No. 25–Charlotte Hornets | |
---|---|
Position | Point guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | August 8, 2002
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Listed weight | 189 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Chaminade College Prep (Los Angeles, California) |
College | Colorado (2021–2024) |
NBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick |
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets | |
Playing career | 2024–present |
Career history | |
2024–present | Charlotte Hornets |
2024–present | →Greensboro Swarm |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Kenneth "KJ" Simpson Jr. (born August 8, 2002) is an American basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Simpson grew up in Panorama City, Los Angeles and attended Chaminade College Preparatory School. [1] He was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to playing college basketball for Arizona. [2] After Arizona head coach Sean Miller was fired, Simpson requested and was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent and reopened his recruitment. [3] He ultimately signed to play at Colorado. [4]
Simpson was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman team during his first season playing for the Colorado Buffaloes after averaging 7.4 points per game and also leading the team in total assists and steals. [5] He was named second-team All-Pac-12 after averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore. [6]
As a junior, Simpson was named to the first-team All-Pac-12, averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game and shooting 43% from three-point range this season. [7] In the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament against No. 7 Florida, Simpson hit a game-winning jumper with less than two seconds left to secure a 102–100 victory. [8]
On June 27, 2024, Simpson was selected with the 42nd overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024 NBA Draft. [9] On July 7, 2024, Simpson signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets. [10]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | Colorado | 32 | 1 | 21.3 | .377 | .254 | .770 | 2.5 | 2.7 | .8 | .1 | 7.4 |
2022–23 | Colorado | 29 | 28 | 31.8 | .396 | .276 | .817 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .2 | 15.9 |
2023–24 | Colorado | 37 | 37 | 35.1 | .475 | .434 | .876 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 19.7 |
Career | 98 | 66 | 29.6 | .429 | .347 | .834 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 1.3 | .1 | 14.6 |
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