Kelly Tyler Olynyk ( ; born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian 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

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

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 earned

NCAA All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors in 2013. After forgoing his senior year of college basketball, Olynyk was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2013 NBA draft, before being immediately traded to the Boston Celtics. In July 2017, he signed with the Miami Heat, with whom he reached the NBA Finals in 2020. In March 2021, Olynyk was traded to the Houston Rockets. He signed with the Pistons in August of the same year. He also represents the Canadian national team.

Early life

Olynyk was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, where he started playing basketball at an early age. He and fellow future NBA player

Cory Joseph Cory Ephram Joseph (born August 20, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard position and is also the captain of the Canadian national team. ...

were both on a

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Blues club team that rarely lost in the late 1990s and early 2000s. One defeat came against rival Toronto 5–0, led by Stephen Curry. Olynyk moved to Kamloops,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

when he was in grade 7.

High school career

Olynyk did not attend a high school or prep school in the United States; he instead stayed home at South Kamloops Secondary School, exposing himself to U.S. competition and coaches while playing on provincial teams – competing at

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) and non-AAU tournaments in the States – and the Canadian junior national team. Olynyk developed as a point guard, continuing to play the position even after growing from 6'3" (1.90 m) to 6'10" (2.08 m) in grade 11. Olynyk was heavily recruited out of high school by the likes of Syracuse, Providence and North Carolina State. He chose Gonzaga in part so he could play closer to home. Olynyk was named the Basketball BC outstanding high school player of the year in his grade 12 year, leading his South Kamloops Titans to a 36–2 record and a third-place finish at the BC AAA High School Boys' Basketball Championships. Olynyk was also a quarterback for the Titans when he was in high school and broke his arm during a playoff game in 2007.

College career

Olynyk played

at Gonzaga from 2009 to 2013. He was mostly a bench player for the Bulldogs in his freshman and sophomore years, averaging around 12 to 13 minutes per game. In order to improve his game and get stronger, Gonzaga and Olynyk agreed that he would

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

his junior year (2011–12), meaning he would practice with the team, but not play. Olynyk returned to the Bulldogs lineup for the first game of the 2012–13 season, and had a great season, being selected as a Consensus First-Team All-American, as well as to the 2012–13 Academic All-America first team. Following his redshirt junior year, he opted for the NBA draft, thereby forgoing his senior year of eligibility (though by that time he had already received his bachelor's degree in accounting).

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2013–2017)

In a draft-night swap, Olynyk was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and then traded to the Boston Celtics for the rights to

Lucas Nogueira Lucas Riva Amarante "Bebê" Nogueira (born July 26, 1992) is a Brazilian professional basketball player who plays for the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. He was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NBA dra ...

and two future second round picks. On July 7, 2013, Olynyk signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics. Olynyk was selected alongside teammate

Jared Sullinger Jared Sullinger Sr. (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Ohio State University before being drafted 21st overall ...

on Team Webber for the 2014

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- an ...

. After averaging 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 70 games in 2013–14, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team. On October 29, 2014, the Celtics exercised their third-year team option on Olynyk's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season. On December 15, 2014, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 105–87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 22, 2015, he injured his ankle after landing on the foot of Thomas Robinson in the fourth quarter of the Celtics' 90–89 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. After being projected to return soon after the All-Star break, Olynyk didn't show signs of being ready to return, and subsequently missed 18 games. He returned to action on March 4 against the

. In game 4 of the first round 2015 NBA playoffs, while grappling, he injured Kevin Love's shoulder against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Love did not play the rest of the 2015 playoffs. Olynyk missed the Celtics' 2015–16 season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28 after being suspended for his role in

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star Game, All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA ...

's left shoulder injury during the 2015 playoffs. Two days later, the Celtics exercised their fourth-year team option on Olynyk's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. On December 11, 2015, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 124–119 double overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. On March 16, 2016, he returned to action for the Celtics after missing the previous 12 games with an injured right shoulder. Olynyk missed the first six games of the 2016–17 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery in May 2016, and subsequently spent a day with the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

of the NBA Development League in early November. He made his season debut for the Celtics on November 9, 2016, playing 25 minutes and scoring two points in a 118–93 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 ...

. On January 13, 2017, he set a new season high with 26 points in a 103–101 win over 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 ...

. In Game 7 of Boston's second-round playoff series against the

on May 15, he scored 14 of his playoff career-high 26 points in the first 8:34 minutes of the fourth quarter, making five consecutive shots, to help the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2012 with a 115–105 win and a 4–3 series victory. On July 4, 2017, after he became a restricted free agent, the Celtics renounced their rights Olynyk, thus resulting in him becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Miami Heat (2017–2021)

On July 7, 2017, Olynyk signed a four-year, $50 million contract with 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 ...

. In his debut for the Heat in their season opener on October 18, 2017, Olynyk scored 10 points in a 116–109 loss to the Orlando Magic. On December 20, 2017, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 90–89 win over his former team, the Boston Celtics. On March 19, 2018, he scored 30 points off the bench in a 149–141 double-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, becoming the second reserve in Heat history to score 30. Two days later, he recorded 22 points and a career-high 10 assists in a 119–98 win over the New York Knicks. On February 10, 2020, Olynyk recorded a double-double, which was 12 points and a new career-high 11 assists, along with six rebounds, one steal and one block in a 113–101 win against the Golden State Warriors. Olynyk helped the Heat reach the

2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Houston Rockets (2021)

On March 25, 2021, Olynyk,

Avery Bradley Avery Antonio Bradley Jr. (born November 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before ...

, and a 2022 draft pick swap were traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for

Victor Oladipo Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where in the 2012-2013 sea ...

. He made his debut in a win over Timberwolves on March 27, recording 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 25 minutes.

Detroit Pistons (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Olynyk signed a 3-year, $37 million contract with 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 ...

. On November 10, in a 112–104 win over the Houston Rockets, he suffered a knee injury. Two days later, the injury was diagnosed as a grade 2

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist outwar ...

(MCL) sprain, ruling Olynyk out of action for at least six weeks.

Utah Jazz (2022–present)

On September 26, 2022, Olynyk was traded with

Saben Lee Saben Anthonia Lee (born June 23, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was sel ...

to the

for

Bojan Bogdanović Bojan Bogdanović (; born 18 April 1989) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. Standing at , he plays t ...

. On October 23, Olynyk put up 20 points alongside a game-winning layup in a 122–121 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

National team career

On July 17, 2019, Olynyk was included on the Canadian national team's training camp roster, but withdrew from the team after being injured in an exhibition game with

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

on August 7. On May 24, 2022, Olynyk agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 70 , , 9 , , 20.0 , , .466 , , .351 , , .811 , , 5.2 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .4 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 13 , , 22.2 , , .475 , , .349 , , .684 , , 4.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 8 , , 20.2 , , .455 , , .405 , , .750 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 6 , , 20.5 , , .512 , , .354, , .732 , , 4.8 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 76 , , 22 , , 23.4 , , .497 , , .379 , , .770 , , 5.7 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 36 , , 22.9 , , .463 , , .354 , , .822 , , 4.7 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 9 , , 19.4 , , .462 , , .406 , , .860 , , 4.6 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 38 , , 26.9 , , .431 , , .317 , , .775 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 27 , , 24 , , 31.1 , , .545 , , .392 , , .835 , , 8.4 , , 4.1 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 40 , , 1 , , 19.1 , , .448 , , .336 , , .775 , , 4.4 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 610 , , 166 , , 22.0 , , .476 , , .365 , , .782 , , 5.1 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , 10.1

Playoffs

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, 4 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .538 , , .500 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

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, 4 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .111 , , .000 , , – , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

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

, 18 , , 2 , , 19.2 , , .512 , , .319 , , .733 , , 3.2 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .8 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

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

, 5 , , 0 , , 29.2 , , .477 , , .421 , , .700 , , 4.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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

, 17 , , 0 , , 15.2 , , .474 , , .347 , , .821 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .5 , , 7.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 48 , , 2 , , 17.4 , , .483 , , .347 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .6 , , 7.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 34 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .500 , , .222 , , .596 , , 2.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 35 , , 4 , , 13.5 , , .574 , , .444 , , .618 , , 3.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , style="text-align:center;" colspan="11",

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

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 32 , , 27 , , 26.4 , , .629 , , .300 , , .776 , , 7.3 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 1.1 , , 17.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 101 , , 31 , , 17.2 , , .594 , , .333 , , .709 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 8.9

Personal life

Olynyk's father, Ken, was head men's basketball coach at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

from 1989 to 2002 and the Canadian junior men's national team from 1983 to 1996, notably cutting future Canadian basketball icon Steve Nash from the junior national team. His mother, Arlene, was a

Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...

(CIS; now U Sports) women's basketball referee. From 1995 to 2004, his mother worked for 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 Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, as the first female NBA scorekeeper. In 2003, Ken became the athletic director at

Thompson Rivers University Thompson Rivers University (commonly referred to as TRU) is a Public university, public teaching and research university offering Undergraduate education, undergraduate and Postgraduate education, graduate Academic degree, degrees and Vocational ...

in Kamloops,

, with the rest of the family soon joining him in Kamloops. Olynyk has two sisters, Jesse and Maya; the latter played CIS basketball for the Saskatchewan Huskies. Olynyk's family is of

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

origin.

References

External links

Gonzaga Bulldogs bioespn.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olynyk, Kelly 1991 births Living people 2010 FIBA World Championship players All-American college men's basketball players Basketball people from British Columbia Basketball players from Toronto Boston Celtics players Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Centers (basketball) Dallas Mavericks draft picks Detroit Pistons players Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players Houston Rockets players Miami Heat players National Basketball Association players from Canada Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Kamloops Utah Jazz players

Early life

High school career

College career

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2013–2017)

Miami Heat (2017–2021)

Houston Rockets (2021)

Detroit Pistons (2021–2022)

Utah Jazz (2022–present)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links