In November of 2021, KIA Motor Corporation awarded an open Kia point to three long time Auto Dealership Principals, Joe Vultaggio III, Eric Bietsch, and Mike Naclerio, who promptly partnered with New York basketball legend John Starks to create John Starks Kia.

After building a new state-of-the-art facility, located on Queens Boulevard in the Briarwood section of Queens, John Starks Kia opened its doors in December of 2021 and quickly became one of Kia's fastest-growing dealership locations ever.

"We knew that partnering with John would bring us instant recognition," said Joe Vultaggio III. "And we also knew that with John as our partner, the dealership would have to live up to his reputation of being a New York superstar".

Now after just one year of being in business, despite a global shortage of New Vehicles, John Starks Kia has outperformed everybody's expectations, selling 1,100 new Kias year to date.

Many customers are surprised to see John at the dealership when they come in to make a purchase. Like everything John does, once he commits to something, he gives it his all.

ABOUT JOHN STARKS
John Levell Starks (born Aug. 10, 1965) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career. Although he was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four colleges in his native Oklahoma, including Oklahoma State University, he gained fame while playing for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association in the 1990s.

His tenacity, desire to win, and plays like "The Dunk", made Starks into a great crowd favorite in New York. Despite not being a perennial all-star, Starks is generally considered one of the greatest Knicks in history. Starks' fiery intensity often led to emotional displays on the court.

During his eight-year career with the New York Knicks, Starks was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1992-1993. He became an NBA All-Star in 1994 and was deemed the League's Sixth Man of the Year in 1996 and 1997. He averaged 14.1 points per game, while leading the Knicks in three-point goals (982). In addition, he remains 11th in total points (8,489), 8th in assists (2,394), and 7th in steals (711) in Knicks history.

In 1995, Starks became the first NBA player to hit 200 three-pointers in a single season. The year prior, in 1994, John made a life decision to start giving back to the community and founded the John Starks Foundation, which provides monetary grants to New York, Tri-State and Tulsa Oklahoma college-bound high school seniors who demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to community service.

In 2003, Starks retired as a beloved player in the New York Knicks' history. That same year, Starks was named Alumni and Fan Development Advisor for the New York Knicks. In this role, he continues to focus on expanding the Knicks Alumni relations, community relations and fan development programs.

When not rooting for the Knicks, Starks enjoys playing golf and working on his foundation's agendas. His autobiography, John Starks: My Life was released in the fall of 2004.