Kleine inducted into SWC HOF

Kleine inducted into SWC HOF

WACO, Texas — Former Arkansas center Joe Kleine was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame on Monday at a luncheon in Dallas.

Kleine joins eight other inductees that make up the class of 2016. The Southwest Conference Hall of Fame is one of four separate halls of fame housed within the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

During his three seasons in Fayetteville, Kleine put together one of the most illustrious careers in Razorback history. The big man posted 1,753 career points which ranks sixth all-time. He ranks second in rebounding average (8.3), fourth in field goal percentage (.585) and fifth in scoring average (18.3) and total rebounds (806).

Kleine was named the 1982-83 Southwest Conference Newcomer of the Year following his first season at Arkansas.

The Razorbacks made the NCAA Tournament every year with Kleine, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 1983. Arkansas finished in the top 25 all three years Kleine was a Razorback and finished in the top 10 in both 1983 and 1984.

He was a two-time All-Southwest Conference pick and earned a spot on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Los Angeles that was coached by Bob Knight. Kleine was Olympic teammates on the gold medal team that included Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Steve Alford.

The three-year letterwinner was drafted sixth overall in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.

He went on to have a 15year NBA career that included an NBA Championship in 1998 with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls. He scored 4,666 total points and brought in 3,991 rebounds over his career which included stops at the Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kleine joins other former Razorback greats who were inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame, including Coach Frank Broyles, Coach Norm DeBriyn, Coach Nolan Richardson, Coach John McDonnell, Lance Alworth, Bill Montgomery, Loyd Phillips, Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.

By Brent Hull