Kendrick Nunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kendrick Nunn

Nunn with Panathinaikos in 2024
No. 25 – Panathinaikos
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1995-08-03) August 3, 1995 (age 29) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
High school	Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
Listed height	1.95 m (6 ft 4.77 in)
Listed weight	88 kg (194 lb)
Career information
College	Illinois (2013–2016) Oakland (2017–2018)
NBA Draft	2018 / Undrafted
Pro career	2018–present
League	GBL EuroLeague
Career history
2018–2019	Santa Cruz Warriors
2019–2021	Miami Heat
2021–2023	Los Angeles Lakers
2023	Washington Wizards
2023–present	Panathinaikos
Career highlights and awards
EuroLeague champion (2024) All-EuroLeague First Team (2024) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2020) Greek League champion (2024) Greek League Finals MVP (2024) All-Greek League First Team (2024) Greek League Most Popular Player (2024) Horizon League Player of the Year (2018) First-team All-Horizon League (2018) Big Ten All-Freshman team (2014)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold 2011 Mexico National team FIBA World U17 Championship Gold 2012 Lithuania National team

Kendrick Melvin Nunn (born August 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for Panathinaikos in Greece. This team is part of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague.

Kendrick played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2014. After transferring to Oakland University, he won the 2018 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year award. He led the nation in three-point shots made per game that year.

After college, Kendrick was not chosen in the 2018 NBA draft. He then played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League for one season. In April 2019, he joined the Miami Heat and helped them reach the 2020 NBA Finals. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In October 2023, Nunn moved to Europe and signed with Panathinaikos. In his first season, he won the EuroLeague title and was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team.

High School Basketball

Nunn after winning the 2013 IHSA championship

Kendrick Nunn went to Simeon Career Academy in Chicago. When he was a freshman, he received his first basketball scholarship offer. It came from Rick Majerus, who was a coach at Saint Louis University.

During his senior year, Simeon honored Kendrick by retiring his jersey, number 20. They also retired the jersey of his teammate, Jabari Parker, number 22. Kendrick and Jabari joined famous players like Derrick Rose and Benji Wilson to have their jerseys retired. Kendrick helped lead Simeon to win four state titles in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

Kendrick first decided to play for Texas A&M in August 2011. But a couple of months later, he changed his mind. His father, Melvin, said that Kendrick felt he had committed too early. He wanted to look at all his options. On September 15, 2012, Kendrick committed to play for Illinois.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kendrick Nunn SG	Chicago	Simeon (Illinois)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 15, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 86
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 59, 12 (SG)   Rivals: 60, 18 (SG)  ESPN: 61, 14 (SG)
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:

Nunn dunks an alley-oop pass from Jaylon Tate.

Nunn in the 2013 Illinois High School Association championship game

Nunn dunks an inbounds alley oop from Jabari Parker over Jahlil Okafor.

Nunn dunks in the 2013 Illinois High School Association playoffs

College Basketball Career

As a freshman at the University of Illinois, Nunn played in all 35 games. He started in the last 12 games of the 2013–14 season. He first started a game on February 9, 2014, against Penn State. He scored 19 points in that game. This helped his team break an eight-game losing streak.

Nunn scored 19 points again on February 19, leading Illinois to a 62–49 win against Minnesota. Because of this great play, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. He won this award again on March 3. At the end of the season, Nunn was chosen for the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Nunn transferred to Oakland University in June 2016. He had to sit out his first year there because of NCAA transfer rules. He played for the Golden Grizzlies in the 2017–18 season. During this time, he won the Horizon League Player of the Week award three times.

As a senior, Nunn was amazing at three-point shooting. He made an average of 4.47 three-point field goals per game. This was the most in NCAA Division I. He also finished second in scoring, with 25.9 points per game. On February 28, 2018, Nunn was voted the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He also made the First Team All-League. His 4.47 three-point shots per game set a new school record. His 84 three-point shots in conference games set a new Horizon League record.

Professional Basketball Career

Santa Cruz Warriors (2018–2019)

After the 2018 NBA draft, Kendrick Nunn was not drafted by any NBA team. He signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors. This contract meant he would play for their Summer League team. He would also be invited to their training camp. The Warriors decided not to keep him, and he was released on October 12.

He then joined the Santa Cruz Warriors, which is the G League team for the Golden State Warriors. In his first professional game on November 4, Nunn scored 15 points. This helped his team win 118–108 against the Northern Arizona Suns. On November 10, he scored 32 points coming off the bench. Even though he started only one of 49 games, he averaged 19.3 points per game. He also had 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Miami Heat (2019–2021)

The Miami Heat signed Nunn on April 10, 2019. On October 18, Nunn played very well in a preseason game against the Houston Rockets. He scored 40 points, which was the most by a Heat player in a preseason game in 20 years. His first NBA game was on October 23. He started the game and scored 24 points, helping the Heat win 120–101.

After his first week, Nunn averaged 22.3 points in three games. This earned him an NBA Player of the Week nomination. In his first five NBA games, Nunn scored 112 points. This broke the record for most points by an undrafted player in their first five games. The old record was 105 points, set by Connie Hawkins in 1969. His 112 points were also the most by a rookie in their first five games since Kevin Durant in 2007.

On December 3, Nunn was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. He averaged 16.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. On December 10, he scored a career-high 36 points. This helped the Heat win 135–121 in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks. In that game, his teammate Duncan Robinson scored 34 points. Together, they set an NBA record for points by an undrafted duo (70 points).

Nunn reached 500 points in his 31st career game. This made him the fastest rookie in Heat history to reach 500 points. On January 2, Nunn became the first undrafted player in NBA history to win multiple Rookie of the Month awards. He won the award a third time for his performance in January. He was chosen for the Rising Stars Challenge at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. He scored 16 points for Team USA. On September 15, 2020, Nunn was named to the 2019–20 NBA All-Rookie First Team. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

On September 30, 2020, Nunn scored 18 points in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the most points scored by a rookie coming off the bench in a Finals game since 1991. The Heat lost the series in 6 games. On May 15, 2021, Nunn scored a season-high 31 points. The Heat lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. On August 3, the Heat let Nunn become a free agent.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2023)

On August 6, 2021, Nunn signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 21, he was found to have a bone bruise in his right knee. He was expected to miss several weeks. He ended up missing the entire season due to this knee injury.

On October 18, 2022, Nunn played his first game for the Lakers. He scored 13 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. On January 6, 2023, he scored a season-high 23 points. This helped the Lakers win 130–114 against the Atlanta Hawks.

Washington Wizards (2023)

Nunn with the Washington Wizards in 2023

On January 23, 2023, Nunn was traded to the Washington Wizards. He made his Wizards debut two days later. He scored 12 points and helped his team win 108–103 against the Houston Rockets.

Panathinaikos (2023–present)

On October 31, 2023, Nunn signed with Panathinaikos. This is a strong team in the Greek Basketball League and EuroLeague. On November 20, 2023, Nunn scored 18 points and made two game-winning free throws. This helped Panathinaikos win 86–85 against AEK.

On May 7, 2024, Panathinaikos, led by Nunn, beat Maccabi Tel Aviv. They won Game 5 of the EuroLeague playoffs. This sent them to the EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, after 12 years. After the game, the team owner announced that Nunn had signed a new contract until 2026. He went on to win the EuroLeague title in his first season in Europe. He also earned All-EuroLeague First Team honors. He also won the Greek League title that same year. They beat their rivals Olympiacos in the finals.

On December 17, 2024, Nunn set new EuroLeague records. He scored 21 points in the first quarter, which was the most ever. He also made 7 three-pointers in a single quarter, another record. He tied the all-time league record for most points in any quarter (21). This also set a new Panathinaikos record.

National Team Career

In March 2011, Nunn was one of 24 high school players invited to try out for the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. This tryout was at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nunn was one of four players from Chicago to make the 12-man national team. He won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2011 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship. This event took place in Cancun, Mexico. The team, coached by Don Showalter, scored over 100 points in every game they won.

Nunn, along with his teammate Jabari Parker, was chosen to play in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. This championship was held in Kaunas, Lithuania, from June 29 to July 8, 2012. Just like in 2011, Nunn helped Team USA win another gold medal.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

Domestic leagues

Year	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	Santa Cruz Warriors	G League	49	29.0	.473	.333	.857	3.8	2.8	1.5	.3	19.3
2023–24	Panathinaikos	GBL	30	25.6	.468	.369	.889	2.9	4.0	.7	.3	13.9

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Illinois	35	12	19.5	.456	.388	.808	1.7	1.1	.6	.1	6.2
2014–15	Illinois	33	24	30.2	.401	.360	.817	3.5	1.9	1.2	.2	11.1
2015–16	Illinois	28	25	35.1	.428	.391	.794	5.0	1.7	1.5	.2	15.5
2016–17	Oakland	Redshirt
2017–18	Oakland	30	26	37.9	.435	.394	.838	4.7	3.8	1.5	.4	25.9
Career		126	87	30.1	.428	.386	.821	3.6	2.1	1.2	.2	14.2

Records and Achievements

NBA Records

• Most points in first five career games for an undrafted player (112 points).
• Most points by an undrafted duo in a single game (70 points, with Duncan Robinson).
• Most Conference Rookie of the Month awards for an undrafted player (3 awards).

Miami Heat Records

• Fastest rookie to reach 500 career points (in 31 games).

Horizon League Records

• Most three-point shots made in a single season (conference games) (84 shots).

Oakland Golden Grizzlies Records

• Most three-point shots made per game in a single season (4.47 shots).

EuroLeague Records

• Best free throw percentage (95.9%) for players with over 50 free throws attempted.
• Most 3-pointers scored in one quarter (7/8) in a game against Milan on December 17, 2024.
• Most points scored in a first quarter (21 points).
• Tied the all-time league record for most points in any quarter (21 points).
• Set the Panathinaikos record for most points in a quarter.

See also

In Spanish: Kendrick Nunn para niños

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season 3-point field goal leaders