Spurs 50 for 50, Number 20: Larry Kenon

This year the Spurs are celebrating their 50th season in San Antonio. There have been many highs and a few lows. One trademark of the San Antonio Spurs has been their culture and consistency. The keys to those qualities lie in their players. Always noted for development as well as being ahead of the curve on scouting international players, the Spurs way has made them one of the most successful organizations of all time. As we look back on the Silver and Black, we recognize the top 50 players in franchise history. Each day, we will move up the countdown.

20 - Larry Kenon

The San Antonio Spurs have a storied history of fantastic players, but one man often gets forgotten among the superstars of yesteryear. That would be none other than Larry Kenon, the five-time All-Star that helped George Gervin and company hit the ground running during their first season in the NBA after the highly controversial ABA merger.

Despite Kenon playing sidekick to the Iceman, the big man was must-see basketball in his own right. The six-nine forward was one of five players in the league to average at least 20-10-3 from 1976 to 1980, a list comprised of Artis Gilmore, Bob McAdoo, Bob Lanier, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And he also set the single-game steals record (11), which still stands.

The flashy big man would eventually leave the 2-1-0 and sign a multi-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, where he would struggle to replicate the type of play that made him a coveted free agent. Kenon bounced around to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, but the latter would waive him in 1983, marking the end of an illustrious career.

Most of the players remaining on our 50-for-50 countdown have or are in the conversation to have their jerseys retired at the AT&T Center. Though that is a tribute reserved for the creme de la creme, Larry Kenon deserves to have his number dangling from the rafters as a founding father that laid a steady footing for an organization amid an uncertain transition.

Next up: A one-time adversary switches allegiances on his way to another pair of rings.

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