Nick Weatherspoon

Nick Levoter Weatherspoon (July 20, 1950 – October 17, 2008) was an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Spoon," he scored 1,431 points at Canton McKinley High School, a Bulldog scoring record that stood for 37 years until Raymar Morgan broke it during the 2005–06 season. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois, where he earned All-American honors. As a junior in 1972 he was named Team MVP and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. In 1973 he served as Team Captain, repeated as Team MVP, made the First Team All-Big Ten, and received Honorable Mention All-American recognition.

Weatherspoon was selected by the Capital Bullets with the 13th pick of the 1973 NBA draft. He was named to the 1974 NBA All-Rookie Team and spent seven seasons in the NBA with the Bullets, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Chicago Bulls, and the San Diego Clippers.

He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, initiated through the Tau chapter in 1971. In 2004 he was elected to the Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team. In 2008 he was honored with a jersey that hangs in the State Farm Center, recognizing him as one of the program's most decorated basketball players.