Corey James Kispert (born March 3, 1999) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior.

High school career

Kispert grew up in

Edmonds, Washington Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in the southwest corner of the county, facing Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located ...

and attended King's High School. As a junior, he averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game, led the team to their second straight state title, and was named the MVP of the State Championship Tournament. Rated a four-star recruit, Kispert committed to play college basketball at Gonzaga over Notre Dame after his junior season. Kispert was averaging 25 points per game during his senior year before breaking his foot in February. Kispert said in 2021 that

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

head coach

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

told Kispert he "needed to see Corey play more against top competition before deciding if he could play at Virginia" and that motivated him to "stick it to" Virginia in an early season game; Virginia had recruited Kispert but did not offer him a scholarship before he committed to Gonzaga.

College career

As a true freshman Kispert played in all 35 of Gonzaga's games with seven starts, averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He became a starter for the Bulldogs going into his sophomore season, averaging 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Kispert entered his junior season on the Julius Erving Award watchlist and as Gonzaga's only returning starter from the previous year. After scoring less than five points in his previous three games, Kispert scored 28 points and made seven of eight three point attempts on November 28, 2019 against

Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

in the opening round of the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis. He scored 26 points with five three pointers made against

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

in a 94–81 victory. At the conclusion of the regular season, Kispert was named to the First Team All- West Coast Conference. Kispert averaged 13.9 points per game as a junior. Following the season, he declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

but did not hire an agent. Kispert ultimately decided to return for his senior season on August 3. Coming into his senior season, Kispert was named to the Preseason All- West Coast Conference team. He scored his 1,000th career point in the season opener against

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

as part of a 23-point performance in the 102–90 victory. On December 26, 2020, Kispert scored a career-high 32 points, tying the school record with nine three-pointers, in a 98–75 win against

. He led Gonzaga to a 31–1 record, its only loss coming against Baylor in the national championship game. Kispert was named WCC Player of the Year and won the Julius Erving Award as the top

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

in the nation. As a senior, he averaged 18.6 points and five rebounds per game.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2021–present)

On July 29, 2021, Kispert was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA u ...

by the

. On August 4, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Wizards. Kispert made his NBA debut on October 22, scoring two points in a 135–134 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers. On March 27, 2022, he scored a career-high 25 points, alongside three assists, in a 123–115 win over the Golden State Warriors. Kispert played in 77 games and started 36 during his rookie campaign, averaging 8.2 points per game.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 77 , , 36 , , 23.4 , , .455 , , .350 , , .871 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 8.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 77 , , 36 , , 23.4 , , .455 , , .350 , , .871 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 8.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 35 , , 7 , , 19.4 , , .460 , , .351 , , .667 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 37 , , 36 , , 26.1 , , .437 , , .374 , , .875 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 33 , , 33 , , 33.0 , , .474 , , .438 , , .810 , , 4.0 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 32 , , 32 , , 31.8 , , .529 , , .440 , , .878 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , 18.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 137 , , 108 , , 27.4 , , .483 , , .408 , , .824 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , 11.6

References

External links

*
Gonzaga Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kispert, Corey 1999 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington (state) Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players People from Edmonds, Washington Small forwards Sportspeople from the Seattle metropolitan area Washington Wizards draft picks Washington Wizards players