| Kansas Jayhawks | |
|---|---|
| League | Big 12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 19, 2008 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 188 lb (85 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Newport High School |
| College | University of Kansas |
Taylen Kinney (born January 19, 2008), nicknamed "TK" is a basketball player for Rod Wave Elite of the Overtime Elite basketball league. He is committed to the University of Kansas, where he will play for the Kansas Jayhawks. [1] [2] Kinney is the first ranked point guard in the class of 2026, and is the 13th overall ranked player within the class. [3] [4]
Outside of basketball, Kinney is well known for popularizing the 6-7 meme. [5] Following the meme's explosion in virality, Kinney used that momentum and launched his own canned water brand on June 7, 2025, which is dubbed as "67 Water". [6] [7] [8]
Taylen Kinney got his start in basketball in elementary and middle school. He played for many basketball leagues, including All Ohio, as seen in highlights. Most notably, he played with Tyran Stokes at an MSHTV basketball camp.
After middle school, Kinney enrolled and played for Newport High School. He spent three varsity seasons with the school before transferring, during his time at the high school, he averaged 17.5 points in the 23–24 season, [9] 17.2 in the 22–23 season, [10] and 11.5 in the 21–22 season. [11] Kinney totaled 1,220 points over those three campaigns and sought notable success with his team, Kinney was an all-state performer for the Wildcats and led the school to appearances in the Sweet 16 state tournament in 2023 and 2024. Newport also won the small-school All “A” Classic state championship in 2024 with Kinney. [12]
Kinney played for Newport High School until April 2024, when he announced that he was committed to play on Overtime Elite for the rest of his high school career. [13]
Kinney plays for Overtime Elite, where he plays on Rod Wave Elite (RWE). In 20 regular-season OTE games in the 24–25 season, Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. [14] [15]
He committed to the Kansas Jayhawks on September 28, 2025. [16]
Taylen Kinney was born on January 19, 2008, in Newport, Kentucky. He attended Southgate Public School for middle school, and then attended Newport Highschool.
His grandfather owns River Front Pizza in Covington, Kentucky. [17]
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