Francis Stanley Kaminsky III (born April 4, 1993) 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

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(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

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Di ...

. During his college basketball career, Kaminsky set the Wisconsin single-game record for points (43). He was the unanimous men's National College Player of the Year in 2015. Kaminsky was drafted ninth overall by the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

in the 2015 NBA draft. He played with Charlotte for four seasons before signing with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

as a free agent in July 2019. With the Suns, he reached the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

in 2021.

Early life and high school career

Kaminsky's father, Frank Jr., played basketball at Lewis University. His mother, Mary, played volleyball at Northwestern. Kaminsky, who is of Polish and Serbian ancestry, grew up in Woodridge, Illinois in a Serbian community. In 1998, when he was 5 years old, his aunt Karen Stack Umlauf and uncle Jim Stack worked for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

, and he had access to the practice facility when

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding ...

and Randy Brown were on the team. Until high school, Kaminsky participated in basketball tournaments organized by Serb National Federation as a member of the Serbian Eagles A.C. Kaminsky attended Benet Academy in

Lisle, Illinois Lisle ( ) is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,390 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the population was recorded to be 23,270. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Res ...

. He was named first-team all-state by the

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

and IBCA and second-team all-state by the AP after averaging 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 2.8 assists during his senior season. He led the Redwings to a 29-1 season after being defeated in the Sectional Semifinals by the East Aurora Tomcats that were led by Connecticut Huskies superstar and National Champion Ryan Boatright. He was also named all-area, all-conference and East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year. Kaminsky's jersey number, 44, was retired in a ceremony at Benet Academy on November 18, 2017. Kaminsky has stated that his family had

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

season tickets when he was a child and has described himself as a "die-hard White Sox fan." He threw out the first pitch at a White Sox game against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 21, 2015, stating in a pre-game interview that a saying in his family was, "We have two favorite teams in the MLB, the White Sox and whoever is playing the Cubs."

College career

Kaminsky played in 35 of 36 games as a freshman. He scored a season-high nine points against UMKC on November 22, 2011. Kaminsky played in 32 games, starting the first two games of the season. He finished the season averaging 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He led the team in free-throw percentage at 76.7%. He posted a season-high 19 points at

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

on February 3, 2013. On November 19, 2013, Kaminsky broke the Wisconsin single-game scoring record with 43 points against

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, S ...

. Kaminsky shot 16 of 19 from the field, including six of six from 3-point range and five of six from the free throw line. The previous Wisconsin single-game record was 42 points, set by Ken Barnes (vs.

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

on March 8, 1965) and Michael Finley (vs. Eastern Michigan on December 10, 1994). At the conclusion of the regular season, Kaminsky was named to the First Team All-Big Ten. On March 29, 2014, Kaminsky scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds as Wisconsin defeated #1 seeded

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

64–63 in overtime during the NCAA tournament to advance to the Final Four. After the game, Kaminsky was named West Regional Most Outstanding Player. Ahead of the 2014 season, Kaminsky was named the Big Ten preseason player of the year. The Badgers were unanimously picked to win the Big Ten Championship. The Badgers and Kaminsky validated those predictions. The Badgers had a 36-3 record in games Kaminsky played. They won the Big Ten regular season title with a 16-2 record and the Big Ten tournament title. After becoming the first NCAA tournament 1-seed in school history, they made their way to their second consecutive Final Four. There, they avenged their previous season's loss to Kentucky, upsetting the 38-0 Wildcats 71-64 behind Kaminsky's 20 points and 11 rebounds. In the Badgers' first national championship game in 74 years, they lost a 9-point second-half lead and were defeated 68-63 by the Duke Blue Devils. Kaminsky finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. For the season, he finished with 18.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG, despite playing for a team that ranked 346th out of 351 in adjusted tempo. He led the nation in PER, an efficiency-based stat. Wisconsin boasted the highest adjusted offensive efficiency in KenPom history. Kaminsky was named consensus first-team All-American. On March 31, 2015, he was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year. On April 3 he was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, the first Wisconsin player to receive the award since its creation in 1961. He also received the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the United States Basketball Writers Association College Player of the Year. On April 5, he was named the Naismith College Player of the Year. On April 10, he won both the John R. Wooden Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. On June 12 Kaminsky was named University of Wisconsin's Male Athlete of the Year. In 2015, the

National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1973. The mission of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize and preserve outstanding achievement by individuals of Polish heritage in the field o ...

awarded its NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award to Kaminsky.

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2015–2019)

On June 25, 2015, Kaminsky was selected with the ninth overall pick by the

in the 2015 NBA draft. On December 2, he scored 16 points in a 116–99 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, earning increased minutes with starting center Al Jefferson out injured. On December 23, he scored a then career-high 23 points in a 102–89 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

. On December 30, he had his second 20-point outing of the season in a 122–117 loss to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. On April 10, 2016, he recorded 18 points and a then career-high 11 rebounds in a 113–98 loss to 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 ...

. In Game 3 of the Hornets' first-round playoff series against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

, Kaminsky scored 15 points in a 96–80 win. On November 21, 2016, Kaminsky tied a career high with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a 105–90 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. On February 1, 2017, he set a new career high with 24 points off the bench in a 126–111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He topped that mark on February 15, scoring 27 points in a 90–85 loss to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...

. On February 25, he recorded 23 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 99–85 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On April 8, he recorded a then career-high 7 assists in a loss to the

. On November 20, 2017, Kaminsky scored a season-high 24 points in a 118–102 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. On December 18, he scored 24 points in a 109–91 win over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

. On April 10, 2018, he scored 24 points in a 119–93 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

. On November 21, 2018, after scoring just nine points over the Hornets' first 16 games of the 2018–19 season, Kaminsky had 11 points off the bench in a 127–109 win over the Pacers. He lost his spot in the rotation in 2018–19 under new coach James Borrego, appearing in just 26 games at the conclusion of February. On March 1, 2019, he was inserted into the rotation to combat zone defense with his passing ability, going on to score 15 points in a 123–112 win over the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. T ...

. On April 5, he recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 113–111 win over the Raptors. Two days later, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 104–91 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

Phoenix Suns (2019–2022)

On July 17, 2019, Kaminsky signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the

. Kaminsky scored a season-high 24 points in a 115–108 loss to the

on December 11. Entering 2020, Kaminsky was initially sidelined with a right knee injury before having a left patella stress fracture sideline him for most of the rest of the season. He returned to action during the

2020 NBA Bubble The 2020 NBA Bubble, also referred to as the Disney Bubble or the Orlando Bubble, was the bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, that was created by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to protect its play ...

period on July 31, 2020, helping the Suns with a 125–112 win over the

. Kaminsky ultimately helped the team out by coming off the bench for the majority of the rest of the season, ending with a 8-0 record in the

, having a winning streak of at least 8 games for the first time since March 2010. On November 19, 2020, Kaminsky had his second year on his contract waived off, entering free agency early. On November 29, Kaminsky signed with the

, but was later waived by the Kings on December 20 after appearing in four preseason games. Once he cleared waivers, Kaminsky was re-signed by the Suns on a more team-friendly, one-year deal that season. On January 28, 2021, he was two assists shy from a triple-double night, recording 12 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high 8 assists off the bench in a 114–93 blowout win over the

. Later moving up to a starting power forward role in February, Kaminsky had another near-triple-double performance on February 10 with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-tying 8 assists in a close 125–124 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. Kaminsky reached his first

, but the Suns lost the series in 6 games to the

. On August 4, 2021, Kaminsky re-signed with the Suns on a one-year, $1.2 million deal. On November 10, Kaminsky scored a career-high 31 points in a 119–109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On November 21, he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right knee and was ruled out indefinitely. On January 6, 2022, Kaminsky underwent a procedure on his right knee and was ruled out for at least two months. On April 7, 2022, Kaminsky was waived.

Atlanta Hawks (2022–present)

On July 12, 2022, Kaminsky signed a 1-year deal with the

National team career

In November 2019, coach Igor Kokoškov announced that inviting Kaminsky to the Serbia national team is under consideration.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 81 , , 3 , , 21.1 , , .410 , , .337 , , .730 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 16 , , 26.1 , , .399 , , .328 , , .756 , , 4.5 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 4 , , 23.2 , , .429 , , .380 , , .799 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 47 , , 0 , , 16.1 , , .463 , , .360 , , .738 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 39 , , 13 , , 19.9 , , .450 , , .331 , , .678 , , 4.5 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .3 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 47 , , 13 , , 15.2 , , .471 , , .365 , , .617 , , 4.0 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .4 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 9 , , 0 , , 20.1 , , .545 , , .333 , , .900 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .8 , , 10.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 377 , , 49 , , 21.0 , , .429 , , .348 , , .743 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 9.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 5 , , 27.1 , , .304 , , .294 , , .810 , , 4.3 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .7 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 10 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .455 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 17 , , 5 , , 15.2 , , .353 , , .273 , , .818 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, 35 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .411 , , .286 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 2 , , 10.3 , , .439 , , .311 , , .767 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 38 , , 27.2 , , .528 , , .378 , , .765 , , 6.3 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 39 , , 33.6 , , .547 , , .416 , , .780 , , 8.2 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 18.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 144 , , 79 , , 20.4 , , .522 , , .369 , , .763 , , 4.6 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 10.1

Personal life

As of September 2022, Kaminsky is engaged to

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

anchor Ashley Brewer.

References

External links

Wisconsin Badgers bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaminsky, Frank 1993 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Polish descent American people of Serbian descent Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Illinois Benet Academy alumni Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players People from Woodridge, Illinois Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players