# Kevin Kunnert

Kevin Robert Kunnert (born November 11, 1951) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'0" and 230 lb center–power forward, was drafted out of the University of Iowa by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (12th pick overall) of the 1973 NBA draft. He also helped the Houston Rockets to a Central Division title during the 1976–77 season.

## Early life

Kunnert was born in Dubuque, Iowa, as one of 10 children and graduated from Dubuque Wahlert High School in 1969. Kunnert lead Wahlert to a third-place finish in the Iowa High School State Basketball Tournament as a senior.

## College

Kunnert attended the University of Iowa, where he scored 1,145 career points, and was the Hawkeyes' all-time leading rebounder at the time of his graduation. Kunnert led the Big Ten in rebounding and field goal percentage his senior year, averaging 19.2 points and 13.9 rebounds on 54.5% shooting. He averaged 18.2 points and 14.7 rebounds as a junior in 1971–1972. For his career he averaged 15.9 points and 12.7 rebounds for the Hawkeyes under Coach Dick Schultz, after being recruited to Iowa by Ralph Miller.

## NBA career

Kunnert was the 12th overall selection in the First Round of the 1973 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He was also the 6th overall selection in the first round of the 1973 American Basketball Association draft by the Dallas Chaparrals months before they changed their names to the San Antonio Spurs. In September, 1973 Kunnert was traded by the Bulls to the Buffalo Braves with Gar Heard for John Hummer and two draft picks.
Kunnert played nine seasons in the NBA for the Buffalo Braves (1973–1974), Houston Rockets (1973–1978), San Diego Clippers (1978–1979), and the Portland Trail Blazers (1979–1982), reaching the NBA playoffs three times.
For his career he averaged 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. His best season was with the Rockets in 1975–1976, when he averaged 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds.

## The Washington Punch

An unfortunate incident occurred on December 9, 1977. Kunnert, playing for the Rockets and Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers got into a tussle after a missed shot. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers joined in and Kunnert went to one knee on the court in the skirmish. His teammate Rudy Tomjanovich, rushing towards the players, was punched by Washington, sending him down, where he struck his head on the court. Tomjanovich suffered a fractured skull, broken jaw, broken nose, facial injuries and leakage of spinal fluid in the incident. Washington was suspended 60 days and fined $10,000.

## Personal life

After retiring from the NBA, Kunnert resided in the Portland suburb of Tigard, Oregon. He has three daughters and met his wife while both were students at Iowa.

## Career statistics
### NBA

Source

#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1973–74 | Buffalo | 39 | | 8.7 | .485 | | .688 | 2.7 | .6 | .1 | .6 | 2.8 |
| 1973–74 | Houston | 25 | | 14.4 | .491 | | .588 | 4.4 | .7 | .2 | 1.2 | 4.9 |
| 1974–75 | Houston | 75 | | 24.0 | .512 | | .686 | 8.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 1.1 | 10.8 |
| 1975–76 | Houston | 80 | | 29.2 | .487 | | .654 | 9.8 | 1.9 | .7 | 1.3 | 12.9 |
| 1976–77 | Houston | 81 | | 25.3 | .486 | | .738 | 8.3 | 1.9 | .4 | 1.3 | 9.4 |
| 1977–78 | Houston | 80 | | 26.9 | .437 | | .689 | 8.7 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.1 | 10.4 |
| 1978–79 | San Diego | 81 | | 20.8 | .467 | | .659 | 7.0 | 1.4 | .6 | 1.5 | 6.5 |
| 1979–80 | Portland | 18 | | 16.8 | .439 | – | .605 | 6.2 | 1.6 | .4 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
| 1980–81 | Portland | 55 | | 15.3 | .468 | – | .778 | 5.2 | 1.2 | .3 | .6 | 4.4 |
| 1981–82 | Portland | 21 | 0 | 11.3 | .417 | – | .529 | 3.1 | .9 | .1 | .3 | 2.3 |
| Career | Career | 555 | 0 | 21.8 | .476 | – | .682 | 7.3 | 1.4 | .5 | 1.1 | 8.3 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1975 | Houston | 8 | 30.5 | .432 | | .654 | 7.5 | 1.5 | .5 | 1.6 | 10.9 |
| 1977 | Houston | 12 | 27.3 | .490 | | .522 | 8.9 | 1.2 | .2 | .7 | 9.5 |
| 1981 | Portland | 3 | 14.3 | .500 | .000 | .250 | 3.0 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 3.7 |
| Career | Career | 23 | 26.7 | .467 | .000 | .566 | 7.7 | 1.2 | .3 | .9 | 9.2 |

## Honors

Kunnert was a Two-time team Most Valuable Player for the Hawkeyes, in 1972 and 1973.
Kunnert was inducted into the Dubuque Wahlert Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kunnert was selected in the Top University of Iowa All-Time Players.