Kevin "K. J." McDaniels Jr. (born February 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 the Meralco Bolts of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA). 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

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

before he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 32nd overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

High school career

McDaniels attended Central Park Christian School in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. Considered a three-star recruit by

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

, McDaniels was listed as the No. 35 small forward in the nation in 2011.

College career

McDaniels played limited minutes as a freshman for Clemson in 2011–12, averaging 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, McDaniels became a starter for the Tigers. He averaged 10.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, and finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in blocked shots with 2.1 per game. As a junior in 2013–14, McDaniels became one of the top players in the ACC. He averaged 17.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He led the ACC in blocks per game at 2.8 and at the conclusion of the regular season was named first team All-ACC and the conference Defensive Player of the Year. In the postseason, he led the Tigers to the 2014 National Invitation Tournament. McDaniels led the team to the tournament semifinals in Madison Square Garden. In April 2014, McDaniels declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2014–2015)

On June 26, 2014, McDaniels was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 32nd overall pick in the

. In July 2014, he joined the 76ers for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. After being named in the 76ers' 2014 training camp roster on September 29, 2014, McDaniels was not present at Richard Stockton College the next day for the opening day of training camp after he and his agent were not happy with the contract he was offered by the 76ers. Subsequently, his deal was restructured and on October 1, McDaniels agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed tender worth $507,000, allowing him to become a restricted free agent in 2015. He went on to start his rookie season in fine form, becoming one of the 76ers main players off the bench and earned notoriety for his shot-blocking prowess. He recorded his first career double-double on November 29 with season-highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. McDaniels played 52 games for Philadelphia and averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game.

Houston Rockets (2015–2017)

On February 19, 2015, McDaniels was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for

Isaiah Canaan Isaiah Canaan (pronounced Cannon; born May 21, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He was an All-American college player at Murray State University. College career C ...

and a 2015 second-round pick; he was one of a record 43 players to be traded on the day of the trade deadline. He appeared in just 10 games for Houston to finish the regular season, and missed the team's entire playoff run after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right elbow in the regular season finale. On July 21, 2015, McDaniels re-signed with the Rockets to a three-year, $10 million contract. On April 3, 2016, he played a season-high 18 minutes and scored 10 points in the Rockets' 118–110 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. During the 2015–16 season, he received multiple assignments to the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

, the Rockets' D-League affiliate.

Brooklyn Nets (2017)

On February 23, 2017, McDaniels was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for cash considerations. On March 23, 2017, he had a season-high 16 points in a 126–98 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Grand Rapids Drive (2017–2018)

On August 22, 2017, McDaniels signed with 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 ...

. He was waived by the Raptors on October 22, 2017, before appearing in a game for them. On December 13, 2017, McDaniels joined the

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

Oklahoma City Blue (2018–2019)

In July 2018, McDaniels played for 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 ...

during the 2018 NBA Summer League and was named MVP of the championship game in Las Vegas. On September 23, 2018, McDaniels signed with the

. On October 10, 2018, McDaniels was waived by the Thunder. McDaniels was added to the

Oklahoma City Blue The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as ...

training camp roster on October 23, 2018. In his first game with the OKC Blue, McDaniels recorded 10 points and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time as they got the win over the Stockton Kings, 124-89. On November 4, McDaniels recorded 21 points and 8 rebounds in a 128-118 win over the Agua Caliente Clippers.

TNT KaTropa (2019)

In August 2019, McDaniels signed with the

TNT KaTropa The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fr ...

as the team's import for the

2019 PBA Governors' Cup The 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup also known as the 2019 Honda–PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons was the third and final conference of the 2019 PBA season. The tournament allows teams to hire foreign pla ...

. In his PBA debut, he recorded a career-high 41 points and 22 rebounds as well as 7 assists and 5 blocks in a 135-107 win over the

Blackwater Elite The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...

. Three days after, McDaniels recorded 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a 103-91 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

Greensboro Swarm (2020–2021)

On February 22, 2020, the

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. The team became ...

acquired the returning right to McDaniels from the

in exchange for the returning right to Zach Smith and a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA G League Draft. Six days later on February 28, 2020, the

announced that McDaniels was added to their roster. He rejoined the team for the 2020–21 season. On July 18, 2021, McDaniels signed with Formosa Taishin Dreamers of the P. League+ and the

ASEAN Basketball League The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) is a professional men's basketball league in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, which includes six teams from Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), one tea ...

. However, he left the team before both seasons have started.

NLEX Road Warriors (2021–2022)

In November 2021, McDaniels signed with NLEX Road Warriors of the

Killer 3's (2022)

On May 25, 2022, McDaniels was drafted by the

Killer 3's The Killer 3s are an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consi ...

with the eighteenth overall pick of the 2022

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

draft.

Meralco Bolts (2022–present)

On October 31, 2022, McDaniels signed with the Meralco Bolts of the

(PBA) to replace

Johnny O'Bryant III Johnny Lee O'Bryant III (born June 1, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Louisiana State University. High school career Conside ...

as the team's import for the

2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup also known as the 2022–23 Honda PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second conference of the 2022–23 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 20th edition of the ...

. In December 2022, he returned with the team as their import for the

2023 PBA Governors' Cup The 2023 PBA Governors' Cup, also known as the 2023 Honda PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the third and final conference of the 2022–23 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Associ ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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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 ...

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, 29 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .454 , , .333 , , .900 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 20 , , 0 , , 14.7 , , .455 , , .282 , , .821 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 148 , , 16 , , 14.1 , , .412 , , .290 , , .776 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 5.3

Playoffs

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, 4 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .308 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .8 , , 2.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .308 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .8 , , 2.3

Personal life

McDaniels is the son of Kevin and Shawn McDaniels, and has a younger brother named Dylan. He was also a college major of Communication Studies.

References

External links

Clemson Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniels, K. J. 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Basketball players from Birmingham, Alabama Brooklyn Nets players Clemson Tigers men's basketball players Grand Rapids Drive players Greensboro Swarm players Houston Rockets players Meralco Bolts players NLEX Road Warriors players Oklahoma City Blue players Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Philippine Basketball Association imports Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama TNT Tropang Giga players