Introduction
Kenneth R. "Kenny" Battle (born October 10, 1964) is an American retired professional basketball player.
High school career
In 1984, Battle led Aurora West High School to third place in the Illinois High School Association Class AA state basketball tournament. Battle led the tournament with 86 points in four games for third-place finisher Aurora West.
In 2007, the Illinois High School Association named Battle one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.
College career
Battle played collegiately at Northern Illinois University from 1984-1986 before transferring to the University of Illinois. He was known as "King of the 360s" while playing at Northern Illinois. He was the captain of the 1989 Illinois team nicknamed the Flyin' Illini. The team reached the Final Four before being topped by Michigan. Battle was a fan favorite due to his hustle and spectacular slam dunks. The Illini awards the Kenny Battle Inspirational Award to the player who shows the most hustle during the season.
- First Northern Illinois player to amass 1000 career points.
- Earned honorable mention All-American in 1988 and 1989.
- Earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1988 and second team recognition in 1989.
- Still holds the program's single-season steal record, with 89 in 1989.
- In 2000, Battle was named to the Northern Illinois University All-Century Team.
- In 2004, Battle was named to the University of Illinois Basketball All-Century Team.
College stats
| Season | Games | Points | PPG | Rebounds | RPG | Steals | Big Ten Record |
Overall Record |
Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | 27 | 544 | 20.1 | 167 | 6.2 | 60 | 0711 !7–11 | 1116 !11–16 |
|
| 1985–86 | 27 | 528 | 19.6 | 175 | 6.5 | 67 | 1008 !10–8 | 1512 !15–12 |
|
| 1987–88 | 33 | 516 | 15.6 | 183 | 5.5 | 72 | 1206 !12–6 | 2310 !23–10 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1988–89 | 36 | 596 | 16.6 | 174 | 4.8 | 89* | 1404 !14–4 | 3105 !31–5 | NCAA Final Four |
| Totals | 123 | 2,184 | 17.7 | 699 | 5.7 | 288 | 4230 !42–30 | 7843 !78–43 | 4 appearances |
Fighting Illini Record*
Professional career
Battle was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round (27th overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft and then traded on draft day to the Phoenix Suns along with Micheal Williams in exchange for the Suns' first round draft choice (24th overall pick), Anthony Cook. Battle played in 4 NBA seasons for the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. His best year as a pro came during the 1991-92 NBA season when he split time with the Suns and Nuggets, appearing in 56 games and averaging 6.1 ppg. However, Battle's best game as a pro came on November 10, 1990 when he scored 23 points on 8/14 shooting in a Suns 173 - 143 victory over the Nuggets. Prior to that, he competed in the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he finished in last place (8th). Battle briefly joined the Fargo-Moorhead Beez of the International Basketball Association in 2000.