26 Aug 08 RIP Kevin Duckworth
I heard some sad news this morning, that Former Trailblazer Kevin Duckworth had passed away, at the age of 44. Not long after the news, we start hearing stories about the “gentle giant”, and here’s mine.
I can’t say I knew him all that well, but well enough he’d call out to me at the sportsman shows, and call me “boy george’s gay drummer” or joke around when I saw him around town (I’ll tell that story in a minute). Back in 1999-2000 I worked at a 4×4 shop that did work on his truck. Lift kits, winch, electronics, and the like. As he would say “put it on my tab” and joke around. He would often hang out at the shop all day while we wrenched on his truck, not because he was picky or monitoring us, but because he was having fun hanging out and talking to people.
He was good friends with the owner of the shop at the time, my boss, and he would frequently come in to get a new gadget installed or shoot the breeze with us. He was always a nice, gracious guy, who didn’t seem to have a mean streak in his body. He never acted like a “super star” or anything like it, just a regular guy. And as one of the most recognizable Portland Trailblazers player ever, he would often get people coming up to him and asking “hey, aren’t you Kevin Duckworth?” and his face would light up, and he’d smile. He would always sign autographs, give hugs, and talk with people. I think a lot of people walked away surprised at his demeanor and personality.
When he came in the shop, we’d try to wrestle with him and take him down (how often do you get to horse around with someone 7 foot tall and 300lbs?) and I’d tell him dirty jokes, just to get a reaction out of him, which was usually “awwww man, thats bad” in his awe-shucks, good guy sort of way. He just wasn’t a crude person by nature, though we tried to get it out of him.
“Within the world of basketball, within those Trail Blazers teams, he was a jokester,” said Phoenix Suns coach Terry Porter, who played with Duckworth. “He was a big loving teddy bear. At times guys got frustrated because he didn’t have a mean streak. He was just a great guy. He loved the team atmosphere, loved being a teammate in those successful Blazer teams.”
He was always kind and down to earth, and never spoke bad of anyone. He would put on his best behavior for the blue haired old ladies wanting to meet him, and kids whose parents brought them over. He would talk to the kids and give them encouraging words, and joke around. He was a positive role model in an era that seems long gone from basketball. Before the bling-sporting, dope smoking troublemakers we often see today. Portland has lost a truly good guy today.
He would often call my roomate “boy george” because of his spiked blond hair, and seemed to have a funny nickname for everyone. One day I asked him “hey, how come I don’t get a nickname?” and he laughed and said “alright, you can be Boy George’s gay drummer then”. Unfortunately for me, it stuck.
As I said, I didn’t know him all that well, but I can attest that he was indeed a “gentle giant”, people aren’t just saying that because he passed away. It seems everyone has a Kevin Duckworth story, as he had been a solid fixture around Portland since his retirement. When talking about Kevin, everyone had good things to say.
R.I.P. Duck, you’ll be missed by a lot of people.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
