Basketball Hall of Fame

A never-give-up philosophy made Jim Les one of the most exciting players in Bradley basketball history and led him to a six-year career in the NBA.

A three-year standout for Bradley after transferring from Cleveland State, Les was a vital part of Bradley's 1985-86 team that went 32-3 before losing to Louisville in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

A brilliant defensive player and floor leader with a solid offensive punch that included a deadly 3-point shot, Les was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for 1986.

He won the Gene Morse Trophy as BU's top defensive player three times, led the team in assists all three of his varsity seasons, was second on the all-time Bradley assist list and ninth on the all-time NCAA assist list, with 884 at the time of his selection to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.

He was drafted in the third round of the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but made his NBA debut with Utah. He also played with Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers.

He spent part of his lengthy pro career in the Continental Basketball Association.

He appeared in 297 NBA games. He shot .401 overall with 361 field goals in 908 shots and .405 from three-point range with 191 of 472. He was .815 from the free-throw line, had 370 career rebounds, 886 assists, 165 steals and 1,160 points.

He later returned to Bradley as head coach from 2002-11, leading the Braves to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006.