Kevin Martin (basketball, born 1983) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kevin Martin

Martin with Minnesota in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1983-02-01) February 1, 1983 (age 42) Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
High school	Zanesville (Zanesville, Ohio)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Western Carolina (2001–2004)
NBA Draft	2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Pro career	2004–2016
Career history
2004–2010	Sacramento Kings
2010–2012	Houston Rockets
2012–2013	Oklahoma City Thunder
2013–2016	Minnesota Timberwolves
2016	San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-SoCon (2003, 2004) Second-team All-SoCon (2002) SoCon All-Freshman Team (2002) No. 32 retired by Western Carolina University
Career statistics
Points	12,396 (17.4 ppg)
Rebounds	2,278 (3.2 rpg)
Assists	1,352 (1.9 apg)

Kevin Dallas Martin Jr. (born February 1, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball at Western Carolina University. In his junior year, he was the second-best scorer in the nation. The Sacramento Kings picked him 26th overall in the 2004 NBA draft.

Early Life and Basketball Dreams

Kevin Martin was born in Zanesville, Ohio. Growing up, he looked up to basketball legend Michael Jordan. He played for Zanesville High School. In his senior year, he was one of the top players in Ohio. He finished behind LeBron James, who was a sophomore at the time.

College Career Highlights

Martin earned a full scholarship to Western Carolina University. He studied sport management there. He was a fantastic scorer in college. On November 22, 2002, he scored a huge 46 points in a game. A year later, on November 21, 2003, he scored 44 points. He is ranked fourth all-time in scoring for Western Carolina. He scored 1,838 points during his three years. On average, he scored 23.3 points, grabbed 4.5 rebounds, and made 1.7 assists per game.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing for the Sacramento Kings (2004–2010)

Kevin Martin was a star player in college. Because of his success, the Sacramento Kings chose him in the 2004 NBA draft. He was the 26th player picked overall.

Martin in 2005 during his time with the Kings

In his first NBA season (2004–05), Martin played only a little. He averaged 2.9 points per game. The next year, he improved a lot. He averaged 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He even started some games when other players were injured. In the playoffs, he made a game-winning shot against the San Antonio Spurs. This shot helped the Kings win Game 3 of the series.

Martin learned a lot from older players. He said Doug Christie taught him how to play defense. He also said Cuttino Mobley helped him with his shooting.

Before the 2006–07 season, many people thought Martin would have a great year. He did! He became one of the best scorers in the NBA. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. These were all his best numbers at the time. He was also a very good shooter. He finished second for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

On March 17, 2007, Martin scored 20 points against the Orlando Magic. What was special is that he made only one shot from the field! He scored most of his points (17) from free throws. In August 2007, the Kings signed Martin to a big 5-year, $55 million contract.

Martin with the Kings in 2008

Martin started the 2007–08 season very strong. He was the NBA's leading scorer for the first 15 games. He ended the season averaging 23.7 points per game. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He missed 17 games because of a groin injury. On March 7, 2008, he scored 48 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Martin became the team leader after Ron Artest was traded. He started the next season well but got an ankle injury. He returned and helped the Kings win games. On April 1, 2009, he scored a career-high 50 points against the Golden State Warriors. He was the first Kings player to score 50 points since Chris Webber in 2001. On November 2, 2009, Martin scored 48 points, including seven three-pointers, to help the Kings win in overtime.

Time with the Houston Rockets (2010–2012)

In February 2010, Martin was traded to the Houston Rockets. In his first game as a Rocket, he scored 14 points. On April 12, he returned to Sacramento to play against his old team. He scored 39 points in that game.

On December 11, 2010, Martin scored 40 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He later scored a season-high 45 points in January 2011. He averaged 23.5 points per game that season. He was very good at shooting free throws. He made 7.4 free throws per game, which was second in the NBA.

In the 2011–12 season, Martin got a shoulder injury. He tried to play through it, but it got worse. He missed the rest of the season. His scoring average dropped to 17.1 points per game.

Playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2013)

In October 2012, Martin was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He joined the team along with Jeremy Lamb. In the playoffs, he helped the Thunder beat his old team, the Houston Rockets. He scored 25 points in the game that eliminated the Rockets.

With the Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2016)

In July 2013, Kevin Martin signed a four-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 3, 2013, he scored 30 points against the New York Knicks. He made all five of his three-point shots in that game.

In November 2014, Martin had surgery on his right wrist. This kept him out of games for several weeks. In March 2016, the Timberwolves released him from his contract.

Short Time with the San Antonio Spurs (2016)

On March 9, 2016, Martin signed with the San Antonio Spurs. His best game with the Spurs was on April 8, 2016. He scored 17 points against the Denver Nuggets. His last game was in the playoffs on May 12, 2016. The Spurs lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Retirement from Basketball

On November 24, 2016, Kevin Martin announced that he was retiring from the NBA.

Player Style and Skills

Kevin Martin was 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He played as a shooting guard. He was known as a very good scorer in the NBA. He averaged 17.4 points per game in his career. Even though he had a unique way of shooting, he was very effective. He was also known for being quick. Martin often got to the free throw line and was excellent at making his free throws. He led the NBA in free throws made in the 2010–11 season. He was considered an average defender.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season Games

Playoff Games

Life After Playing Basketball

In October 2019, the Brisbane Bullets basketball team in Australia announced a new ownership group. Kevin Martin was part of this group.

Personal Life and Community Work

In 2007, Kevin Martin traveled to South Africa. He took part in the Basketball Without Borders program. He also helped with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for people. In June 2010, Martin helped a family in his hometown. He donated money for a child's funeral after a sad accident. He also supported a law in Ohio to require seat belts in school buses. Kevin Martin married Jill Arnold on July 15, 2011.

See also

In Spanish: Kevin Martin para niños

• List of National Basketball Association career free throw percentage leaders