Keion Lee Brooks Jr. (born August 7, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the Kentucky Wildcats. Keion Brooks Jr. made his NBA Summer League debut on Friday July 12, 2024 in the starting lineup for New Orleans.
New Orleans Pelicans | |
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Position | Small forward / power forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | August 7, 2000
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College |
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NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
Playing career | 2024–present |
Career history | |
2024–present | New Orleans Pelicans |
Career highlights and awards | |
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High school career
editBrooks played basketball for North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading his team to the Class 4A state title game.[1] For his senior season, Brooks transferred to La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana.[2] He played alongside future NBA player Isaiah Stewart and helped his team to a GEICO Nationals runner-up finish.[3] As a senior, Brooks averaged 20.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.[4] He was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic.[5]
Recruiting
editBrooks was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports, and a four-star recruit by ESPN. On March 15, 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky over offers from Indiana, Michigan State and North Carolina.[6]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Keion Brooks Jr. SF |
Fort Wayne, IN | La Lumiere (IN) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Mar 15, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 29 247Sports: 14 ESPN: 36 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editKentucky
editAs a freshman at Kentucky, Brooks averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.[7] He missed the first nine games of his sophomore season with a leg injury.[8] On February 6, 2021, Brooks posted a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 82–71 loss to Tennessee.[9] As a sophomore, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.[10] On January 29, 2022, Brooks scored a career-high 27 points in a 80–62 victory against Kansas.[11] As a junior, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. On April 4, 2022, Brooks declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12]
Washington
editInstead of returning to Kentucky, Brooks decided to enter the transfer portal. On June 6, 2022, Brooks committed to the University of Washington.[13] He averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior. Brooks returned for his fifth season of eligibility.[14] He was named to the First Team All-Pac-12 at the conclusion of the regular season.[15]
Professional career
editAfter going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Brooks joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2024 NBA Summer League[16] and on September 24, 2024, he signed with the team.[17]
Career statistics
editGP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Kentucky | 31 | 6 | 15.1 | .472 | .263 | .630 | 3.2 | .2 | .4 | .4 | 4.5 |
2020–21 | Kentucky | 16 | 3 | 23.6 | .441 | .214 | .795 | 6.8 | 1.6 | .6 | .8 | 10.3 |
2021–22 | Kentucky | 33 | 33 | 24.5 | .491 | .233 | .783 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .7 | .6 | 10.8 |
2022–23 | Washington | 30 | 30 | 35.5 | .433 | .286 | .794 | 6.7 | 1.4 | .7 | 1.2 | 17.7 |
Career | 110 | 72 | 24.7 | .456 | .265 | .777 | 5.0 | 1.0 | .6 | .8 | 10.8 |
Personal life
editBrooks' father, Keion Sr., played college basketball for Wright State.[18] Brooks has served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player Development Coalition, as well as the Southeastern Conference Leadership Council and Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ Marini, Glenn (May 6, 2017). "Recruiting heating up for North Side's Keion Brooks Jr". WANE-TV. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Guskey, Jordan; Neddenriep, Kyle (August 3, 2018). "5-star recruit Keion Brooks Jr. announces transfer to La Lumiere prep school". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Hale, Jon (October 16, 2019). "Five-star forward Keion Brooks willing to do 'whatever is asked' for Kentucky basketball". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (June 19, 2019). "Wildcats incoming freshman Brooks a beast on court, old soul off it". The Daily News. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ "Brooks Jr. impresses at Jordan Brand Classic". WANE-TV. April 21, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 15, 2019). "Top-40 senior PF Brooks commits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Letcher, Tim (November 20, 2020). "UK sophomore Brooks embracing leadership role; averaged 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds last season". NKyTribune.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Hale, Jon (January 7, 2021). "Keion Brooks cleared to resume playing for Kentucky basketball after missing nine games". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Tipton, Jerry (February 8, 2021). "'That's what this team needs.' Brooks' breakout big for Kentucky in a couple ways". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Gear, Camille (May 28, 2021). "Kentucky forward Keion Brooks returns for junior season". WYMT-TV. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Tipton, Jerry (January 29, 2022). "Keion Brooks and Oscar Tshiebwe co-star as Kentucky crushes Kansas". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. to enter NBA draft, but keep eligibility". ESPN. April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Hale, Jon (June 6, 2022). "After 3 unprecedented years with Kentucky basketball, Keion Brooks to leave for Washington". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Allen, Percy (October 10, 2023). "Washington's Keion Brooks Jr., former Zag Oumar Ballo named to All-Pac-12 men's basketball preseason team". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Percy (March 12, 2023). "UW's Keion Brooks Jr. makes All-Pac-12 team, Koren Johnson named Pac-12 Sixth Player". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Pelicans announce NBA 2K25 2024 Summer League roster presented by TripADeal". NBA.com. July 10, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Pelicans sign three players". NBA.com. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (April 29, 2017). "Humble and hungry Keion Brooks Jr. drawing nationwide interest". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Gear, Camille (September 16, 2021). "Keion Brooks Jr., Blair Green to attend SEC Leadership Council". WYMT-TV. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Fisher, Chris (August 17, 2020). "Keion Brooks Jr. selected for NABC Player Development Coalition". 247Sports.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.