Chad Kinch
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1958 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 1994 (aged 35) Carteret, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Perth Amboy (Perth Amboy, New Jersey) |
| College | Charlotte (1976–1980) |
| NBA draft | 1980: 1st round, 22nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Playing career | 1980–1981 |
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Number | 20, 21 |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1981 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1981 | Dallas Mavericks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Chadwick Oliver Kinch (May 22, 1958 – April 3, 1994) was an American professional basketball player. He was a 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m), 190-pound (86 kg) shooting guard and played collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte after starring at Perth Amboy High School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey,[1] his place of birth.
He was selected with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[2] He spent his only NBA season (1980–81) split between the Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks. The Cavs traded Kinch, along with a 1985 first-round draft choice, to the Mavericks in exchange for Geoff Huston and a 1983 third-round draft choice on February 7, 1981.[2] Kinch averaged 2.9 points per game in his only season in the NBA.
The loss of his brother, Raymond, in a house fire reportedly strongly affected Kinch, impacting his NBA career. After leaving the NBA and starting a family, he descended further into a drug habit, eventually contracting HIV.[3] Kinch died of AIDS-related complications in 1994,[4] aged 35, at his home in Carteret, New Jersey.[1][3]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[5]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Cleveland | 29 | 8.5 | .396 | – | .800 | .8 | 1.2 | .3 | .2 | 2.8 |
| Dallas | 12 | 8.8 | .311 | – | .769 | .8 | .8 | .2 | .1 | 3.2 | |
| Career | 41 | 8.6 | .369 | – | .778 | .8 | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 | |
Notes
- ^ a b Staff. Chad Kinch, 35, Ex-Basketball Star, The New York Times, April 8, 1994. Accessed February 28, 2011. "CARTERET, N.J., April 7— Chad Kinch, a former basketball star at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey and the Cleveland Cavaliers' No. 1 draft choice in 1980, died at home on Sunday. He was 35."
- ^ a b "Cavaliers All-Time Roster" (PDF). NBA.com. (4.14 MiB); retrieved June 26, 2007
- ^ a b Araton, Harvey (1994). "Glory Days Died Too Soon; Then Kinch Did(.) Life Never Lived Up to that Moment in the Sun" New York Times 18 April 1994. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ Still stunning the world 10 years later, ESPN The Magazine
- ^ "Chad Kinch NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
External links
- NBA stats @ basketballreference.com
- Chad Kinch profile @ thedraftreview.com
season in the NB