Keion Brooks Jr.

Last updated
Keion Brooks Jr.
Keion Brooks Kentucky (cropped).jpg
Brooks with Kentucky in 2022
No. 0–New Orleans Pelicans
Position Small forward / power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2000-08-07) August 7, 2000 (age 24)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft 2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–2025 Birmingham Squadron
2025–present New Orleans Pelicans
2025–present→Birmingham Squadron
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Keion Lee Brooks Jr. (born August 7, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Contents

High school career

Brooks played basketball for North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading his team to the Class 4A state title game. [1] For his senior season, Brooks transferred to La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. [2] He played alongside future NBA player Isaiah Stewart and helped his team to a GEICO Nationals runner-up finish. [3] As a senior, Brooks averaged 20.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. [4] He was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic. [5]

Recruiting

Brooks was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports, and a four-star recruit by ESPN. On March 15, 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky over offers from Indiana, Michigan State and North Carolina. [6]

College recruiting information
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Keion Brooks Jr.
SF 		Fort Wayne, IN La Lumiere (IN)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg)Mar 15, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: 5 stars.svg     247Sports: 5 stars.svg     ESPN: 4 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 29   247Sports: 14   ESPN: 36
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  • "2019 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.

College career

Kentucky

As a freshman at Kentucky, Brooks averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. [7] He missed the first nine games of his sophomore season with a leg injury. [8] On February 6, 2021, Brooks posted a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 82–71 loss to Tennessee. [9] As a sophomore, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. [10] On January 29, 2022, Brooks scored a career-high 27 points in a 80–62 victory against Kansas. [11] As a junior, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. On April 4, 2022, Brooks declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. [12]

Washington

Instead of returning to Kentucky, Brooks decided to enter the transfer portal. On June 6, 2022, Brooks committed to the University of Washington. [13] He averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior. Brooks returned for his fifth season of eligibility. [14] He was named to the First Team All-Pac-12 at the conclusion of the regular season. [15]

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans / Birmingham Squadron (2024–present)

After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Brooks joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2024 NBA Summer League [16] and on September 24, 2024, he signed with the team. [17] However, he was waived on October 16 [18] and on October 28, he joined the Birmingham Squadron. [19] On January 9, 2025, he signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans. [20]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2019–20 Kentucky 31615.1.472.263.6303.2.2.4.44.5
2020–21 Kentucky 16323.6.441.214.7956.81.6.6.810.3
2021–22 Kentucky 333324.5.491.233.7834.41.0.7.610.8
2022–23 Washington 303035.5.433.286.7946.71.4.71.217.7
2023–24 Washington 323235.0.487.380.7946.81.4.7.821.1
Career14210427.0.466.313.7845.41.1.6.813.1

Personal life

Brooks' father, Keion Sr., played college basketball for Wright State. [21] Brooks has served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player Development Coalition, as well as the Southeastern Conference Leadership Council and Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice. [22] [23]

References

  1. ↑ Marini, Glenn (May 6, 2017). "Recruiting heating up for North Side's Keion Brooks Jr". WANE-TV . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ Guskey, Jordan; Neddenriep, Kyle (August 3, 2018). "5-star recruit Keion Brooks Jr. announces transfer to La Lumiere prep school". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ Hale, Jon (October 16, 2019). "Five-star forward Keion Brooks willing to do 'whatever is asked' for Kentucky basketball". The Courier-Journal . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ Vaught, Larry (June 19, 2019). "Wildcats incoming freshman Brooks a beast on court, old soul off it". The Daily News . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Brooks Jr. impresses at Jordan Brand Classic". WANE-TV . April 21, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (March 15, 2019). "Top-40 senior PF Brooks commits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ Letcher, Tim (November 20, 2020). "UK sophomore Brooks embracing leadership role; averaged 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds last season". NKyTribune.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ Hale, Jon (January 7, 2021). "Keion Brooks cleared to resume playing for Kentucky basketball after missing nine games". The Courier-Journal . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ Tipton, Jerry (February 8, 2021). "'That's what this team needs.' Brooks' breakout big for Kentucky in a couple ways". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ Gear, Camille (May 28, 2021). "Kentucky forward Keion Brooks returns for junior season". WYMT-TV . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ Tipton, Jerry (January 29, 2022). "Keion Brooks and Oscar Tshiebwe co-star as Kentucky crushes Kansas". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. to enter NBA draft, but keep eligibility". ESPN . April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Hale, Jon (June 6, 2022). "After 3 unprecedented years with Kentucky basketball, Keion Brooks to leave for Washington". The Courier-Journal . Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  14. ↑ Allen, Percy (October 10, 2023). "Washington's Keion Brooks Jr., former Zag Oumar Ballo named to All-Pac-12 men's basketball preseason team". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  15. ↑ Allen, Percy (March 12, 2023). "UW's Keion Brooks Jr. makes All-Pac-12 team, Koren Johnson named Pac-12 Sixth Player". The Seattle Times . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  16. ↑ "New Orleans Pelicans announce NBA 2K25 2024 Summer League roster presented by TripADeal". NBA.com. July 10, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Pelicans sign three players". NBA.com. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Pelicans waive four players". NBA.com. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Birmingham Squadron Announce 2024-25 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  20. ↑ "New Orleans Pelicans sign Keion Brooks Jr. to two-way contract". NBA.com. January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  21. ↑ Neddenriep, Kyle (April 29, 2017). "Humble and hungry Keion Brooks Jr. drawing nationwide interest". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  22. ↑ Gear, Camille (September 16, 2021). "Keion Brooks Jr., Blair Green to attend SEC Leadership Council". WYMT-TV . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  23. ↑ Fisher, Chris (August 17, 2020). "Keion Brooks Jr. selected for NABC Player Development Coalition". 247Sports.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
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