Last Updated on July 23, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Kenny Gattison built a reputation as a hardworking forward who brought energy, physicality, and a team-first approach whenever he took the floor. He may not have posted headline-grabbing numbers, but his willingness to battle inside and handle the less glamorous responsibilities made him a useful contributor throughout his NBA career.

Here is a detailed profile of basketballer Kenny Gattison:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Kenneth Clay Gattison
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: May 23, 1964
  • Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 8 inches (203 cm)
  • Weight: 245 pounds (111 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 9 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 15 (US)
  • Jersey Number: Wore #44 and #35 during his career
  • Position: Power Forward
  • High School: New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina
  • College: Old Dominion University (1982–1986)
  • NBA Draft:
    • Year: 1986
    • Round: 3
    • Pick: 55th overall
    • Selected by the Phoenix Suns
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Phoenix Suns (1986–1987)
    2. USBL (brief stint)
    3. Charlotte Hornets (1988–1995)
    4. Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–1996)
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Children:
    • Kenny Gattison is known to have children, though detailed information about them is not widely available.
  • Siblings:
    • Information about Kenny Gattison’s siblings is not publicly disclosed.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Kenny Gattison was a blue-collar frontcourt player who fit best as an interior finisher and physical rotation big, blending the traits of a power forward and small-ball center rather than operating as a polished featured scorer. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, he had a sturdy build, strong base, and enough mobility to work effectively in close spaces, which suited the contact-heavy parts of the game. Defensively, his role was to provide toughness inside, battle on the glass, hold position in the paint, and give lineups dependable effort against bigger bodies, even if he was not a high-end rim protector. Offensively, he did most of his work near the basket as a finisher on cuts, dump-offs, put-backs, and short interior looks, leaning on efficiency and activity more than shot creation. In full, Gattison played the game in a practical, physical way: an energy big who helped teams with rebounding, interior scoring, and steady frontcourt labor rather than flair. (Basketball Reference)

Scouting Report

Kenny Gattison wasn’t the kind of big who demanded touches to influence a game, and that’s exactly why he fit so comfortably alongside higher-usage teammates. The first thing you notice is how much of his offense came from doing the work before the ball arrived. He sprinted into screens, established deep seals early in possessions and constantly searched for gaps along the baseline where a simple dump-off pass became an uncontested finish. He wasn’t trying to beat defenders with polished post counters or face-up moves; his scoring usually came because he had already won the battle for position. On the defensive end, Gattison played with a physical edge that showed up in the details. He absorbed contact in the lane, rotated from the weak side without drifting too far from the rim and challenged shots by staying vertical instead of chasing blocks that would leave the glass exposed. That’s where his value really surfaced. He understood that forcing a difficult attempt and securing the rebound was often more important than producing a highlight. The trade-off was that his offensive game became much easier to contain when opponents could keep him away from the restricted area. He wasn’t someone who consistently created out of the post, stretched the defense with shooting or punished switches through advanced footwork, and he offered limited playmaking once the ball found him. To me, Gattison fit best with guards who lived in the pick-and-roll and wings who spaced the floor, allowing him to focus on screening, rolling, offensive rebounding and anchoring the paint without being asked to manufacture offense. It’s easy to overlook how often his screens created advantages that never appeared in a box score because he made solid contact, held his angle and gave ball handlers a clean path into the middle of the floor. His game reminds me of Antonio Davis in the willingness to embrace physical interior work, while there are similarities to Udonis Haslem in the disciplined positioning, reliable finishing around the basket and understanding that controlling the paint often starts long before the shot goes up.

Fun Facts

  • Kenny Gattison was known as a hardworking role player who brought toughness and intensity to the court.
  • At Old Dominion, he became the school’s all-time leading scorer and later transitioned to a solid NBA career, primarily with the Charlotte Hornets, where he was valued for his rebounding and inside presence.
  • After retiring, he transitioned to coaching and held various assistant coaching roles in the NBA.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Kenny Gattison Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
NBA.com — Kenny Gattison | Forward | Charlotte Hornets
Sports-Reference CBB — Kenny Gattison College Stats
ESPN — Kenny Gattison Biography