Ernest Maurice "Kiki" VanDeWeghe III was born on August 1,1958 and is an American former professional basketball player, coach and executive who is an advisor for the National Basketball Association.
23 Facts About Kiki VanDeWeghe
2.
Kiki VanDeWeghe moved back to the US as a child and eventually would up playing college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he earned all-conference honors in the Pac-10.
3.
Kiki VanDeWeghe led the Bruins to the 1980 NCAA championship game, where they would lose to Louisville.
4.
Kiki VanDeWeghe became an excellent scorer and outside shooter in the NBA, averaging 20 points for seven consecutive seasons.
5.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was particularly known for his use of the stepback, a move he was so proficient at that it was often referred to as the "Kiki Move" toward the end of his career.
6.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was later the general manager of the Denver Nuggets and the New Jersey Nets, and a head coach of the Nets.
7.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations for eight years.
8.
Kiki VanDeWeghe played four seasons at the University of California, Los Angeles, culminating in a senior season in which expectations for the Bruins were lower than in previous seasons.
9.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was drafted 11th overall in the 1980 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, but refused to play for Dallas and demanded a trade.
10.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was second in scoring in 1983, averaging 26.7 points, and 3rd in 1984 with a career-high 29.4 points.
11.
Kiki VanDeWeghe had several productive seasons in Portland, where he averaged nearly 25 points a game paired with Clyde Drexler to form a dynamic scoring duo.
12.
Kiki VanDeWeghe was traded the next year to the New York Knicks, with whom he played for several years.
13.
Kiki VanDeWeghe initially had a front-office role with the Dallas Mavericks, where he was instrumental in the development of Dirk Nowitzki.
14.
Major moves by Kiki VanDeWeghe included the drafting of Carmelo Anthony in 2003, the trade for Marcus Camby in 2002 and the hiring of George Karl as head coach in 2005.
15.
However, on December 31,2007, the Nets announced that Kiki VanDeWeghe would join the team as a special assistant to team president and general manager Rod Thorn.
16.
Kiki VanDeWeghe replaced Ed Stefanski, who left the Nets to join the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the month.
17.
On December 1,2009, Kiki VanDeWeghe agreed to assume duties as interim head coach of the Nets while continuing to be general manager of the team.
18.
Kiki VanDeWeghe hired Del Harris as an assistant, who was to be his "virtual co-coach", though he resigned midway through the season on February 2,2010.
19.
Harris resigned after he learned that a possible side deal that he had made with Kiki VanDeWeghe to become head coach had failed.
20.
Kiki VanDeWeghe joined the leadership team of the NBA in 2013, serving as the executive vice president of basketball operations for eight years through 2021, when he transitioned into an advisory role to both NBA commissioner Adam Silver and president of league operations Byron Spruell.
21.
Kiki VanDeWeghe is the nephew of NBA player and four-time All-Star Mel Hutchins.
22.
Kiki VanDeWeghe has a niece, Coco Vandeweghe, who is a professional tennis player.
23.
Kiki VanDeWeghe and his wife Peggy have one son, Ernest Maurice Kiki VanDeWeghe IV, born in 2002.