Playing Career
Sikma played at Illinois Wesleyan University. He was drafted eighth overall in 1977 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Sikma was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Among his notable career achievements are his seven All-Star Game selections (from 1979 to 1985) and his championship ring won with the 1978–1979 Sonics, where Sikma teamed with talented players such as Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and an aging Paul Silas. Sikma always averaged double figures in points-per-game throughout his career, and after his stint with the Sonics, he maintained consistent numbers while playing with the Milwaukee Bucks in his final five seasons. For his career, Sikma scored averaged 15.6 points per game and 17,287 points and just under 9.8 rebounds per game over 14 seasons and 1107 NBA games.
Sikma was one of the most accurate shooting centers in NBA history. He holds the rare distinction of leading the league in free-throw percentage (92.2%) while playing the center position during the 1987–88 season; he averaged 84.9% in free-throw shooting for his career. Sikma also made over 200 three-pointers during his career with a 32.8% three-point accuracy.
Along with his accurate shooting, Sikma led the league in defensive rebounds in both 1981–82 and 1983–84 while playing for Seattle.
Sikma's son, Luke, played for the University of Portland Pilots, then signed with UB La Palma in LEB Oro. His other son, Nate, is currently a freshman for the University of Hartford Hawks men's basketball team.
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