fire damage repair near Kent Station in Kent, WA

Kent "Nut" Washington (born January 10, 1956)^[1][2] is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first American as well as the first black professional basketball player to play behind the Iron Curtain. He played professional basketball in the Polish People's Republic from 1979–83. He was the PLK Most Valuable Player in 1980. He won the Polish Cup in 1983. In total, he played professional basketball in Europe for 14 years. He is the author of the 2021 memoir Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland.

Washington was born in New Rochelle, New York, to Ralph (New Rochelle’s first black police detective) and Cloteal Washington.^[1][3][4] He has an older brother, Kurt.^[5][3] He attended New Rochelle Public Schools.^[3] He was New Rochelle High School’s starting point guard, was All-Conference and All-County, and was MVP of the Westchester Holiday Tournament.^[1] He graduated in 1973.^[1][6]

He received a four-year scholarship to NCAA Division II Southampton College (now Stony Brook Southampton).^[7] There, he majored in sociology and scored 1,082 points for the Colonials.^[8][9][1] He was team captain in 1976 and 1977.^[6] In his junior year in college Washington averaged 15 points and 8 assists per game, shooting 54% from the floor.^[10] He completed his career as the school's career assists leader.^[11] He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 10th round in 1977.^[1] He was 5 feet 8 inches tall.^[4]

Playing in Sweden, Washington met his future wife, Susanne.^[1][12] Their daughter, Kehli, was born in Sweden, became a star softball player for New Rochelle High School, Rider University, and the Swedish national softball team, and played softball professionally in the Netherlands.^[1]

In 1979, at the age of 23, Washington became the first American as well as the first black professional basketball player to play behind the Iron Curtain.^[13][1][10] He played professional basketball in the Polish People's Republic from 1978–83.^[3] In Poland, he played for Start Lublin from 1979–81, with the team winning bronze medals in 1979 and 1980, and for Zagłębie Sosnowiec from 1981–83.^[14][15] In total, he played professional basketball in Europe for 14 years.^[1]

In 1986, between seasons in Poland, Washington played for the New Jersey Jammers in the United States Basketball League, which were coached by Nate Archibald.^[16]

In Poland, Washington averaged 20 points per game, and playing in the Polish Basketball League (PLK) was the PLK Most Valuable Player in 1980.^[1][10] He won the Polish Cup in 1983 with Zagłębie Sosnowiec.^[17][18]

His popularity was so great in PRL-era Poland during his five seasons there between 1978 and 1983 that it was dubbed "Kentomania".^{[19][20][13][10][21]} Washington, a black man, was a novelty for Polish fans; he said: "They touched my hair and my skin out of curiosity."^[22] One time a two-year-old bit Washington on his finger, thinking he was chocolate.^[22] Reportedly soldiers assigned to crack down on public gatherings as part of a national martial law decree would abandon their tanks to seek his autograph.^[1] Washington also appeared in the 1981 Polish comedy cult film Miś.^[23]

Washington later played professionally for 10 years in Sweden.^[24] He played for three teams in its top league—IFK Linköping, Plannja Basket Luleå, and BC Växjö, led the league in scoring in 1985–86, and averaged 23 points per game in his Swedish career.^[1] At 38 years of age he retired.^[1]

Washington coached women's basketball in Sweden for two years. In 1997, he and his wife and daughter returned to New Rochelle.^[1]

Washington then coached the women's basketball teams at Iona University (beginning in 1997) and Mercy College in Westchester (2000–04), and worked as a teacher's assistant at Washington Irving School in Tarrytown, New York.^{[25][11][26][1][27]}

Washington was inducted into the New Rochelle Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.^[28] He was inducted into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.^[29]

Washington is the author of the 2021 memoir Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland.^[30][3]

• Autobiography: Kent Washington (2021). Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland. independent. pp. 1–247. ISBN 9798786557979.

• PLK History profile - "Kent Washington".
• "New Rochelle High School, Southampton College and international basketball legend Kent Washington discusses his memorable career", The Sports Report Ep 24 Podcast, Westchester Talk Radio, October 21, 2021.
• "Interview with Kent Washington—Former Professional Basketball Player," Polish Cultural Institute New York, July 26, 2023.

Lakeland South, Washington
Census-designated place
Location of Lakeland South, Washington
Coordinates: 47°16′43″N 122°16′58″W / 47.27861°N 122.28278°W / 47.27861; -122.28278
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	King
Area
• Total	5.12 sq mi (13.26 km2)
• Land	4.98 sq mi (12.89 km2)
• Water	0.15 sq mi (0.38 km2)
Elevation [1]	413 ft (126 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,169
• Density	2,600/sq mi (990/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
FIPS code	53-37430[2]
GNIS feature ID	2408559[1]

Lakeland South is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,169 at the 2020 census.^[3]

Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Lakeland South ranks 65th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

Lakeland South is located in southwestern King County and is bordered to the north and west by the city of Federal Way, to the northeast by Auburn, to the east by Algona and Pacific, and to the south by Milton and Edgewood. The boundary with Edgewood is the Pierce County line. Interstate 5 touches the northwest edge of the community, Washington State Route 18 runs along the northern edge, and State Route 167 runs just east of the eastern edge. Downtown Tacoma is 9 miles (14 km) to the west, and downtown Seattle is 25 miles (40 km) to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Lakeland South CDP has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.3 km²), of which 5.0 square miles (12.9 km²) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²), or 2.84%, are water.^[4] Water bodies in the community include Trout Lake, Fivemile Lake, Lake Killarney, and Lake Geneva.

At the 2000 census,^[2] there were 11,436 people, 4,135 households and 3,163 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,113.2 per square mile (816.2/km²). There were 4,241 housing units at an average density of 783.7/sq mi (302.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.94% White, 3.69% African-American, 0.87% Native American, 6.09% Asian, 0.42% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.33% of the population.

There were 4,135 households, of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.12.

27.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

The median household income was $62,529 and the median family income was $64,223. Males had a median income of $48,584 versus $34,398 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,833. About 4.3% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.