Ray Kuka

{{Short description|American basketball player (1922–1990)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Ray Kuka

| image = Ray Kuka 1948.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Kuka in 1948

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lb = 200

| birth_date = {{birth date|1922|2|17}}

| birth_place = Havre, Montana

| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|3|27|1922|2|17}}

| death_place = Havre, Montana

| nationality = American

| high_school = Havre (Havre, Montana)

| college =

• Notre Dame (1940–1942)
• Montana State (1946–1947)

| draft_league = BAA

| draft_year = 1947

| career_start =

| career_end =

| career_number = 12

| career_position = Forward

| years1 = 1947–1949

| team1 = New York Knicks

| cyears1 = 1949

| cteam1 = New York Knicks (interim HC)

| highlights =

| bbr = kukara01

}}

Raphael Eugene "Ray" Kuka (February 17, 1922 – March 27, 1990) was an American professional basketball player.{{cite web | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kukara01.html | title=Ray Kuka NBA stats| publisher=Sports Reference LLC | work=basketball-reference.com | access-date=August 11, 2015}} He played in the Basketball Association of America for the New York Knicks during the 1947–48 season and part of the 1948–49 season. Kuka also served briefly as the Knicks' interim head coach for a few games in February 1949.{{cite news| title =Montanan' Now Knicks Coach| newspaper =The Spokesman-Review| location =Spokane, Washington| pages =17| date =February 8, 1949| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JXpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g-UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4078%2C2833498| access-date =August 11, 2015}} Joe Lapchick, the regular head coach, was hospitalized to treat a stomach disorder. Kuka had also previously served as a team scout.

Kuka played in college for Notre Dame before being drafted into the United States Air Force for World War II.{{cite web| url=http://www.mhsa.org/Hall%20of%20Fame/RayEugeneKuka.pdf| title=MHSA Athletes' Hall of Fame| publisher=Montana High School Association| access-date=August 11, 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623144528/http://mhsa.org/Hall%20of%20Fame/RayEugeneKuka.pdf| archive-date=June 23, 2011}} After World War II he returned home and played for Montana State, where he earned all-conference honors.

Following his playing career, Kuka returned to hos hometown of Havre, Montana, where he was a successful high school coach and teacher.{{cite web|first=Lee|last=Vernoy|url=https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/sports/2020/05/01/havre-goat-ray-kuka-hi-line-new-york-knicks/3062729001/|title=Havre GOAT: Ray Kuka: From the Hi-Line to the New York Knicks|work=Great Falls Tribune|date=May 1, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2020}}