25 Aminu Timberlake

Aminu Timberlake was born on January 1, 1973, in Chicago, Illinois.

Timberlake attended De La Salle High School in Chicago, where he developed his basketball skills and gained recognition for his athleticism and potential.  He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a senior at De La Salle and averaged 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks per game his junior season.  Timberlake was rated as one of the top frontcourt players in the
Midwest.

Timberlake visited Kentucky during its Midnight Madness weekend and verbally committed shortly thereafter.  He formally signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Kentucky on November 14, 1990.

In 1991, Timberlake joined the University of Kentucky Wildcats as a freshman. During his two seasons at Kentucky, he appeared in 39 games, averaging 1.0 point and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Timberlake is notably remembered for an incident during the 1992 NCAA Elite Eight game between Kentucky and Duke. In a highly charged moment, Duke’s Christian Laettner stepped on Timberlake’s chest, an act that became one of the most infamous plays in college basketball history. Years later, Laettner publicly apologized for the incident, and Timberlake accepted the apology, adding, “Go Big Blue.”

In 1993, seeking more playing time and a closer connection to his hometown, he transferred to Southern Illinois University. His departure freed up a scholarship for guard Anthony Epps.  At Southern Illinois, he played for two seasons, contributing significantly to the team’s performance.

After completing his college education in 1995, Timberlake pursued a professional basketball career overseas. He played in various countries, including Australia, New Zealand, China, and South Korea, competing in national basketball leagues. His final professional season was in 1998-1999 with the LG Sakers in the South Korea Basketball League.

After retiring from professional basketball, Timberlake settled in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and three daughters. He has been involved in coaching youth basketball and is an active member of the North Atlanta Church of Christ. Professionally, he has worked with PGi, a global software provider specializing in audio and web conferencing, webcasting, videoconferencing, and virtual meeting solutions, since 2011.