Today’s Sports Throwback Thursday belongs to the hall of Famer Jack Sikma. One of the best centers of his generation.
Not too many people know or have forgotten about Jack Sikma. He was a terrific professional basketball player. In his college career at Illinois Wesleyan, Sikma is the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,272 points) and rebounder (1,405). In his last three seasons, the Titans won College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships and advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament in Kansas City. Sikma was a three-time NAIA All-American and was the top vote-getter as an Associated Press College Division All-American as a senior when he averaged 27.0 points and 15.4 rebounds. In four years, his teams went 83-32, and he was chosen as the CCIW’s most outstanding player for three straight years.
Sikma was the No. 8 pick in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Sikma scored 17,287 points, got 10,816 rebounds in the NBA, and was a key player on Seattle’s 1979 NBA championship team. He holds Seattle’s team records for rebounds (7,729) and free throws made (3,044).
Sikma is the only center to have led the NBA in free-throw shooting percentage, converting 92.2 percent in 1987-88 with the Milwaukee Bucks. His jersey has been retired by Illinois Wesleyan and the Seattle SuperSonics.
In 1999, Sikma became a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
He was inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, the NAIA Hall of Fame, and was a member of the NAIA 50th & 75th All-Anniversary Teams. In 2019, Sikma joined the fraternity of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The impressive illustrious career that Jack Sikma made for himself. All work ethic, talent, and commitment.
