Kendrick Nunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kendrick Nunn

Nunn with Panathinaikos in 2025
No. 25 – Panathinaikos
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1995-08-03) August 3, 1995 (age 30) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
High school	Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Illinois (2013–2016) Oakland (2017–2018)
NBA Draft	2018 / Undrafted
Pro career	2018–present
League	Greek Basketball League 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) EuroLeague MVP (2025) 2× All-EuroLeague First Team (2024, 2025) Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy (2025) EuroLeague Magic Moment (2025) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2020) Greek League champion (2024) Greek Cup winner (2025) 2× All-Greek League Team (2024, 2025) Greek League Most Popular Player (2024) Greek League Most Spectacular Player (2025) 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 on August 3, 1995, is an American professional basketball player. He plays for Panathinaikos in Greece, competing in the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague.

Nunn played college basketball for three seasons at the University of Illinois. He was named to the 2013–14 Big Ten All-Freshman team. After leaving Illinois, he transferred to Oakland University. He had to sit out one season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules. In 2018, he won the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year award at Oakland. He led the nation in three-point shots made per game that year.

After the 2018 NBA draft, Nunn was not chosen by any team. He spent the 2018–19 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League. In April 2019, he signed with 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 joined Panathinaikos. He won the EuroLeague title in his first season in Europe. He also earned All-EuroLeague First Team honors.

Kendrick Nunn is known as a great scorer. Many consider him one of the best shooting guards to play in Europe. He won the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy for the 2025 season. He was the first Panathinaikos player in the new EuroLeague era to win this award. He was also named EuroLeague MVP in 2025.

High School Basketball Journey

Nunn after winning the 2013 IHSA championship

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 the coach at Saint Louis University. Nunn thought about playing for schools like Illinois, Marquette, and UCLA.

During his senior year, Simeon honored Nunn by retiring his jersey, No. 20. His teammate, Jabari Parker, also had his jersey, No. 22, retired. Nunn and Parker joined other famous players like Derrick Rose and Benji Wilson. These players were the only ones from Simeon to have their jersey numbers retired. Nunn helped Simeon win four Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championships.

Nunn first said he would play for Texas A&M in August 2011. This was before his junior year. But about two months later, he changed his mind. He wanted to look at all his options again. His father, Melvin, said Kendrick felt he had committed too early.

On September 15, 2012, Nunn decided to play for Illinois. He made this choice after visiting the school. He would play under head coach John Groce.

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. His first start was on February 9, 2014, against Penn State. He scored 19 points in that game. This helped his team end an eight-game losing streak.

Nunn scored 19 points again on February 19. This led the Illini to a 62–49 win against Minnesota. For this great game, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. He won this award again on March 3. This was after wins against Nebraska and Michigan State. At the end of the season, Nunn was on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Nunn was a co-captain of the 2015–16 Fighting Illini team.

Nunn left the Illinois basketball team on May 24, 2016. About a month later, he transferred to Oakland University. He had a chance to restart his career with the Golden Grizzlies. NCAA transfer rules meant Nunn had to sit out his first year. He did not play during the 2016–17 season. He played in the Golden Grizzlies' 2017–18 season. Nunn earned Horizon League Player of the Week three times that season.

As a senior, Nunn led NCAA Division I in three-point shooting. He made an average of 4.47 three-point field goals per game. He 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 was a school record. Nunn's 84 three-point shots in conference games was a Horizon League record.

Professional Basketball Career

Santa Cruz Warriors (2018–2019)

Nunn was not chosen in the 2018 NBA draft. He then signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors. This contract gave him a spot on their Summer League team. It also invited him to their fall training camp. The Warriors decided not to keep him, releasing him on October 12. He then joined their G League team, the Santa Cruz 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. This was against the Iowa Energy. He started only one of 49 games. Still, he averaged 19.3 points, 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. He scored 40 points against the Houston Rockets. This was the most points by a Heat player in a preseason game in 20 years. His NBA debut was on October 23. He started and scored 24 points in a 120–101 win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

After his first week, he 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. Connie Hawkins held the old record with 105 points 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, teammate Duncan Robinson scored 34 points. Together, they set an NBA record for points by an undrafted duo (70).

After scoring 504 points in his 31st game, he became the fastest rookie in Heat history to reach 500 points. He was one game faster than Dwyane Wade. 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 January performance. 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. This was against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the most points by a rookie coming off the bench in a Finals game since Elden Campbell in 1991. The Heat lost the series in 6 games.

On May 15, 2021, Nunn scored a season-high 31 points. He also had six rebounds and three assists. This was in a 108–122 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat lost to the Bucks in 4 games 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 missed 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 109–123 loss to the Golden State Warriors. On January 6, 2023, he scored a season-high 23 points. He also had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. This was in a 130–114 win over 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 was traded along with three future second-round draft picks. In return, the Lakers received Rui Hachimura. Nunn played his first game for the Wizards two days later. He scored 12 points, had four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. This was in a 108–103 win over the Houston Rockets.

Panathinaikos (2023–present)

On October 31, 2023, Nunn signed with Greek Basketball League and EuroLeague team Panathinaikos. He signed until the end of the season. On November 20, 2023, Nunn scored 18 points. He also had six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He made two game-winning free throws in an 86–85 victory against AEK.

He won the EuroLeague title in his first season in Europe. He also earned All-EuroLeague First Team honors. He won the Greek League title in the same year.

On March 29, 2025, it was reported that Nunn agreed to a new three-year contract. This deal would keep him with the EuroLeague champions until 2028. The deal was made official on April 10, 2025.

National Team Experience

In March 2011, Nunn was one of 24 high school players invited to try out for the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. The tryouts were at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nunn was one of four Chicago players 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 was coached by Don Showalter. They scored over 100 points in every game they won.

Nunn, along with his Simeon 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

NBA Playoffs

EuroLeague Statistics

Domestic League Statistics

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 Statistics

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

Basketball 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 conference season (84 shots).

Oakland Golden Grizzlies Records

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

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 between Panathinaikos and Milan on December 17, 2024.

See also

In Spanish: Kendrick Nunn para niños

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