Kevin Willis

	Position: Center
	Number: 42
	Age: 36
	Height: 7'0"
	Weight: 245
	Years as Pro: 14

In a real steal for the Raptors, Kevin Willis was traded from Houston for the singing cowboy, Roy Rogers, and two draft picks. He will be the most important player for the Raptors this year.

Willis began his career with the Atlanta Hawks, being drafted 11th overall in 1984, after playing his college ball at Michigan State, where he was also a middle-distance runner. Willis played a major role on the powerful Hawks teams of the late 80's, which advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals 4 times, but never to the Eastern Conference finals. Willis sat out the entire 1988-89 season after breaking a bone in his foot. His strongest years statistically were from 1991-92 to 1993-94. In 1991-92 he played in the All-Star game and was named to the All-NBA 3rd team. He also finished 2nd in the league in rebounding to Dennis Rodman, setting a team record with 15.5 rebounds per game.

In November 1994 Willis was traded to Miami for Steve Smith and Grant Long, and traded again to Golden State in February 1996 with Bimbo Coles for Tim Hardaway and Chris Gatling. The calibre of the players in these trades indicates how valuable a player Willis is.

Prior to the 1996-97 season, Willis signed as a free agent where he helped back up Hakeem Olajuwon at center. When Hakeem was injured last year, Willis became the starting center and had an excellent season in this role. He will provide Toronto with an inside scoring presence they have never had before and also provide leadership to the young team. Willis showed his skills in his first game with the Raptors, scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

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