Felpa girocollo Cover SLAM Hardwood Classics Bernard King Before '94

Our magazine started up in 1994, so we missed decades of greatness. The 75 Before '94 project ran alongside the NBA's 75th anniversary celebration. This series was our homage to all the stars who never got a chance to shine on a SLAM cover.

For three brilliant but brief seasons, Bernard King was Knicks royalty. From 1982 to 1985, the Brooklyn native was a machine. His average of 22 points per game in his first season jumped to 26 points per game in his second season and then it jumped again to a league-best 33 points a game in that final season.

Simple, really. Mid-range all day long. It was light work. Just a few dribbles from about 18 feet out and then the net would sing. Too strong to be moved off his sweet spots, King was also too big for wing defenders to get a good contest. The points piled up and up, until not only did he lead the NBA in scoring during the '84-'85 season, he also led in field goals made per game.

Scoring rampages like his are made all the more impressive within the context of the day. Back in the mid-80s, when the game was slower and there were fewer possessions, the odds of going off were far slimmer. On Christmas Day in 1984, he hit the Nets with a barrage that equaled 60 points. He also gave the Nets a 55-piece less than two months later. Earlier in 1984, he registered back-to-back 50-point games on consecutive days. King earned his place in the halls of Knicks lore. A King from the County of Kings.

Injuries robbed him of more history-defining performances, and that's the heartbreak. Still, he proved himself enough. We all know it was King's court.

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