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Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
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Albert King
Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan
November 04, 2009
Call number: 2008.031.6.002
504
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Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Albert King
Albert King was born in 1959 and raised along with four brothers and one sister on Myrtle Avenue in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Attending public school, he began playing basketball at age ten. He played on the teams at Sands Junior High School and Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. Attaining a basketball scholarship, King played for the University of Maryland Terrapins beginning in 1977. Drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1981, he played professional ball for nine seasons, until 1991. Within a few years, he was looking into running a Wendy's restaurant and was a co-investor in one in 1995. In 1998, he became a sole Wendy's franchisee, expanding to ownership of three restaurants. As recently as 2015, King was giving tips to kids playing ball in NBA (National Basketball Association) Cares clinics.
Beginning his interview, Albert King recalls his journey from childhood to his teens in school and on the basketball courts of Brooklyn. He talks about his older brother Bernard King as a street ball player and later as a New York Knick. He fondly remembers his own youth; playing ball, emulating star players of the '70s, building a reputation, and training under the legendary coach Gil Reynolds. He discusses his time in his high school team within the surroundings of the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn and meeting the demands of his parents at home in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. He speaks about experiencing blatant or subtle racism during his time as a kid. King shares some details on his parents and how basketball flourished in the family. He describes his time as a college player at the University of Maryland, who his teammates were, and how they coalesced into a good team. King reminisces more about being a kid in Fort Greene. He describes the rush of playing as a professional and his ability to transition to running a business. Interview conducted via telephone by Sady Sullivan.
The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Sports and leisure series features a dynamic range of narrators. Some are known public figures and others are well-known in their field, all having proactively contributed to the athletic pursuits or relaxing diversions of the borough. This ongoing series focuses on Brooklyn history and the experiences of these narrators, as well as documents local, national and international cultural events. The oldest narrator in this series was born in 1931.
Citation
King, Albert, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, November 04, 2009, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Sports and leisure, 2008.031.6.002; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Brooklyn Nets (Basketball team)?
- King, Albert
- King, Bernard
- Reynolds, Gil
- University of Maryland
Topics
- African Americans
- Basketball
- Basketball players
- Family life
- Games
- School sports
- Sports for children
Places
- Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.)
- Fort Greene Park (New York, N.Y.)
- Maryland
- New Jersey
Transcript
Download PDFFinding Aid
Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Sports and leisure