Kim Hughes (born June 14, 1952, Freeport, Illinois) is a former professional basketball player. The 6-foot-11 Hughes played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin from 1970–74, averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds as a senior. His identical twin Kerry, also 6-11, was also a starter on the Badgers. Hughes was selected by the Buffalo Braves in the third round (9th pick) of the 1974 NBA draft. He played professionally in Italy during the 1974-75 season. He spent the 1975-76 season with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA), where he averaged eight points and nine rebounds and was named to the First Team ABA All-Rookie Team. The 1976 Nets team, which featured Julius Erving, Swen Nater, and Brian Taylor, won the ABA Championship.
Hughes spent two more seasons with the Nets after the franchise moved to the NBA. In July 1978, Hughes signed with the Denver Nuggets, where he played for two full seasons. Eight games into the 1980-81 NBA season, Hughes was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He retired from the NBA at the end of the 1981 season, but continued to play professionally in Italy until 1989. During his ABA and NBA career, Hughes averaged 3.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and had field goal and free throw percentages of 49.7% and 39.7%, respectively. He has worked as a scout and assistant coach with the NBA's Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
