Kenneth R. "Kenny" Battle (born October 10, 1964 in Aurora, Illinois

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...

) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 retired professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

High school career

In 1984, Battle led Aurora West High School to third place in the Illinois High School Association

Illinois High School Association

The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 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

Illinois High School Association

The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 named Battle one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.

College career

Battle played collegiately at Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

 from 1984-1986 before transferring to the University of Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

. 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.

• 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 2004, Battle was named to the University of Illinois Basketball All-Century Team.

Professional career

Battle was selected by the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 in the 1st round (27th overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft

1989 NBA Draft

The 1989 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. It has been regarded as one of the worst drafts in NBA history, along with the 1986 NBA Draft and the 2000 NBA Draft. Though the draft produced talented players such as Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Sean Elliott, Nick...

 and then traded on draft day to the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 along with Micheal Williams

Micheal Williams

Micheal Douglas Williams is a retired American professional basketball player at the point guard position in the National Basketball Association ....

 in exchange for the Suns' first round draft choice (24th overall pick), Anthony Cook

Anthony Cook

Anthony Lacquise Cook is a retired American professional basketball player.After having played collegiately at the University of Arizona, power forward-center Cook was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft, and then traded on draft day to the Detroit Pistons in...

. Battle played in 4 NBA seasons for the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

, Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

, Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 and Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

. His best year as a pro came during the 1991-92 NBA season

1991-92 NBA season

-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets*Defensive Player of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs...

 when he split time with the Suns and Nuggets, appearing in 56 games and averaging 6.1 ppg. 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

Fargo-Moorhead Beez

The Fargo-Moorhead Beez was a professional basketball club based in Fargo, North Dakota that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 1995-1996 season. They were the 1995-1996 and the 1997-1998 International Basketball Association champions...

 of the International Basketball Association

International Basketball Association

The International Basketball Association was founded by Alexandria, Minnesota entrepreneur Thomas Anderson in 1995. Anderson traveled the Upper Midwest searching for franchise owners for a couple of years before the league began play with five teams in the 1995-1996 season...

in 2000.

External links

• Kenny Battle profile, basketball-reference.com