Reflecting On The Life of Bernard King
Bernard King was born December 4th, 1956 in Brooklyn, New York. King fell in love with basketball at a young age, at P.S. 67 he found the hoop at the end of the cafeteria. He was tall for his age and was awkward. Despite being tall he was always bullied in school. When the other kids missed they would give up and leave, not young Bernard, he would keep trying no matter how many times he missed.
Bernard King’s parents Thomas and Thelma were both strict, hard working and religious. His father would go to work and then come home and read the Bible. On Sunday’s after church the kids weren’t allowed to go back outside for the rest of the day. Bernard’s mother would beat him and Bernard didn’t always know why she did it. The beatings are what gave him his “Game Face.”
In the 5th and 6th grade Bernard always found himself on the court. He would always play against the older kids because that’s what makes you better. The older kids would play basketball and then go off and get into gang fights and would do drugs. The Fort Greene area was full of drugs.
When Bernard was in the 6th grade he tried out for his first organized basketball competition, he made the cut! His older brother Thomas Jr. was given the reputation as an excellent ball player. Thomas was given the nickname “Spal” so Bernard was “Little Spal.” His team’s name was ironically called the Knicks. He was the twelfth man but his team won the tournament. On his way home from the tournament he was running home and he made a right turn and was punched in the eye, his trophy was taken from him. He told his dad and his dad told him a life lesson, “Don’t ever allow anyone to do this to you ever again.”
One day while horsing around The Prison Ship’s Martyrs’ Monument in Fort Greene Park, he fell down and broke his arm. The doctors told Bernard he would be in a heavy plaster for a month and couldn’t play basketball.
When Bernard started going to Sands Junior High, he started reading Psychology books. He connected those books to his analytical approach to the game of basketball. Bernard became friends with a boy named Arthur who would often find work with Bernard. One of Bernard’s biggest role models was Sidney Poitier, Poitier was a movie star who appeared in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. King’s first job was working at a light bulb and fixture factory. Bernard realized that stamina was the great equalizer and he would always run on the Brooklyn Bridge. Bernard never lifted weights.
Bernard decided he wanted to play basketball on Sundays instead of going to church but his father would never let him do that. Bernard decided to stand up to his father and decided not to get ready for church one Sunday. His father said “You’re supposed to be getting ready for church, am I right?” but his mother said “Leave him alone, he’s not getting in trouble, and he’s bringing money into the house.”
Bernard’s first AAU coach was Lester Roberts. He would provide the entrance fees out of his own pockets, supply the uniforms and pay to have them cleaned. All he asked for in return was that you give your all on the court. He would bring the players to the games in a passenger van. On their way to a tournament in Baltimore, one of his players left his ID back in Brooklyn and Coach Roberts drove all the way back and got his ID so he could play.
Their first game that tournament was against a much taller team, every center and small forward looked like a seven-footer. Bernard dominated the boards against the much taller team. Against Baltimore, Bernard said this was the hardest fought game he’d ever been a part of.
The team that no one could beat was Gil Reynold’s Restoration Eagles. Coach Gil was a conservative coach and scowled at players who went for flash. Bernard was tired of losing to the Eagles so he left Coach Roberts and joined Coach Gil’s Eagles.
Coach Gil understood Bernard’s work ethic and his analytical approach to the game. Coach Gil developed Bernard to be able to play NBA ball. The Eagles won every tournament they were a part of. Bernard developed his scoring method with Coach Gil, this scoring method would be Bernard’s closest guarded secret.
Bernard King was playing high school ball under Coach Kern. Kern had coached Bernard’s older brother Thomas who would also go on to play in the NBA. As a member of the Tigers, Bernard averaged 26 points and 28 rebounds, winning 11 of 16 MVPs of the High School All-Star tournaments that he participated in. Bernard King was still not seen as the best high school forward in New York City, that title went to George Johnson from New Utrecht. Tom Konchalski was the only person who thought Bernard was better. Konchalski had been following Bernard since his junior year.
Bernard and Johnson would end up battling each other twice that season, Utrecht won both games but Bernard dominated Johnson.
University of Tennessee assistant coach Stu Aberdeen took Bernard out to dinner at Mama Leone’s. While at the dinner Bernard King was mistaken for Moses Malone.
Bernard King was given official offers from Arizona State, Dayton, Tennessee and Marquette. Bernard chose the University of Tennessee as they seemed to care about Bernard as a player and a person. He would join other New York high school legend Ernie Grunfeld.
Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld were given the nickname “The Ernie and Bernie Show.” Tennessee’s head coach was Ray Mears, by the time he retired, he had 399 wins. In a loss to Kentucky Bernard famously said “We will never lose to Kentucky as long as I’m here.” He delivered on his promise.
In the hotel Bernard got a call to go see Coach Mears right away. Bernard’s GPA wasn’t high enough. It was all a mistake made by the NCAA as Bernard had gotten his GPA right before he graduated but he couldn’t play while it was being investigated.
Right around this time Bernard’s right knee injury was getting re-aggravated and their head trainer was draining Bernard’s knee before every game and sometimes during halftime.
In his freshman year, Bernard earned First Team All-SEC and SEC Player of the Year honors. He led the SEC in scoring averaging 26.4 points on 62% shooting, which led the nation.
In Tennessee Bernard faced a lot of racism, such as when the police chief told Coach Mears that they don’t like him. Bernard was going through an alcohol and drug problem during this time to help ease the pain and was constantly getting pulled over by the police.
In Bernard’s sophomore season he averaged 25.2 points and 13 rebounds on 57.3% from the field, leading the league in rebounds and shooting percentage. He was also invited to the USA men’s basketball team in 1976. He didn’t make the team.
His junior season would be his last before declaring for the NBA Draft. In his junior season he was a Consensus All-American and SEC Player of the Year, averaging 25.8 points, 14.3 rebounds. He also notched 22 double-doubles.
A week before the NCAA Tournament, Bernard was running the three-man weave drill and his thumb hit Terry Crosby’s shoulder. His thumb required nine stitches and it required him to sit out the tournament.
After the season Ernie went off to the NBA and Coach Mears stepped down. Ernie was drafted 11th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks. Bernard was drafted 7th overall to the New Jersey Nets.
In 1977 the New Jersey Nets were starting their rebuild under head coach Kevin Loughery. Bernard’s debut was disappointing as he scored 8 points in a 110–93 loss to Bob Lanier’s Pistons.
Bernard averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds in his rookie season. He was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
In 1978 Bernard King started working on a film Fast Break. In the movie Preacher, a streetballer who had become a minister, and he had gotten in trouble with a cult leader after getting his daughter pregnant. The hustler character was a street-wise pool shark David. Since he knew all the best players around, Hustler became his right-hand man and team recruiter.
During this time Bernard was facing issues with alcohol and it got so bad to where he thought he was going to die. In the first round against Philadelphia, the Nets got swept in a best of three series.
On October 2nd, 1979 Bernard King was traded to the Utah Jazz where he spent two seasons where he struggled with alcohol and drug problems.
After his contract with Utah was up, Bernard signed with the Golden State Warriors. In his first season the Warriors they went 39–43 and were one game out of the playoffs. He averaged 21.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The very next season the Warriors finished one game out of the playoffs, finishing 45–37. Bernard was selected to his first All-Star Game that season. Bernard made it clear he wanted to play in Golden State but they didn’t make any effort in re-signing him. Bernard signed with the New York Knicks.
He was re-united with college teammate Ernie Grunfeld but, they play very different roles in New York.
Legendary coach Hubie Brown was in New York and he was known for yelling at his players but, Bernard wasn’t going to let him do that so he told that during a practice and Hubie never yelled at him again.
In mid-January of 1982 Bernard sprained his ankle which kept him out for a couple of weeks. The Knicks finished the regular season 44–38 and would face the Nets in the first round.
The New Jersey Nets were led by Bernard’s younger brother Albert. Bernard was never really close to Albert. In Game 1 the Knicks won 118–107 and Bernard scored 40 points. They swept the Nets after dominating them in Game 2.
Their second round opponent was the Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving and league MVP, Moses Malone. Malone was asked how would Philadelphia do in the playoffs and he said “Fo, Fo, Fo.” They almost did that. The Bucks took them to five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bernard was again an All-Star in 1983. On a trip through Texas Bernard King scored 50 points on a back-to-back. The only other player to do that is the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.
In 1983 the Knicks would go against Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons. This was before the Pistons would be known as the “Bad Boys.” The Knicks finished 47–35.
In Game 1, Bernard scored 36 points in a win for the Knicks in Detroit. In Game 2 Bernard scored 46 points but the Knicks lost 113–104. In Game 3, Bernard scored 46 points again but this time the Knicks won. Detroit took Game 4 119–112. Before Game 5, Bernard came down with the flu but he played anyways and the Knicks won 127–124 and he scored 44 points.
They would play the Celtics in the second round, Boston was considered the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics won games 1 and 2. The Knicks won Game 3 100–92 and Game 4 118–113 to go back to Boston with the series tied 2–2. Boston dominated in Game 5 winning 121–99. The Knicks won Game 6 106–104 and would force a Game 7. The Celtics won Game 7 121–104. Boston would go on and win the NBA Finals that year.
Bernard King was averaging 30 points before his injury. In a game against Kansas City, Bernard went up for a block and came down and his knee cracked, it sounded like a rifle shot. Bernard ruptured his ACL, broke a bone and tore his lateral meniscus cartilage.
Bernard King was told he wouldn’t be able to walk again, let alone come back and play at an All-Star level in the NBA. He had many visits with his physical therapist Dania Sweitzer, who was a former All-American swimmer, he would learn to walk again. Twenty-three weeks after his injury Bernard was about to take his first layup. In March of 1987 Bernard was ready to return to the NBA.
In his return Bernard King was guarded by Paul Pressey, who he had troubles against. Bernard scored 7 points but he was back. Bernard averaged 22.7 points in his 6 games back.
His contract with New York was coming to an end it didn’t look like Bernard would be returning. Bernard signed with the Washington Bullets in 1988 and would average 20 points or higher from 1988–1991. In 1990 he averaged 28.4 points and was selected to the All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In Bernard’s return to The Garden, he scored 49 points and the Bullets prevailed. After four great years in Washington, Bernard went back to New Jersey to sign with the Nets. He decided the 1992–93 would be his last as an NBA player. He only averaged 7 points per game that season. He finished with 19,655 career points.
He decided to ask his mother why she had beaten him as a child, she said “It was just how I was raised.” A year later he went through a divorce with his first wife. It was a rough 14 year marriage. He also started doing a radio show with Ian Eagle.
In 1997 he married Shana who he had met while he was out eating, and had a painting of her and her mom, Susan Taylor, in his home but didn’t know it was them until Shana said “That’s me and my mom!” In 1998 he had his daughter Amina. He was hired as a part-time announcer for NBATV in 2003. He earned two Emmy’s for his broadcasting work.
On September 8, 2013 Bernard King would be enshrined the NBA Hall of Fame. He wanted his parents to be there but his Mom was far too ill. She was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2009.
Bernard went to New York for a golf tournament but he went a couple of days early to see his mother, who was getting worse. His mother leaned in and told him “I love you, son.” His mom died about a week later.
In 2017 Bernard King released his memoir Game Face with Jerome Preisler.
Bernard King will be most known as the player who ruptured his ACL and came back to the NBA at an All-Star level.
