Bernard King
A scoring machine whose explosive comeback from a devastating knee injury became one of the most inspiring chapters in NBA history.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bernard King played basketball with a terrifying, single-minded purpose: to put the ball in the basket. The Brooklyn native brought a kinetic, high-wire act to the NBA, combining a potent first step with a virtually unblockable turnaround jumper. His peak arrived with the New York Knicks, where in 1984 he unleashed one of the most dominant scoring seasons ever, averaging 32.9 points per game and captivating Madison Square Garden. Just as he seemed unstoppable, a catastrophic ACL tear in 1985 threatened to end his career. In a feat of medical and personal determination almost unheard of at the time, King retooled his game and returned to All-Star form years later with the Washington Bullets. His journey from apex scorer to injured veteran to elite scorer again cemented his legacy as a pure offensive force and a symbol of perseverance.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bernard was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bernard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the NBA scoring title in the 1984-85 season with an average of 32.9 points per game.
- Earned four NBA All-Star selections and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1984 and 1985.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Scored 60 points in a single game on Christmas Day 1984, a Madison Square Garden record that stood for decades.
- Averaged over 20 points per game for three different teams after returning from his major knee injury.
Did You Know?
He scored his 60-point Christmas game while battling the flu.
His younger brother, Albert King, was also a first-round NBA draft pick.
He was known for his meticulous pre-game routine, which included precisely arranged towels and drinking cups.
He played college basketball at the University of Tennessee, where he led the SEC in scoring for three consecutive years.
“The basket is like a magnet to me. When I release the ball, I always think it's going in.”
