Younger Spurs fans may not recognize the name, but I remember the excitement a lot of us felt when the Spurs drafted the 7’0″ big man out of Eastern Illinois University in 1986. My excitement didn’t last long — we traded Duckworth to the Portland Trailblazers after he played just 14 games.
It was difficult watching Duckworth after that, thinking about what might have been had he stayed in San Antonio. He made the All-Star team in 1989 and 1991 and the Blazers made it to the NBA Finals with him in 1990 and 1992.
The ’89-’90 season was especially painful to watch. A Blazers squad that featured Duckworth, Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams beat an incredibly talented Spurs squad that featured David Robinson, Terry Cummings, Willie Anderson, Sean Elliot, David Wingate, Maurice Cheeks, Frank Brickowski, and Rod Strickland in a seven-game Semifinals series. Duckworth’s Blazers went on to lose to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.
It’s hard to believe that Kevin Duckworth is dead at the young age of 44. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
