 20.3 | .400 | .333 | .900 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.1 |
Career | 966 | 791 | 30.5 | .434 | .300 | .754 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 1.6 | .4 | 13.4 |
Playoffs
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Charlotte | 9 | 9 | 39.2 | .401 | .167 | .714 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 2.3 | .7 | 17.3 |
1994 | Seattle | 5 | 5 | 30.6 | .433 | .222 | .619 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 13.4 |
1995 | Seattle | 4 | 0 | 18.0 | .360 | .250 | .625 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.3 |
1998 | New Jersey | 3 | 3 | 33.3 | .450 | — | .875 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .3 | 14.3 |
2003 | Minnesota | 6 | 0 | 19.7 | .370 | .500 | .643 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .7 | .2 | 5.2 |
Career | 27 | 17 | 29.5 | .408 | .259 | .686 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .4 | 11.9 |
College
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986–87 | Illinois | 31 | 0 | 11.1 | .482 | .000 | .642 | 1.4 | .9 | 1.3 | .3 | 3.7 |
1987–88 | Illinois | 33 | 23 | 28.7 | .471 | .304 | .753 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 2.0 | .1 | 10.4 |
1988–89 | Illinois | 24 | 18 | 28.4 | .542 | .458 | .793 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 2.1 | .3 | 15.4 |
1989–90 | Illinois | 29 | 29 | 34.5 | .500 | .348 | .777 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.2 | .6 | 20.0 |
Career | 117 | 70 | 25.4 | .501 | .374 | .755 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 1.9 | .3 | 12.0 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bulls legend Van Lier mourned". ESPN.com. March 3, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Chicago Tribune: Magic 114, Nets 111
- ^ Arvia, Phil (March 6, 2015). "The fall of the Norman castle". Daily Southtown. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Kendall Gill on Cribs (2004), archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved April 27, 2021
- ^ Mitchell, Fred (March 22, 2013). "Gill out for season as Bulls analyst". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Johnson, K. C. (December 17, 2015). "Kendall Gill grateful for second chance with CSN for Bulls analysis". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "1986 Class AA Boys Summary". ihsa.org. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Basketball Museum of Illinois – Players". basketballmuseumofillinois.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "2018–19 Illinois basketball record book" (PDF). fightingillini.com. p. 84. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame – Kendall Gill". Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Perley, Sam (October 22, 2018). "Gill Named 9th on Hornets 30th Anniversary Team". NBA.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- IHSA 1986 Class AA Boys Summary
- Boxing record for Kendall Gill from BoxRec (registration required)
- Gill joins Bulls Pre-Game Live