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Bones McKinney

1919 – 1997

American basketball player-coach

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About Bones McKinney

Lived 1919 – 1997 (aged 78). Bones McKinney was an American basketball player and basketball coach.

Horace Albert "Bones" McKinney (January 1, 1919 – May 16, 1997) was an American professional basketball player and coach.

A 6'6" small forward who played at both North Carolina State University (2 seasons) and the University of North Carolina (1 season, after U.S. Army service during World War II interrupted his college career), McKinney had a six-year playing career in the NBA, most of them with the now-defunct Washington Capitols. He also played for the Boston Celtics. His final year with the Capitols (in the 1950–51 season), McKinney was a player-coach; the team folded midway through the season.

McKinney, known for his sideline antics, would later coach the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, leading them to two Atlantic Coast Conference titles and an appearance in the Final Four in 1962.

McKinney also coached Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association from 1969 through 1971. He coached them to a 42–42 record during the 1969–70 season, good for third place in the East Division. The Cougars then lost in the first round of the 1970 ABA playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 0. As the 1970–71 season got under way, McKinney was named a vice president of the team. After a 17–25 start, halfway through the season McKinney was replaced as head coach by his assistant coach Jerry Steele. Steele also went 17-25 for the remainder of the season for a 34–50 record that failed to get the Cougars into the 1971 ABA playoffs. During the 1970–71 season, McKinney provided color commentary for the television broadcast of the 1971 ABA All Star Game. Subsequently, McKinney would have a long and successful career as a color analyst for television broadcasts of ACC basketball games.

McKinney's picture hangs in the North Carolina History Museum's North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and one of his basketball jerseys is also displayed there. He was also a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an ordained minister of the Southern Baptist Convention.

BAA/NBA career statistics Legend GP Games played MPG Minutes per game FG% Field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG 1946–47 Washington 58 – .279 .690 – 1.2 12.0 1947–48 Washington 43 – .268 .644 – .8 11.3 1948–49 Washington 57 – .328 .706 – 2.0 12.7 1949–50 Washington 53 – .296 .776 – 1.7 9.3 1950–51 Washington 10 – .279 .429 1.9 .6 2.7 1950–51 Boston 34 – .317 .743 5.3 2.3 6.9 1951–52 Boston 63 17.2 .325 .813 2.8 1.8 5.3Career 318 17.2 .298 .711 3.5 1.6 9.4

Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG 1947 Washington 6 – .212 .647 – .5 9.7 1949 Washington 10 – .354 .731 – .9 12.8 1950 Washington 2 – .273 .800 – 1.5 8.0 1951 Boston 2 – .440 .800 5.0 4.0 13.0 1952 Boston 3 6.7 .222 .000 2.0 .7 1.3Career 23 6.7 .306 .708 3.2 1.1 10.1

Head coaching record

College

NBA/ABA

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
North Carolina State University, Durham High School
Awards
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame; All-BAA First Team; All-BAA Second Team

People in Bones McKinney's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Bones McKinney's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Bones McKinney?

American basketball player-coach

When was Bones McKinney born?

Bones McKinney was born on 1 January 1919 in Lowland.

When did Bones McKinney die?

Bones McKinney died on 16 May 1997 in Raleigh.

What was Bones McKinney's occupation?

Bones McKinney was a basketball player and basketball coach.

What nationality was Bones McKinney?

Bones McKinney was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Bones McKinney

· Wikidata: Q1450542

· DBpedia: Bones McKinney

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bones McKinney. https://biography.guide/bones-mckinney/

MLA: "Bones McKinney." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bones-mckinney/.

Chicago: "Bones McKinney." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bones-mckinney/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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