Sports
Kevin Willis
born 1962 · basketball forward and center
Long-serving NBA big man who came up through Detroit's Pershing High School before a 21-season career that made him one of the oldest players ever to play in the league.
- Born
Los Angeles, California
age 64- Birth name
- Kevin Alvin Willis
- Detroit years
- late 1970s
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Willis was born in Los Angeles but came to Detroit's east side to finish high school, joining the Pershing High School basketball team as a junior. Pershing, known for producing NBA talent under coach Will Robinson, gave him his start before he moved on to Jackson College and then Michigan State University. Willis never played for a Detroit pro team, but his 21 NBA seasons, mostly with the Atlanta Hawks, made him one of only a handful of players with more than 16,000 career points and 11,000 rebounds; he won a championship with San Antonio in 2003 and retired at 44 as one of the oldest players ever to appear in an NBA game.
Highlights
- Graduated from Pershing High School in Detroit
- 21-season NBA career, among the longest in league history
- NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, 2003
- One of only 15 players with 16,000+ career points and 11,000+ rebounds
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1970s
Pershing High School
Where he joined the basketball team as a junior, coached by Will Robinson.