Malik Ahmad Monk (born February 4, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors in 2017. Monk was selected in the first round of 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. ...

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 ...

with the 11th overall pick. He has also played for the

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

High school career

Monk attended East Poinsett County High School in Lepanto, Arkansas for his freshman year. As a freshman, he averaged 22.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assist per game while leading them to a (25-8) overall record and an appearance in the Class 2A state championship game. After his freshman season, Monk transferred to Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas. In his junior year, he averaged 26.6

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

. In the spring and summer of 2015, Monk competed for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, Arkansas Wings Elite, on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball Circuit (EYBL) where he averaged 19.7 points per game. He then competed on the 2015 Nike Global Challenge for the East team, where he averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four assist in addition to earning Tournament MVP honors. On November 18, 2015 Monk committed to Kentucky, choosing UK over Arkansas. As a senior, he averaged 28.6

, 4.4 assist per game and 7.6

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. In 2016, Monk played in the

2016 McDonald's All-American Game The 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star game, All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters features the best and ...

and Jordan Brand Classic where he earned Co-MVP honors alongside Kentucky teammate De'Aaron Fox. On March 11, 2016, Monk played his final high school game, scoring 19 points in a 59–49 loss in the 7A state championship to Cabot High School. Monk was a consensus five-star prospect and ranked as one of the best players in the 2016 class by the four main recruiting services: Rivals, ESPN,

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

, and 247 Sports. Monk was ranked as the No.9 overall player and No.1 shooting guard in the 2016 high school class.

Recruiting

College career

On November 18, 2015, Monk tweeted that he would be attending the University of Kentucky. On December 17, 2016, Monk set a University of Kentucky freshman scoring record with 47 points in a win over the University of North Carolina. Twelve days later, he scored 34 points on five-for-seven three point shooting in a 99–76 win over Ole Miss. On January 21, 2017, Monk scored 27 points in a 85–69 win over South Carolina. On January 31, 2017, he scored 37 points against

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

. On February 25, 2017, Monk tallied 33 points in a 76–66 victory over Florida. On February 28, 2017, Monk scored 27 points in a 73–67 win over Vanderbilt. At the end of his freshman season, Monk was named SEC Player and Freshman of the Year, while also being named to both First-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman team. At the conclusion of his freshman season, Monk announced that he would forgo his final three years of collegiate eligibility and enter the

where he was projected as a first round selection.

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2021)

On June 22, 2017, Monk was selected with the eleventh overall pick in the

by the

. On July 2, 2017, Monk signed his rookie scale contract with the Hornets worth $15,726,047. Monk would miss the entire

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the wee ...

due to an ankle injury. In his fourth game on October 25, 2017, Monk recorded 17 points, two steals, and two assists in a 110–93 victory against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On November 1, 2017, with Kentucky coach

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...

on hand, Monk scored 25 points in a 126–121 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. During his rookie season, Monk was assigned to the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, for one game. He scored 25 points, collected eight rebounds and recorded four assists in a December 26, 2017 game. On February 26, 2020, Monk was suspended indefinitely for violating the NBA's substance use policy. Before the suspension, Monk was averaging 10.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He was reinstated on June 8, after it was determined he was in compliance with the anti-drug program. On February 1, 2021, Monk scored a then career-high 36 points in a 129–121 overtime win over the Heat.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Monk signed with the

on a trade exception salary deal. On April 10, 2022, Monk put up a career-high 41 points in a 146–141 win over the

Sacramento Kings (2022–present)

On July 6, 2022, Monk signed a two-year, $19 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 63 , , 0 , , 13.6 , , .360 , , .342 , , .842 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 73 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .387 , , .330 , , .882 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 55 , , 1 , , 21.3 , , .434 , , .284 , , .820 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 42 , , 0 , , 20.9 , , .434 , , .401 , , .819 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 76, , 37 , , 28.1, , .473 , , .391 , , .795 , , 3.4 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .4 , , 13.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 309, , 38 , , 20.4 , , .424, , .355, , .827 , , 2.3, , 2.0, , .5, , .2 , , 10.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky , 38 , , 37 , , 32.1 , , .450 , , .397 , , .822 , , 2.5 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .5 , , 19.8

Personal life

Monk was born to Jackie Monk and Michael Scales and is the younger brother of former Arkansas All-SEC wide receiver Marcus Monk.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, Malik 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Arkansas Bentonville High School alumni Charlotte Hornets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans People from Bentonville, Arkansas People from Lepanto, Arkansas Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards