Kenneth Robert Sears was born on August 17, 1933, and died on April 23, 2017.
He was an American professional basketball player.
Sears is notable as the first basketball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, appearing on the December 20, 1954 issue.
He was a 6’9″ forward from Santa Clara University, Sears played eight seasons (1955–1961, 1962–1964) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks and San Francisco Warriors.
Sears averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in his NBA career, appearing as an NBA All-Star in 1958 and 1959.
He also led the NBA in field goal percentage twice (1959, 1960).
He spent the 1961–62 basketball season in the short-lived American Basketball League.
Ken Sears passed away at 83 years old.