Ken Spain

{{short description|American basketball player}} {{for|the political strategist|Ken Spain (political strategist)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Ken Spain | image = Ken Spain.png | image_size = | caption = Spain with the Houston Cougars in 1968 | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 9 | weight_lb = 225 | birth_date = {{birth date|1946|10|6}} | birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|10|11|1946|10|6}} | death_place = Houston, Texas, U.S. | high_school = Austin (Houston, Texas) | college = Houston (1966–1969) | draft_year = 1969 | draft_round = 2 | draft_pick = 20 | draft_team = Chicago Bulls | career_start = 1969 | career_end = 1971 | career_position = Center | career_number = 15 | years1 = 1969–1971 | team1 = Wilmington / Delaware Blue Bombers | years2 = 1970–1971 | team2 = Pittsburgh Condors | highlights = * Fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American (1964) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's basketball}} {{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}} {{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}} {{MedalGold|1968 Mexico City | Team competition}} }}

'''John Kenneth Spain''' (October 6, 1946 – October 11, 1990) was an American professional basketball player.

Spain was selected by the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls with the 20th overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft and by the Oakland Oaks in the 1969 ABA Draft. Spain played for the Wilmington / Delaware Blue Bombers of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) / Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) from 1969 to 1971.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ken Spain minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-spainken001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=February 10, 2025}}</ref> He played in eleven American Basketball Association games during the 1970–71 season for the Pittsburgh Condors.

A 6'9" center, Spain played college basketball at the University of Houston with Elvin Hayes from 1966 to 1969. Spain graduated from Austin High School in Houston.<ref name="Distinguished">"[http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c3783acb02efc010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD Distinguished HISD Alumni] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515061020/http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c3783acb02efc010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD |date=2012-05-15 }}." ''Houston Independent School District''. Accessed October 11, 2008.</ref>

Spain died of cancer at the age of 44 in Houston, Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Names in the News - Oct. 12, 1990 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-12-sp-2058-story.html |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.latimes.com}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{basketballstats|nba_historical=ken_spain}} *[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/spainke01.html Career NBA stats] @ basketball-reference.com *[http://thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152 Career NCAA stats] @ thedraftreview.com *{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sp/ken-spain-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417163735/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sp/ken-spain-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Ken Spain}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spain, Ken}} Category:1946 births Category:1990 deaths Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 1968 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Houston Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Delaware Blue Bombers players Category:Houston Cougars men's basketball players Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Category:Oakland Oaks draft picks Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Pittsburgh Condors players Category:United States men's national basketball team players Category:Washington Caps draft picks Category:Wilmington Blue Bombers players Category:20th-century American sportsmen