C – Kevin Willis
Kevin Willis, a 7’0 foot center out of Michigan State, was drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1984 NBA Draft. He continued to play ten seasons for the Hawks, missing one entire season due to a knee injury.
During the nine seasons, he actually played for the Hawks, Willis averaged 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Smith was simply a really solid player for the Hawks.
Kevin Willis ended up making just one All-Star team in his career and he did it in his 7th season with the Hawks. That season he averaged an incredible 18.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. In addition to being named an All-Star during the 1981-82 season, he was also named to the All-NBA team that year, capping off easily the best season of his Kevin’s career.
Possibly the most impressive part of Willis’ career is that he ended up playing until he was 44 years old! An incredible feat that has only been done by a handful of players in NBA history.
While Kevin Willis may be a quickly forgotten Hawk great, he is most certainly great. Willis is much deserving of an All-Hawks third-team selection.