Kevin McHale
(Born 1957)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1999
Card Shown:
2017-18 Panini Flawless
Momentous Autographs
Position: PF
Height: 6’10”
bb
bb
Kevin McHale was a top scorer and defender who helped lead the Boston Celtics to NBA glory. With his long arms and legs, McHale possessed a variety of effective low-post moves that led to easy points in the paint. He had a super drop-step move, a baby hook, head fakes, pump fakes, and scoop shots among his arsenal of moves. Kevin also had a nice jumper and the fall-away version was nearly impossible to block as he kept the ball high over his head before the shot. In addition to his stellar offensive play, McHale was recognized by the league six times for his defensive skill.
Awards and Honors
- McHale teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Robert Parish to form a dynamic front line that led the Boston Celtics to three NBA Championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986.
- Kevin was a seven-time All-Star in his thirteen year NBA career.
- In 1983-84 and again in 1984-85, McHale was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. He provided a spark off the bench that helped power those great Celtics teams.
- Kevin earned NBA honors eight times during his career. In 1980-81 he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. He was All-NBA First Team once, NBA All-Defensive First Team three times, and NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times.
- McHale was selected to The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
Points of Interest
- McHale was selected by the Boston Celtics with the third overall selection in the 1980 NBA Draft. He is the only Hall of Fame player to come out of that draft.
- Kevin led the league in field goal percentage in 1986-87 and 1987-88, both times registering .604. In 1986-87 he became the first player to shoot over 60% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line.
- Boston’s Red Auerbach traded the 1st and 13th picks in the 1980 NBA Draft to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the 3rd pick (which became McHale) and Robert Parish. McHale and Parish ended up having Hall of Fame careers. It looks like Auerbach got the best of that deal.
- Kevin finished his NBA career with averages of 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
- After his playing days McHale served as Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. (He had played his college basketball at the University of Minnesota.) Kevin also had stints as an NBA head coach with the Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets.
Statistics
Kevin McHale Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com