Kennedy Winston facts for kids

Kennedy Lawrence Winston, born on July 29, 1984, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He also has Macedonian citizenship. Kennedy played college basketball for the University of Alabama. He left college early, hoping to join the NBA. However, he was not chosen in the 2005 NBA draft. Because of this, he spent most of his basketball career playing for teams outside of the U.S.

College Basketball Career

Kennedy Winston was a basketball star at Mattie T. Blount High School in Prichard, Alabama. In his senior year (2002), he won the Alabama Mr. Basketball award. He was also named Gatorade's state Player Of The Year.

He first planned to play at the University of California. But he decided to be closer to his mother, who was ill. After getting permission to leave, he joined the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide team.

Kennedy was the top scorer for the Crimson Tide for two seasons. In 2005, he led the SEC in scoring. He averaged 17.9 points per game that year. He was also named to the All-SEC first team twice, in 2004 and 2005. Kennedy helped his team reach the NCAA tournament in both 2004 and 2005. In one of those years, his team made it all the way to the Elite Eight round.

Professional Basketball Journey

After his junior year of college, Kennedy Winston decided to enter the 2005 NBA draft. Many people thought he would be picked in the middle of the first round. However, to his surprise, no NBA team drafted him.

Kennedy tried out for some NBA teams as a free agent. But he soon moved to Europe to play professional basketball.

Playing in Greece

In the 2006–07 season, Kennedy played an important role for Panionios in the Greek League. He was the team's main scorer, averaging 14.9 points per game. He also got 3.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He was named co-MVP for his team that season.

After his great performance, Kennedy and his teammate, Stratos Perperoglou, signed contracts with Panathinaikos. This was a very strong team in Greece.

In his first season with Panathinaikos, Kennedy averaged 8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. On February 17, 2008, he had a standout game. He scored 26 points and made 7 out of 8 three-pointers against Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos' biggest rival. That season, he helped Panathinaikos win both the Greek League championship and the Greek Cup.

Playing in Other Countries

After Greece, Kennedy Winston played for teams in many different countries.

• Turkey: On July 30, 2008, he signed with Türk Telekom in Turkey. He left them in February 2009.
• Spain: After leaving Turkey, he signed with Real Madrid in Spain for the rest of that season.
• Italy: In August 2009, he joined Lottomatica Roma in Italy for the 2009–10 season. In August 2010, he signed a one-year deal with Virtus Bologna, another Italian team.
• Belgium: In November 2011, he signed a short contract with Telenet Oostende in Belgium. He later extended his contract until the end of the season.
• France: On December 27, 2012, he signed with BCM Gravelines in France. In January 2014, he returned to France to play for Olympique Antibes.
• Lebanon: In September 2013, he signed with Amchit Club in Lebanon.
• Mexico: On November 26, 2014, Winston signed with Halcones de Xalapa in Mexico.
• Uruguay: In January 2015, he left Mexico and joined Club Malvín in Uruguay. He helped his team win the 2015 Uruguayan championship.
• Venezuela: In May 2015, he signed with Guaiqueríes de Margarita in Venezuela.

Kennedy Winston's career shows how players can have long and successful careers playing basketball all around the world.

See also

In Spanish: Kennedy Winston para niños