Kevin Duane "Yogi" Ferrell Jr. (born May 9, 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

Cedevita Olimpija Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija ( en, Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the ABA Le ...

of the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

. 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 ...

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

Early life

Ferrell was ranked the number one player in his class as a fifth grader by Clark Francis in the controversial "Hoop Scoop" rankings in 2004. At the time, Ferrell was playing for Lakeside Elementary in Warren Township and a travel team sponsored by Adidas. At 10 years old and 4'10" in height, Ferrell already had a crossover dribble, could hit a running jumper in the lane, and make one-handed bounce passes to his teammate in stride.

High school career

At the conclusion of his high school career at Park Tudor School, Yogi Ferrell was rated the No. 19 player and No. 3 point guard in the class of 2012 by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, the No. 32 player by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

, and the No. 24 player and No. 3 point guard in the ESPNU 100. He was rated best passer, best speed, and best point guard in Indiana by Rivals, and the best player in Indiana in the November 2011 edition of Rick Bolus' High Potential rankings. Ferrell brought Park Tudor School to the State Championship Game in just his sophomore season. They fell just short to Wheeler High School, losing 41–38 in the 2010 IHSAA Class 2A Boys Basketball State Final. In his junior year of high school, Ferrell continued to build off his early success. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, leading Park Tudor to a 26–2 record and the 2A IHSAA State Championship, recording 14 points, six assists and five rebounds in the championship game. The game, a 43–42 win over the

Bishop Noll Institute Bishop Noll Institute is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Hammond, Indiana. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary. History The school opened as Catholic Central High School on September 16, 1921. It was founded by the Sisters ...

, was played at

Conseco Fieldhouse CNO Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Conseco, Inc. (from Consolidated National Security Corporation)) is a financial services holding company based in Carmel, Indiana. Its insurance subsidiaries provide life insurance, annuity and supplemental ...

in front of 11,035 fans and a statewide television audience. In a summer game on August 8, 2011, Ferrell played in a nationally televised game at Adidas Nations in California and recorded 14 assists. On November 8, 2011, Ferrell appeared on 'Guard Play with

Kenny "The Jet" Smith Kenneth Smith (born March 8, 1965), nicknamed "the Jet", is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacrame ...

,' where he got a lesson from the former NBA player and

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

analyst. In his senior year of high school, on March 24, 2012, Ferrell won a second 2A IHSAA State Championship and tied a championship game record with 12 assists. He also contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, coming up just one rebound short of a triple-double. Ferrell finished his senior year averaging 18.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, as the team went 26–2 during the season. In the March 28, 2012 McDonald's All-American Game, Ferrell played 22 minutes and had a game-high eight assists with zero turnovers. He was the only player in the game with four or more assists and no turnovers. Ferrell was Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up behind

Gary Harris Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. High school career Harris atte ...

College career

On November 9, 2011, Ferrell signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...

to play for

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 s ...

, turning down offers from Butler,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

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 ...

, and Wake Forest. Upon committing to Indiana said, "The main goal I actually want to accomplish coming in to college is winning a national championship." Ferrell was one of five players included in an Indiana recruiting class ranked by

as second in the nation for 2012. In his freshman year during the 2012–13 season, Ferrell was described as running the offense "with the focus of a surgeon" while playing tenacious defense. According to Indiana head coach

Tom Crean Tom or Thomas Crean may refer to: *Thomas Crean (1873–1923), Irish rugby union player, British Army soldier and doctor *Tom Crean (explorer) (1877–1938), Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer *Tom Crean (basketball) Thomas Aaron Crean (born Ma ...

, "He's wiser than his years. He's at his best in big environments." His team finished the regular season as outright Big Ten champions. Ferrell finished the season averaging 7.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game. He also shot 40.3% from the field and 79.8% from the free throw line. His 132 single-season assists by a freshman ranked among the top two in the Indiana record book. He was honored with a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team by the coaches and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors from the media. Ferrell continued to excel in his sophomore year, leading the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg). He had another strong shooting year, hitting 41.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. At the end of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

, Ferrell was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the coaches and media. During his junior season, Ferrell continued to move up in the record books. His active streak of making at least one three-pointer in a game extended to 65 straight games, which stands as the longest active streak in the nation. He joined the 1,000 points scorers' club early in the season, and he finished with 1,379 points (22nd on the all-time leading scorers list at UW P). Ferrell made an impressive jump on the all-time leading assists list with his total at the end of the season coming to 438 (sixth on the all-time assist list at IU). He also joined the elite club at IU in which only five Hoosiers have 1,000 career points, 400 career assists, and 300 career rebounds. Ferrell was also the first player to lead the team in points and assists in back-to-back seasons since Isiah Thomas did it in 1981. In his senior year, Ferrell continued his record-breaking legacy. On January 19, 2016, he broke the all-time assists record at Indiana University when he made his 546th career assist while facing off against Illinois' Fighting Illini. On February 1, he was named one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

on February 11. On June 22, 2020, the Big Ten Network named Ferrell to their "All-Decade Basketball Team", placing him on their Third Team. Ferrell was one of 16 players honored by the Network for accomplishments between 2010 and 2019. Of the honor, Ferrell told BTN's Rick Pizzo, "Man, that's a huge honor. I didn't even know they were voting for that. To be a part of that is really something great." Ferrell would also set the Indiana record for career starts by

Senior night Senior day or senior night (depending on the time the game is held) is a term used in high school sports and college sports, most notably football and basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players ...

Professional career

Long Island Nets (2016)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Ferrell joined 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 ...

for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 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. Ten teams participated in the week- ...

. In four games for the Nets, he averaged 8.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field, 18.2 percent on three-pointers, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. He signed with the Nets on August 5, 2016, but was later waived on October 21, 2016, after appearing in three preseason games. On November 1, 2016, Ferrell was acquired by the

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau Count ...

of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Nets (2016)

Ferrell returned to Brooklyn on November 9, 2016, and made his NBA debut that night, recording five points, three assists, one rebound and one steal in 14 minutes off the bench in a 110–96 loss to the New York Knicks. On November 30, he was assigned to Long Island. He was recalled on December 1, reassigned on December 5, and recalled again later that day. On December 8, he was waived by Brooklyn after appearing in 10 games.

Return to Long Island (2016–2017)

On December 10, 2016, Ferrell was reacquired by the Long Island Nets.

Dallas Mavericks (2017–2018)

On January 28, 2017, Ferrell signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut for the Mavericks the following day, recording nine points and seven assists in 36 minutes as a starter in a 105–101 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. A day later, he scored a then career-high 19 points in a 104–97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 1, in a 113–95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Ferrell had 11 points and five assists in 38 minutes in just his third game with the team. Two days later, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 108–104 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 ...

. He became just the third undrafted rookie in NBA history to have a 30-point game within his first 15 games, joining

Connie Hawkins Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Early ye ...

(twice) and Anthony Morrow. Ferrell, a 28 percent 3-point shooter coming into the game against Portland, hit nine three-pointers on 11 attempts, which tied the record for made three-point shots in a game for an NBA rookie. On February 7, 2017, he signed a multiyear deal with the Mavericks.

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A thr ...

' return from injury on February 11 against the Orlando Magic meant Ferrell didn't start at point guard for the first time in eight games since joining the Mavericks. Despite coming off the bench, he was solid again with 10 points and seven of Dallas' season-high 32 assists in a 112–80 win. On March 2, 2017, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in February. He led all Western Conference rookies in scoring (12.0 ppg), assists (4.7 apg) and minutes (31.5 mpg) in February. At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. On December 22, 2017, Ferrell scored a then season-high 23 points in a 113–101 loss to 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 ...

. On January 10, 2018, he made seven 3-pointers and scored 22 points in a 115–111 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On March 6, 2018, he scored a season-high 24 points with six 3-pointers in a 118–107 win over the Denver Nuggets. On June 26, 2018, Ferrell received a qualifying offer from the Mavericks. They later withdrew the offer on July 13. After reportedly agreeing to terms on a two-year, $5.3 million deal on July 19, Ferrell backed out of his agreement with the Mavericks the following day.

Sacramento Kings (2018–2020)

On July 23, 2018, Ferrell signed a two-year deal with 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 a contract worth $3,000,000 for the 2018–19 season and $3,150,000 in the 2019–20 season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021)

On December 18, 2020, Ferrell signed a contract with 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), ...

, but was later waived on the next day. On January 11, 2021, he signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was waived three days later, after playing two games on successive nights. He scored 9 points against

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

on 4–9 shooting and 10 points against Utah on 4–12 shooting.

Salt Lake City Stars (2021)

On January 26, 2021, Ferrell signed with the

Salt Lake City Stars The Salt Lake City Stars are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. As of the 2022-23 season, the Stars play in the Maverik Center in West Valley City, U ...

, appearing in 14 games.

Los Angeles Clippers (2021)

On April 19, 2021, Ferrell signed a 10-day contract with 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 ...

and ten days later, he signed a multi-year contract.

Panathinaikos (2021)

On October 10, 2021, Ferrell signed with European powerhouse Panathinaikos of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

and the EuroLeague until the end of the 2021–22 season.

Olimpija (2021–present)

On December 1, 2021, Ferrell signed with Slovenian club

of the

. Yogi Ferrell won the Slovenian Basketball League Finals MVP in 2023, scoring 35 points in game 3.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 36 , , 29 , , 29.1 , , .412 , , .403 , , .877 , , 2.8 , , 4.3 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 21 , , 27.8 , , .426 , , .373 , , .796 , , 3.0 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 71 , , 3 , , 15.0 , , .435 , , .362 , , .896 , , 1.5 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 50 , , 0 , , 10.6 , , .420 , , .304 , , .857 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .381 , , .333 , , .000 , , 3.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 8 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .333 , , .316 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 259 , , 53 , , 20.1 , , .420 , , .365 , , .835 , , 2.1 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.7

Playoffs

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, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 9 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , — , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 9 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , — , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4

College

, - , 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;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 28.1 , , .403 , , .303 , , .798 , , 2.8 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.8 , , .413 , , .400 , , .824 , , 3.0 , , 3.9 , , .8 , , .0 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 34.9 , , .439 , , .416 , , .860 , , 3.2 , , 4.9 , , .7 , , .0 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 34.7 , , .458 , , .420 , , .829 , , 3.8 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 17.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 137 , , 137 , , 32.8 , , .432 , , .399 , , .830 , , 3.2 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 14.5

Personal life

Ferrell is the son of Kevin Ferrell Sr. and Lydia Ferrell and has one brother and two sisters.

References

External links

Indiana Hoosiers bioDraft Express profileUndrafted to unbelievable, Yogi Ferrell's storybook NBA start
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrell, Yogi 1993 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Brooklyn Nets players Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players Long Island Nets players Los Angeles Clippers players Panathinaikos B.C. players KK Cedevita Olimpija players Park Tudor School alumni People from Greenfield, Indiana Sportspeople from the Indianapolis metropolitan area Point guards Sacramento Kings players Salt Lake City Stars players Shooting guards Undrafted National Basketball Association players 21st-century African-American sportspeople American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Slovenia ABA League players