McHale, Kevin E.
Basketball
b. Dec. 19, 1957, Hibbing, MN
McHale averaged 15.2 points per game and had 950 rebounds in 112 games during his four seasons at the University of Minnesota. He was chosen in the third round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.
A center in college, the 6-foot-10, 225-pound McHale became a power forward with Boston. For most of his first six professional seasons, he specialized in coming off the bench to give the team added scoring power and rebounding. He won the league's "sixth man award" for that role in 1984 and 1985.
A very clever low post player with a wide variety of moves, McHale also developed a good turn-around jump shot as a professional, and his unusually long arms made him an outstanding defender. He was named to the NBA's all-defensive team from 1986 through 1988.
During his first five seasons, McHale played in 413 consecutive games, including the playoffs. His most productive season was 1986-87, when he averaged 26.1 points per game and led the league with a .604 field goal percentage. He was also the league leader with an identical .604 percentage the following season, when he averaged 22.6 points per game.
McHale played for three NBA championship teams, in 1981, 1984, and 1986. A broken foot suffered early in 1987 bothered him frequently during the rest of his career and he retired after playing in pain throughout the 1992-93 season. Very popular with fans, teammates, and media, McHale was honored at a roast in Boston and his uniform number was retired by the Celtics.
In 1995, McHale became vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of his first moves was the selection of high school star Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft.