Danny Manning life and biography

Daniel Ricardo Manning is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Manning won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988 as a player, and again on the coaching staff in 2008. He is the son of former NBA player Ed Manning.

One of the greatest players in Kansas basketball history, Danny Manning is in his eighth season on the KU men's basketball staff. In March 2007 he was named assistant coach for the Jayhawks. Manning was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on November 23, 2008.

In his role as assistant coach, Manning works with KU's big men. Six Jayhawk bigs have been selected in the NBA Draft since he has been on staff - Wayne Simien, Julian Wright, Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich. Manning recruited 2010 NBA first-round draft pick Xavier Henry to Kansas.

Since his arrival on staff at KU, Manning has been part of one NCAA national title, three NCAA Elite Eight appearances, six Big 12 regular-season conference titles and four Big 12 tournament championships. As an assistant coach in 2008 and player in 1988, Manning was on the floor for KU's last two national championships.

From 2003 until 2007, Manning served as the Director of Student-Athlete Development/Team Manager at KU. In that position, Manning was the team travel coordinator, oversaw equipment ordering and distribution and organized and assisted in the youth holiday clinic and summer camp program. In 2004-05, Manning also took on many director of operations duties for KU.

A Jayhawk legend, Manning is Kansas' all-time leading scorer and rebounder, racking up 2,951 points and 1,187 boards in his illustrious four-year career. Manning, the eighth all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, was named a consensus first-team All-America selection in 1987 and 1988, the consensus College Player of the Year in 1988 and a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1986, 1987 and 1988).

Manning was named the 1988 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player en route to leading the Jayhawks to an 83-79 victory over Oklahoma for the 1988 national championship. He was also named the MVP of the NCAA Midwest Regional in 1986 and 1988. The 1986 KU squad finished 35-4 and advanced to the Final Four in Dallas.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Manning played for seven different professional teams -- the Clippers, Hawks, Suns, Bucks, Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons. He boasts averages of 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during his NBA career, spanning 883 total games. Manning was a two-time NBA All-Star (1993 and 1994), and won the league's Sixth Man Award in 1998. During his playing days, Manning was a representative for the NBA Players Association.

In 2005, Manning became part of a 20-person committee to help select the U.S. Olympic basketball team and its coaches. Additionally, Manning is an ambassador for the Governor's Council on Fitness for the state of Kansas and is a guest lecturer with university classes and other KU athletic teams.

In addition to his College Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement, in June 2008 Manning was named to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame for his early high school career at Page High School in North Carolina. He is also a member of the Lawrence (Kan.) High School Hall of Fame.

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