Ken Wilburn

Kenneth Eugene Wilburn (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 2016) was an American professional basketball player.^[1] He played college basketball for the Central State Marauders from 1962 to 1966 and set a career scoring record.^[2] He led the team to an National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship in 1965.^[3] Wilburn played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), American Basketball Association (ABA), and the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL)/Eastern Basketball Association (EBA). Wilburn was a three-time EPBL/EBA champion with the Allentown Jets. He won the EPBL Most Valuable Player award in 1968 with the Trenton Colonials and the EBA Most Valuable Player award with the Allentown Jets in 1974.^[4] Wilburn served as head coach of the Jets during the 1972–73 season.^[5]

Ken Wilburn

Personal information
Born	(1944-06-08)June 8, 1944 River Rouge, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 6, 2016(2016-10-06) (aged 72) Ecorse, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	River Rouge (River Rouge, Michigan)
College	Central State (1962–1966)
NBA draft	1966: 4th round, 39th overall pick
Drafted by	Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	1966–1981
Position	Small forward
Number	6, 9, 10, 30, 12
Career history
As a player:
1966–1968	Trenton Colonials
1967–1968	Chicago Bulls
1968	New York Nets
1968–1969	Denver Rockets
1969	Minnesota Pipers
1969–1975	Allentown Jets
1978–1979	Lancaster Red Roses
1980–1981	Atlantic City Hi-Rollers
As a coach:
1972–1973	Allentown Jets
Career highlights
3× EPBL/EBA champion (1970, 1972, 1975) 2× EPBL/EBA Most Valuable Player (1968, 1974) 4× All-EPBL/EBA First Team (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974) All-EBA Second Team (1973) EPBL Rookie of the Year (1967) NAIA tournament MVP (1965)
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points	208 (3.9 ppg)
Rebounds	212 (3.9 ppg)
Assists	29 (0.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Wilburn joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in November 1967 to provide reinforcement after the team had lost several players to injuries.^[3][6] He returned to the team for the 1968–69 season,^[7] but was waived in November 1968.^[8]

Wilburn became a school teacher after his retirement from playing and taught at Chelsea Heights Elementary School in Atlantic City, New Jersey.^[9] He was indicted on December 21, 1996, on charges that he sexually assaulted six students on school field trips and in his home between September 1990 and June 1995.^[10]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	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

NBA/ABA

Source^[11]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1967–68	Chicago	3	8.7	.556		.250	3.3	.7	3.7
1968–69	Chicago	4	3.5	.375		.250	.8	.3	1.8
1968–69	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	4	5.5	.250	–	.667	1.0	.5	2.5
1968–69	Denver (ABA)	37	11.1	.298	–	.526	4.8	.6	4.7
1968–69	Minnesota (ABA)	6	5.7	.222	–	.400	3.0	.3	1.0
Career (NBA)		7	5.7	.471		.250	1.9	.4	2.6
Career (ABA)		47	9.9	.384	–	.535	4.2	.6	4.0
Career (overall)		54	9.4	.391	–	.506	3.9	.5	3.9

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1969	Denver (ABA)	7	13.3	.485	–	.250	4.6	.7	5.1