[1] After a college career at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Kirkland played in two games for the Pittsburgh Pipers in the American Basketball Association.
[1] He was then drafted into the United States Army and, after serving for 18 months in the armed forces, he returned to basketball.
[2] Kirkland spent the next eight years playing for teams in Greece, Italy, and Switzerland, retiring from professional basketball in 1978.
[2] Wilbur is also the older brother of Thaddeus Kirkland, a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1993 until 2016 and mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania until 2023.
[2] This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1940s is a stub.