Jamaal Wilkes

Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Nicknamed "Silk", he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Wilkes played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American and won two NCAA championships under coach John Wooden. He was selected in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft by Golden State. In his first season with the Warriors, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the team win a league title. Wilkes won three more NBA championships with the Lakers. His jersey No. 52 was retired by both the Bruins and the Lakers. Early life Jackson Keith Wilkes was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in Ventura. He was one of five children of L. Leander Wilkes, a Baptist minister, and Thelma (Benson) Wilkes. Because he did not like the nickname Jackie, he went by Keith. Wilkes was the incoming student body president and an All-CIF basketball star at Ventura High School in 1969. However, his father became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, and the family moved there prior to his senior year. Starring for Santa Barbara High School with fellow future NBA player Don Ford, Wilkes was voted CIF Class 4A Player of the Year after leading the Dons to 26 consecutive wins and to the playoff semifinals during the 1969–70 season. Wilkes was an All-America Prep player at Santa Barbara High School.