Norfolk honors former NSU basketball star ‘Pee Wee’ Kirkland for work in community

NORFOLK — Basketball legend Richard “Pee Wee” Kirkland was in Hampton Roads last week to receive a proclamation from the City of Norfolk.

Councilman John “JP” Paige, who represents Ward 4, made the presentation. Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, who was seated in the audience at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Church, signed it.

On the basketball court, Kirkland was an all-city guard at Charles Evans Hughes High. He got a scholarship to Kittrell Community College in North Carolina, where he averaged more than 40 points per game. He later attended Norfolk State, where he teamed with future Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge to help lead the Spartans to the CIAA title in 1968.

Kirkland’s fame rose at the renowned Rucker League tournament in West Harlem, New York, where he reigned as scoring champion for several years. From 1968 to 1971, he matched skills with NBA stars like Julius Erving, Tiny Archibald and Charlie Scott.

Two months ago, Kirkland was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame along with many others, including Dick Vitale, Harlem Globetrotter Tyrone “Hollywood” Brown, Miami Heat forward Grant Long and Detroit Pistons forward Terry Mills. At his introduction, the announcer told the crowd that Kirkland was “the greatest point guard that never played in the NBA.”

Kirkland’s fame even crossed over to music as he has been mentioned in many rap songs, including by the rap group Clipse in a 2002 hit “Grindin” and Ja Rule’s “Always on Time.” He also appeared in the film “Above the Rim” as a Georgetown recruiter, and made an appearance as himself in the 2018 basketball comedy “Uncle Drew.”

But Kirkland wasn’t honored last week for any of that.

He was recognized for his work over the past 40 years that he’s given tirelessly to help young people.

In 1969, the Chicago Bulls drafted him with the fourth pick in the 13th round. Instead, he decided to take another path that eventually led him to serve 11 years in federal prison.

It was while he was behind bars that he changed his life. He vowed to dedicate his life to giving back to try to help save young people.

In 1983, he began a program to help make a positive impact on the lives of youths in New York. He later founded Pee Wee Kirkland’s School of Skillz, a motivational community program that through basketball, works to change the culture of young people.

And he hasn’t stopped since then as he’s positively impacted the lives of countless youths.

Kirkland, 78, talked about what the proclamation meant to him.

“It means everything. This is why I do it,” he said. “Young people all over the country respect the name Pee Wee Kirkland. … They know when I first said to myself that I committed my life to impacting their lives, I said I was going to do it until I dropped. And I meant that. I haven’t dropped, so I’m still doing it.”

One of the lives Kirkland touched while in Hampton Roads was Amarius Evans’.

Evans grew up in Young Terrace, a public housing community. He got a chance to hear Kirkland earlier in the week. He didn’t get enough and had to come hear him speak again.

“He came and talked to us about two nights ago when we were playing basketball,” said Evans, who moved to Virginia Beach and will be a freshman at Landstown High. “He came out and talked to us and gave us some good words. Everybody just sat back and listened. It was very powerful.”

Kirkland was so impressed by Evans that he called him up on the stage with him.

“I was a little bit (nervous), but I’m not a shy person,” Evans said about the impromptu invitation. “But I was with a legend. It makes me feel good and makes me feel proud of myself. And I hope I can be a legend one day.”

Kirkland’s life has impressed others, too, including his former teammate.

Dandridge remembers him as “a very good player, good enough to be a starter at Norfolk State the one year he was there.”

But what’s impressed Dandridge even more is what Kirkland has done and continues to do in the community.

“I’ll remember him as a good basketball player, but also a good person who is giving back to his community, particularly in Harlem,” he said. “And for his willingness to try to turn some people around, especially young people. That’s how I’m going to remember him.”

Kirkland’s son, Pee Wee Jr., often travels with his famed father. He said seeing his father’s impact on others is humbling.

“It makes me feel like a proud son. It’s inspiring and gives people a sense of motivation and empowerment in their community,” he said. “He’s someone the youth and older people can look up to and be proud of. It’s just amazing.

“And he’s a living testament that you have to practice what you preach. If you’re teaching somebody, you can’t just say one thing, you have to do it. You have to follow your lead. Otherwise, it’s just talking.”

In a 1997 New York Times story, Kirkland was quoted as saying, “‘Thirty years ago, I was part of the problem. Thirty years later, I’m part of the solution.”

That’s exactly what he’s trying to do: Make a difference.

As the night was coming to an end, Kirkland was asked how he wants to be remembered.

After a slight pause, he said, “For what I did today,” he said. “For what I said today because that’s the most important thing in my life. The rest of it was just things I survived to get to this level.”

Larry Rubama, 757-446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com, Twitter: @LHRubama