Kyle Brandon O'Quinn (born March 26, 1990) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played for the

Norfolk State Spartans The Norfolk State Spartans refer to the 14 intercollegiate sports teams representing Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, tennis and track and field; wo ...

, and led them to a victory over the #2 seed

Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia ...

in the

second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

of the

2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I men's College basketball, basketbal ...

. He was drafted in the second round of the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...

with the 49th overall pick, by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

Early and personal life

O'Quinn was born in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, and grew up in

South Jamaica, Queens South Jamaica (also commonly known as "Southside") is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located south of downtown Jamaica. Although a proper border has not been established, the neighborhood is a subsectio ...

. His parents are Tommie (who moved to New York from Mississippi in 1963, worked for the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a New York state public benefit corporations, public benefit corporation in New York (state), New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York metropolitan area, New York Ci ...

, and died in a car accident in September 2015) and Regina O’Quinn. He has an older sister, Rasheena Moss, who earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Hampton University in 2008. While playing for the Knicks, O'Quinn moonlighted by booking gigs in New York as a

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

and

bat mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...

entertainer; dancing with the teenagers, signing autographs, joining in

selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph or a short video, typically taken with an electronic camera or smartphone. The camera would be usually held at arm's length or supported by a selfie stick instead of being controlled with a self-timer ...

s with the kids, and chatting with the parents.

High school career

O'Quinn first attended Holy Cross High School for his first two years of high school, playing only a limited amount on the school's junior varsity team. He then attended Math, Science Research & Technology High School at the Campus Magnet Complex in Queens, originally to play

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and almost quit basketball when he didn't play as a junior. In his senior year, he averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game, but his only scholarship offer was to

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnersh ...

. He was a first-team All-Queens and third-team All- Public School Athletic League (PSAL) selection in his senior year.

College career

O'Quinn originally planned on pursuing a career in

even after receiving a scholarship from Norfolk State mainly because of his basketball ability. O'Quinn could have given up basketball the way he had with football, but this time chose the other choice and focused on pursuing a career in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. He graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. In his Norfolk State career, he played in 129 games, averaging 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.19 blocks, and shot .553 (610–1,104) from the field. Norfolk State Retired his number 10 jersey on February 16, 2019.

Freshman season

In O'Quinn's freshman season at Norfolk State (2008–09), he appeared in all 31 games including two starts. He averaged 5.3 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was also twice named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rookie of the week.

Sophomore season

In his sophomore season (2009–10), O'Quinn appeared in 30 games, starting in 29 of them. He was third on Norfolk State in scoring at 11.5 points per game, led the team in rebounds at 8.7 rebounds per game, and had 1.70 blocks per game. He also led the

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and the Mid-A ...

(MEAC) in field goal percentage at 54.9%. O'Quinn was also named to the All-MEAC Second Team and was twice named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Junior season

In O'Quinn's junior season in 2010–11, he averaged 16.4 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, and 3.44 blocks per game. He was fourth in the country in blocked shots, fifth in rebounds, and eighth in double-doubles (19). O'Quinn led the MEAC in blocks and rebounds, was second in field goal percentage (.556), and finished fifth in points per game. He established single-season school records (

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

era) with 110 blocked shots and 355 rebounds. He also became the first-ever player from Norfolk State to be named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. O'Quinn was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week four times and was named MEAC Player of the Week four times as well, and was voted to the MEAC All-Tournament Team.

Senior season

In O'Quinn's senior season, he averaged 15.9 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, and 2.69 blocks per game. He led the conference and tied for fifth in the country with 20 double-doubles. He ranked 14th in the nation in field goal percentage (.573; 205–358), 15th in blocked shots, and 16th in rebounding. He was named the MEAC Player of the Year and the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was the 2012 Lou Henson recipient as the nation's top mid-major player. Norfolk State made the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

as a 15 seed, the Spartans (making their first-ever postseason appearance) upset the second-seeded

in the Round of 64. In the game, O'Quinn recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds. After the game, an ecstatic O'Quinn began sprinting through the school's hallways, yelling, "We messed up some brackets! We messed up some brackets!" In the next round, Norfolk State lost to the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

, and O'Quinn only recorded four points and three rebounds. Following the season, O'Quinn participated in the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

, averaging 11.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 3.7 BPG. O'Quinn was named the Tournament MVP, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2012–2015)

O'Quinn was drafted in the second round of the

with the 49th overall pick by the

. On August 9, 2012, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Magic. He went on to earn the 2012–13 Hustle Player of the Year award for his constant commitment to playing every game with more excitement than the last. He finished the season with averages of 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 57 games. With 1.3 blocked shots per game in 2013–14, O'Quinn led the Magic and was tied for 20th in the league. He finished the season with averages of 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. After spraining his ankle in the season opener against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

on October 28, 2014, O'Quinn missed 15 consecutive games before returning to action on November 16. Over a five-game stretch with

Nikola Vučević Nikola Vučević ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Вучевић, ; born 24 October 1990) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans ...

out with a back injury between December 2 and December 12, O'Quinn started all five games and subsequently averaged 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

New York Knicks (2015–2018)

On July 9, 2015, O'Quinn was signed-and-traded (to a four-year, $16-million contract) from the Magic to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in exchange for cash considerations and the right to exchange 2019 second-round draft selections. He made his debut for the Knicks, his hometown team, in the team's season opener against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

on October 28, recording 8 points and 11 rebounds in a 122–97 win. On February 24, 2016, he scored a season-high 19 points off the bench in a 108–105 loss to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On December 2, 2016, O'Quinn recorded season highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 118–114 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. On December 22, he recorded 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 106–95 win over the

. On March 16, 2017, he came off the bench to a tie a career high with 23 points in a 121–110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. On November 25, 2017, O'Quinn had his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds starting in place of the injured Enes Kanter in a 117–102 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

Indiana Pacers (2018–2019)

On July 9, 2018, O'Quinn signed a one-year deal with the

, after opting out of the final year of his contract in New York. His decision landed him $4.5 million, a $200,000 raise.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

On July 11, 2019, O’Quinn signed a one-year deal with

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

Fenerbahçe (2021)

On January 20, 2021, O'Quinn signed a one-year deal with Fenerbahçe of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. On June 17, 2021, O'Quinn officially parted ways with the Turkish club.

Paris Basketball (2021–2022)

On September 2, 2021, O'Quinn signed with

Paris Basketball Paris Basketball is a French professional basketball club based in Paris. The club currently plays in the LNB Élite, the first division of basketball in France, and the EuroLeague since 2024–25. Founded in 2018, Paris plays its home games a ...

of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

Sichuan Blue Whales (2023)

On September 24, 2023, O'Quinn signed with the

Sichuan Blue Whales The Sichuan Jinqiang Blue Whales (sometimes spelled Whale) (四川金强蓝鲸), also known as Sichuan Jinqiang or Sichuan Jinrong Industry, are a professional basketball team based in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which plays in t ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

. On April 12, 2025, O'Quinn announced his retirement from professional basketball.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 57 , , 5 , , 11.2 , , .513 , , .000 , , .668, , 3.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 19 , , 17.2 , , .501 , , .000 , , .687 , , 5.3 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53, , 17 , , 16.2 , , .492 , , .279 , , .772 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .8 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 65 , , 1 , , 16.2 , , .476 , , .227 , , .767 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .8 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 8 , , 15.6 , , .521 , , .118 , , .771 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 10 , , 18.0 , , .582 , , .235 , , .772 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 45 , , 3 , , 8.2 , , .507 , , .083 , , .810 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 29 , , 2 , , 10.8 , , .494 , , .259 , , .550 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .8 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 472 , , 65 , , 14.2 , , .517 , , .218 , , .740 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 5.4

Playoffs

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2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 2 , , 0 , , 3.6 , , , , , , , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Norfolk State , 31 , , 2 , , 16.7 , , .492 , , .378 , , .622 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .8 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Norfolk State , 30 , , 29 , , 28.3 , , .549 , , .239 , , .527 , , 8.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.7 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;", Norfolk State , 32 , , 31 , , 32.8 , , .556 , , .238 , , .762 , , 11.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 3.4 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Norfolk State , 36 , , 36 , , 31.3 , , .573 , , .188 , , .696 , , 10.3 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 2.7 , , 15.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 129 , , 98 , , 27.5 , , .553 , , .261 , , .685 , , 8.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 2.2 , , 12.5

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OQuinn, Kyle 1990 births Living people American men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Turkey Centers (basketball) Fenerbahçe men's basketball players Holy Cross High School (Flushing) alumni Indiana Pacers players New York Knicks players Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball players Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players People from Jamaica, Queens Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Basketball players from Queens, New York Paris Basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen Sichuan Blue Whales players American expatriate basketball people in China