Park View Honors Billy King With Jersey Retirement

Photogallery: Billy King Night

Video: Watch the Ceremony

There might be no greater honor for an athlete than having their jersey retired.

For 76ers President Billy King, such an honor was given to him on Tuesday, Jan. 10 when his high school Alma Mater, Park View, placed No. 55 to on the wall of their gymnasium before the tip off of the boys' varsity basketball game against Broad Run as part of Billy King Night.

King, a 1984 Park View graduate, hold 11 Patriots' boys' basketball records. Among these records are:

Points in a single game: 39; Points ina season: 530; Career points: 1,809; Assists in a single game: 15; Assists in a season: 190; Career assists: 551; Rebounds in a single game: 23; Career rebounds: 1,227; Career blocked shots: 227; Career steals: 245; and Career defensive charges: 58.

"I’m very humbled, a little emberassed," said a choked up King after seeing his jersey on the wall. "Park View was family. A lot of people helped me accomplish a lot. Normally I don’t get choked up, normally I can talk. A lot of you wish I would get choked up and wouldn’t talk as much. I think every time I’ve spoken I can really speak freely, and there’s only two times that I’ve been choked up and that was when I spoke at Park View’s graduation, and now.”

Honored guests for Billy King Night included former Park View boys' basketball coach Ken Edwards; King's mother, Martha King; both of King's sisters, Anita and Regina Rose; and his wife, Melanie.

“I’m very excited," said King's sister Anita. "I’m very excited for Billy, he deserves it. He’s the best brother ever, I love him dearly, and I’m very happy for him.”

This was a great moment not only for King, but also for Park View High School

“I think now, and especially with the young kids that they have, they are going to be able to tell somebody about that jersey hanging up there. 'Billy did this, and Billy did that.' It’s just got to be a blessing,” said Edwards, who was King's basketball coach at Park View.

Following his career at Park View, King went to Duke University. The Blue Devils posted a 112-27 record during his playing career and King was named the Henry Iba Corinthian National Defensive Player of the Year following his senior season. Duke went to the Final Four twice during King's tenure in Durham, won two ACC regular-season championships and captured two ACC tournament titles.

King was a member of the silver-medal American team at the 1987, Men's World University Games.

After graduating from college, King was an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers under Larry Brown for four season. He joined the professional ranks after spending four seasons as an assistant at Illinois State University. King also spent a year as a color analyst for ESPN's basketball coverage of the Ohio Valley Conference.

On June 2, 1997, King joined the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers as vice president of basketball administration. Less than a year later (May 19, 1998), he was promoted to general manager. King was named team president on May 26, 2003. In this role he oversees all aspects of basketball operations, as well as all facets of business operations, including all trades, player procurement and player contract negotiations.

King was inducted into Duke University's Hall of Honor in 2001 in its charter class. In May 2003, Sports Illustrated named King one of the "101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports."