Simmons, Lionel J.
Basketball
b. Nov. 14, 1968, Philadelphia, PA
A unanimous choice as college player of the year in 1990, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound Simmons starred at LaSalle University for four seasons, averaging 24.6 points per game for his career and 26.5 as a senior. He also collected 1,429 rebounds in 1931 games.
He set an NCAA record that still stands by scoring in double digits in 115 consecutive games.
Simmons joined the NBA's Sacramento Kings as a first-round draft choice in 1990 and was named to the league's 1990-91 all-rookie team after averaging 18.0 points a game.
He had four good seasons with the Kings, but then recurrent knee injuries began to cut into his playing and limit his abilities. He was forced to retire after the 1996-97 season.