NORFOLK, Va. – The City of Norfolk honored Norfolk State basketball legend Richard 'Pee Wee' Kirkland earlier this week, receiving a proclamation from the city in front of an enthusiastic audience.
 
Kirkland first earned a name for himself as a playground standout at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York before heading to Norfolk State in the late 1960s. Taking the court alongside NBA Hall of Famer Robert Dandridge, Kirkland helped earn the Spartans a CIAA title in 1968, the second championship in the program's history.
 
Kirkland was named CIAA Tournament MVP that year, eventually becoming just the second NSU basketball player drafted to the NBA in program history. He now inspires countless young athletes as a motivational speaker.
 
"Norfolk State created a reality in basketball that no place can override," he told 13News Now on Monday, "It was the people. There was just a love affair that came together that just never ended."