Gary Wilkinson (basketball)

Gary Wilkinson

Wilkinson during his first stint with the New Zealand Breakers
Personal information
Born	(1982-10-02) October 2, 1982 (age 34) Salt Lake City, Utah
Nationality	American
Listed height	204 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight	113 kg (249 lb)
Career information
High school	Bingham (South Jordan, Utah)
College	Salt Lake CC (2005–2007) Utah State (2007–2009)
NBA draft	2009 / Undrafted
Playing career	2009–2014
Position	Power forward / Center
Number	55
Career history
2009	Wonju Dongbu Promy
2009–2010	Peristeri B.C.
2010–2012	New Zealand Breakers
2012	Vaqueros de Bayamón
2012–2013	BC Kalev/Cramo
2013	Indios de Mayagüez
2013–2014	New Zealand Breakers
2014	Indios de Mayagüez
2014	Vaqueros de Bayamón
Career highlights and awards
KML champion (2013) KML MVP (2013) 2x NBL champion (2011–2012) All-NBL First Team (2011) WAC Player of the Year (2009) First-team All-WAC (2009) Second-team All-WAC (2008) WAC All-Newcomer Team (2008) Third-team NJCAA All-American (2006) 2x First-team All-SWAC (2006–2007)

Gary Kristopher Wilkinson (born October 2, 1982) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Utah State and has played previously for professional teams in Greece, South Korea, New Zealand, Estonia and Puerto Rico.

Wilkinson was born in Salt Lake City and grew up in South Jordan, Utah. At Bingham High School, Wilkinson was cut from the basketball team and dropped out his senior year; he told ESPN The Magazine: "I really didn't have any goals. I didn't have any ambition to play college basketball, didn't have any ambition to go to the Utah State university at all. I just sat around and partied with my friends." One of Wilkinson's friends committed suicide eight months after Wilkinson quit school; a friend of that friend recommended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Wilkinson. Eventually, Wilkinson earned his GED, went on a two-year mission in Alberta, Canada, and enrolled in Salt Lake Community College. Recalling his missionary work in Canada, Wilkinson said in an interview with the New Zealand Herald: "Sometimes it was so cold I actually couldn't speak because my jaw was frozen. We had to write with pencils as the ink in the pens would freeze." Wilkinson now shares his life story with youth groups and schools.

For two seasons (2005–2007), Wilkinson played for the Salt Lake Community College basketball team. He averaged 18.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and shot 60.2 percent from the field and 74.2 percent from the free throw line. Coach Norm Parrish was skeptical at first after Wilkinson called him for a tryout but was impressed enough to invite Wilkinson to the team. Wilkinson's awards during his time at SLCC include the Scenic West Athletic Conference First Team (2006, 2007) and NJCAA All-American Third Team in 2006. With a 3.96 grade point average, he also was on the NJCAA Academic All-American Team after his first season.