Tennessee's electric scorer — the most prolific freshman in Volunteers history before his NBA star turn.
Bernard King was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1956. He attended the University of Tennessee and immediately became the SEC's most dangerous scorer. He averaged 25.8 points and 13.9 rebounds per game across three seasons — among the highest combined averages in SEC history. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and was All-SEC twice. His combination of explosive athleticism, post scoring and mid-range shooting made him the most complete offensive forward in the conference. He left after his junior year. New Jersey Nets selected him seventh overall in the 1977 NBA Draft. His professional career produced an NBA scoring title (32.9 points per game in 1984-85) before a catastrophic knee injury in 1985 required reconstruction and 18 months of rehabilitation. His comeback to near-All-Star level five years later — at an age and after an injury that ended most careers — was one of sport's great rehabilitation stories. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. His Tennessee career established the scoring foundation that his professional peak fulfilled, but only after overcoming the most serious injury a player of that era had survived.
SEC Freshman of Year
Career Honours
- SEC Freshman of Year
- All-SEC 2x
- All-American consideration
- SEC scoring records