Basketball Born in
Manhattan, New York, Kirkland played varsity basketball at
Charles Evans Hughes High School in
Manhattan, New York, and was made an All-City guard. He was awarded a scholarship and attended
Kittrell College, a community college in North Carolina, and was on the basketball team, averaging 41 points per game. He then attended
Norfolk State University and played on the basketball team, teaming up with future NBA star
Bob Dandridge. The Spartans won the CIAA title in 1968 with a 25–2 record; they lost in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men's Tournament. The next year their record was 21–4, and they lost in the first round of the D-II tournament. In 1969 he was
drafted by the
Chicago Bulls with the fourth pick in the thirteenth round. It is speculated that he turned the offer down because he was making more money in current ventures, including being a drug dealer, than he would in professional basketball. At the time, the opportunities offered to him outside of the NBA were far more lucrative, in terms of financial gain and public recognition.
Motivational speaker He presents his messages in the "School of Skillz"—a basketball and life skills campaign that is co-sponsored by
Nike. The camps began in the 1990s on Saturdays in Harlem and have since become a nationwide endeavor. He has won championships as a high school coach at
The Dwight School, a prestigious private school on the Upper West Side in New York City. One of his early breakthroughs involved reaching out to youth such as Hanif "Camel" Warren. As an educator and social worker, Kirkland utilizes the respect he receives from young people because of his gangster past to reach at-risk youth and break down their misconceptions about "keepin' it real" on the streets. Kirkland earned a master's degree in human services from
Lincoln University. ==In popular culture==