With all of the attention that the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s have received over the years, it is hard to imagine that the NBA career of one of its integral early members is often overlooked. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and even Byron Scott get a lot of credit for being the principal figures of that Lakers dynasty, and rightfully so. However, without the contributions of Jamaal Wilkes, it is possible that an NBA championship or two may be taken away from that historic run. He is deservedly in the basketball Hall of Fame for his collegiate and professional accomplishments.
Jamaal Wilkes – Growing Up
The future NBA star was born Jackson Keith Wilkes on May 2, 1953, in Berkeley, California. He was born to parents L. Leander Wilkes and Thelma Wilkes, who believed in their Baptist faith and fostered a home of open communication. Wilkes’ parents wanted their children to feel comfortable coming to them with any uncertainties, achievements, or dreams they had.
With this level of accountability and structure, Wilkes(who decided to go by Keith until he became an NBA player), succeeded on the court and in the classroom. He ended up skipping a grade in high school and attended Ventura High School for his sophomore and junior years. His father would end up becoming a pastor in Santa Barbara, which left Wilkes with a bit of a decision entering his senior year. The young man would end up deciding to relocate with his family, and spent his final year playing and studying at Santa Barbara High School.
Jamaal Wilkes – College
Wilkes would not go very far from home after high school, attending college at UCLA. There wasn’t much of a reason for him to seriously consider going anywhere else, because the Bruins program had ascended to the top of the college basketball world.
He had the tremendous opportunity to play for legendary head coach John Wooden. Even though he received a plethora of incredible honors during his basketball career, arguably Wilkes’ most cherished accomplishment was essentially being called a perfect player by his college coach. Wooden listed the ideal attributes of a college student he would want on his team, as well as the skills he’d like the model basketball player to have, and commented right afterward that Wilkes embodied all of those characteristics.
The 6’6” wing player was part of a historic UCLA run in the early 1970s. During Wilkes’ freshman and sophomore seasons, the program did not lose a single game en route to consecutive NCAA championships. He proved to be the perfect complement to star center Bill Walton, as the tandem only cared about winning and making the right play. Wilkes would be named a two-time consensus All-American for his play with the Bruins. Even though UCLA finished in third place during his third and final season, Wilkes’ offensive game blossomed. He averaged over 16 points per game on over 87 percent shooting from the free throw line.
Jamaal Wilkes – Golden State Warriors
With the 11th pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected Jamaal Wilkes. It was around this time that he converted to Islam, and changed his first and middle names to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef.
His attitude and demeanor proved to be instrumental to the team, even as a 21-year-old first-year player. Wilkes came in and won NBA Rookie of The Year, which was somewhat of a surprise considering that former UCLA teammate Bill Walton was the favorite coming into the season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jamaal Wilkes’ statistics were solid, as he averaged 14 points per game, and over eight rebounds per night as well. Although he didn’t shoot particularly well from the field, his well-rounded play helped the Warriors defeat the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals. It was a landmark victory for teammate Rick Barry, who had not played for any NBA championship teams prior to Wilkes’ arrival.
The former Bruin would continue his improvement in subsequent seasons with Golden State. Wilkes was named to the All-Star team in his second year and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team in 1975-1976 and 1976-1977. He was becoming one of the best two-way players in the league.
Los Angeles Lakers – How good was Jamaal Wilkes?
It seems hard to fathom now, but the Warriors basically let Jamaal Wilkes walk in free agency after his third season. When the Los Angeles Lakers signed him in the summer of 1977, Golden State did receive cash and a first-round pick, but it was not nearly enough compensation for a player of Wilkes’ caliber.
He had a disappointing first season with Los Angeles due to his standards as he battled some injuries, but bounced back nicely in his second campaign. He averaged a career-high(to that point) 18.6 points per contest in 1978-1979.
However, life would change dramatically for Wilkes and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1979-1980, as an enthusiastic point guard would join the team and take the NBA by storm. It would have made sense for Wilkes’ production to decrease considering that Magic Johnson would have the ball in his hands and that Abdul-Jabbar would still get his touches in the post. However, the exact opposite happened, as Wilkes thrived alongside Johnson. His scoring numbers would actually increase as attention was directed away from him on the offensive end.
It is common knowledge that the Lakers won the 1980 NBA Finals thanks to a famous performance by Magic Johnson in Game 6 of that series, filling in for an injured Abdul-Jabbar. What is often forgotten in historical narratives is that Wilkes also had a fantastic game, scoring 37 points while grabbing 10 rebounds to clinch the title for Los Angeles.
As an unheralded starter for a great team, Wilkes would continue to score in bunches while still serving as a de facto role player as the Lakers won the 1982 NBA championship.
To the team’s credit, the Lakers did not skip a beat when they drafted James Worthy in 1982. Wilkes and Worthy would often both start together, and would be on the floor during crunch time. In many situations, a veteran would feel threatened by such a heralded rookie, but Wilkes was unselfish enough to make it work.
Jamaal Wilkes – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Wilkes played with four NBA championship teams, and was a two-time NCAA champion. It’s a winning resume that stacks up with the very best in basketball history. To that end, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, cementing his place as one of the game’s greats.
Jamaal Wilkes – Net Worth
Jamaal Wilkes is an NBA star who has achieved great success both on and off the court. His net worth is estimated to be over $1 million, a testament to his successful career in professional basketball. He has also earned multiple awards, including the NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP.
Why did Jamaal Wilkes retire?
Unfortunately for Wilkes, he would end up tearing his ACL in the middle of the 1984-1985 season with the Lakers, which sent his career spiraling. They would end up waiving him in August 1985, and the Los Angeles Clippers signed him about a month later.
He would only end up playing 13 games for the Clippers before retiring that December.
