Kenny Sailors inducted into American Basketball HOF

Jan. 26—University of Wyoming men's basketball legend Kenny Sailors added another honor to his résumé as part of the 2024 American Basketball Hall of Fame Class on Friday.

Sailors is already a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the UW Athletics Hall of Fame. Sailors passed away at the age of 95 in 2016.

Born in Bushnell, Nebraska, in 1921, Sailors and his family moved to Egbert, Wyoming, in 1929. Sailors would soon become one of the icons of the game of basketball.

Credited with developing the modern-day jump shot, he led UW to the 1943 NCAA championship and was named the national player of the year in the same season. In November of 2012, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri.

Sailors and his former head coach, Everett Shelton, are the only two representatives from the state of Wyoming in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Shelton was inducted in the inaugural class in 2006.

After teaming with Shelton to lead UW to the NCAA championship, Sailors enlisted in the Marines and served from 1943-45 in the South Pacific during World War II. Away from the game he loved for two years, Sailors returned to UW for the 1945-46 season and once again earned All-America honors. He was a two-time consensus All-American in 1943 and 1946, and a two-time AAU All-American those same seasons.

Sailors was one of the pioneers of professional basketball, joining the Basketball Association of America in its inaugural season in 1946. He played his first three professional seasons in the BAA. The BAA became the National Basketball Association beginning with the 1949-50 season, and Sailors played his final two seasons in the NBA.

Upon his retirement from professional basketball after the 1950-51 season, Sailors returned to his native Wyoming to become a licensed hunting and fishing guide in Jackson from 1951-65. Years later, he moved to Alaska and continued his love for the outdoors, guiding hunting and fishing expeditions from 1965-99.

During his time in Alaska, Sailors influenced the lives of countless young people, serving as a girls and boys basketball coach in Glennallen and Angoon. Sailors pioneered girls basketball in the public school system in the state of Alaska, including introducing the first state tournament.

He won three consecutive state championships at Glennallen and led his team to 68 consecutive wins during that span.

The 2024 classes is headed by some of the most well-known basketball trailblazers, including former NBA greats Larry Bird, Dave Bing, Phil Chenier, and George Gervin, Harlem legend Joe Hammonds and WNBA player Semeka Randall.

This year's class also features five coaches that have made a tremendous impact on and off the court, including Bobby Knight, Ed McCluskey, Kevin Mackey, Bobby Huggins and Dru Joyce.