Luke Douglas Kennard (born June 24, 1996) 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

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 ...

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

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

and was drafted by 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 ...

with the 12th pick in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

High school career

Kennard attended Franklin High School in

Franklin, Ohio Franklin is a city in Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,771 at the 2010 census. The Great Miami River flows through Franklin. Ohio State Routes 73, 123 and 741 pass through Franklin, while Interstate 75 passes on the ...

near

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

. As a senior, he was named the '' Parade'' National Player of the Year. He was named the Ohio Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year as junior and senior. He was also a star quarterback in football, and though he shot with his left hand in basketball, he threw with his right hand in football. Finishing high school, Kennard was one of the most sought after recruits in the nation. He was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in his recruiting class by

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%). Th ...

. Kennard committed to Duke University to play college basketball during his junior year of high school. He finished his career with the second most points in Ohio history, three spots ahead of

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

. He was a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

selection. In 2020, it was announced that Franklin High would retire Kennard's number 10.

College career

Freshman season (2015–2016)

In practice, he frequently matched up against Duke guard Grayson Allen. On January 6, 2016, Luke scored 23 points in a 91–75 win over Wake Forest. On February 6, 2016, Kennard tallied 26 points in an 88–80 win over

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

. As a freshman at Duke, Kennard averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Sophomore season (2016–2017)

On November 29, 2016, he scored 20 points in a 78–69 win against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

ACC–Big Ten Challenge The ACC–Big Ten Challenge (or Big Ten–ACC Challenge as it was called in alternating years) was an in-season NCAA Division I men's college basketball series that matched up teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten Confer ...

. On December 3, 2016, Kennard scored 35 points in a 94–55 win over Maine. On January 28, 2017, Kennard scored 34 points in an 85–83 win over Wake Forest. On February 11, 2017, Kennard tailed 25 points in a 64–62 victory over Clemson. On March 3, 2017, Luke scored 20 points in a 79–72 victory over Clemson in the second round and scored 24 points in an 81–77 win against

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

in the quarterfinals of the 2017 ACC tournament. On March 10, 2017, Kennard scored 20 points in a 93–83 win over rival

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 the semifinals. On March 11, 2017, Kennard tallied 16 points in a 75–69 win against Notre Dame in the ACC Championship game. During his sophomore year, Luke averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He led the team both from the three-point range with 43.8% and free throw line at 85.6%. As a sophomore, he was named first team All-ACC and second-team All-American. He finished 1-6 from the field and fouled out in Duke's second round loss to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the NCAA tournament. His reaction to the final foul call against him quickly turned into a meme. At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Kennard announced that he would forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility and enter the

. He joined Duke teammates

Jayson Tatum Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr. (; born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A McDonald's All-American in high school in Missouri, he played college baske ...

, Harry Giles and Frank Jackson in declaring early for the draft.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2017–2020)

On June 22, 2017, Kennard was drafted 12th overall by the

in the

. He made his NBA debut on October 20, 2017, against 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 ...

, scoring 11 points and recording 2 steals in 18 minutes. Kennard started his first NBA game on December 15, 2017, after

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 ...

suffered a groin injury, scoring 9 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a win against the Indiana Pacers. Kennard recorded his first career

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

on January 24, 2018, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. On April 11, 2018, Kennard recorded a former career-high 23 points in a 119–87 victory over 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 January ...

. In July 2018, the Pistons announced that Kennard suffered a left knee

strain Strain may refer to: Science and technology * Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes * Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule * Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...

and would miss the 2018 NBA Summer League. On October 26, 2018, Kennard suffered a sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder and would be out for at least two weeks. On December 10, 2018, he recorded a career-high 28 points in a 116–102 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On April 10, 2019, Kennard recorded 27 points in the last game of the regular season, in a 115–89 win over the New York Knicks. On October 23, 2019, Kennard scored 30 points and 3 rebounds in a 119–110 win over the Indiana Pacers. The season was Kennard's first as a full-time starter for the Pistons, but it was cut short after 28 games due to bilateral knee tendinitis and, subsequently, the suspension of the season due to COVID-19.

Los Angeles Clippers (2020–present)

On November 19, 2020, Kennard was traded to the

in a three-team trade that involved 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. The ...

, sending Rodney McGruder,

Džanan Musa Džanan Musa (, born 8 May 1999) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for Real Madrid Baloncesto, Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at and weighing , Musa plays at the small forward position. He was selected ...

, and the draft rights of Saddiq Bey and

Jaylen Hands Jaylen Joseph Hands (born February 12, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek Basket League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a high school senior in 2017, he was selected to pla ...

to Detroit. On March 22, 2021, Kennard posted 20 points on 8-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range coming off the bench, along with seven rebounds, four assists and a block in 18 minutes of action in a 119–110 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 ...

, becoming the first player in franchise history to log at least 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists with less than 20 minutes of playing time in a game. Kennard ultimately missed the Clippers’ final two games of the year with a hamstring injury, both of which were

play-in game A play-in gameTh ...

losses.

Personal life

Kennard briefly dated reality TV star Savannah Chrisley. Kennard confirmed his relationship with Anna Castro. Kennard proposed to Anna Castro for marriage on October 17, 2021. They were married on August 5, 2022.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 60 , , 10 , , 22.8 , , .438 , , .394 , , .836 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 25 , , 32.9 , , .442 , , .399 , , .893 , , 3.5 , , 4.1 , , .4 , , .2 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 63 , , 17 , , 19.6 , , .476 , , .446 , , .839 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 70 , , 13 , , 27.4 , , .449 , , bgcolor="CFECEC" , .449* , , .896 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 297 , , 74 , , 22.3 , , .449 , , .425 , , .869 , , 2.9 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .1 , , 10.0

Playoffs

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, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 15 , , 0 , , 14.6 , , .477 , , .412 , , .500 , , .9 , , .5 , , .1 , , .0 , , 5.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , 2 , , 18.5 , , .482 , , .455 , , .750 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 7.6

College

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, 37, , 36 , , 35.5 , , .489 , , .438 , , .856 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , 19.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 73 , , 47 , , 31.1 , , .455 , , .379 , , .873 , , 4.4 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 15.7

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennard, Luke 1996 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Ohio Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Grand Rapids Drive players Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Shooting guards Sportspeople from Middletown, Ohio