Keion Brooks Jr.
No. 0 – Birmingham Squadron | |
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Position | Small forward / power forward |
League | NBA G League |
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 |
|
College |
|
NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
Playing career | 2024–present |
Career history | |
2024–present | Birmingham Squadron |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Keion Lee Brooks Jr. (born August 7, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
High school career
[edit]Brooks 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
[edit]Brooks 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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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
[edit]Kentucky
[edit]As 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
[edit]Instead 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
[edit]Birmingham Squadron (2024–present)
[edit]After 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] However, he was waived on October 16[18] and on October 28, he joined the Birmingham Squadron.[19]
Career statistics
[edit]GP | 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
[edit]Year | 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
[edit]Brooks' father, Keion Sr., played college basketball for Wright State.[20] 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.[21][22]
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.
- ^ "Pelicans waive four players". NBA.com. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Birmingham Squadron Announce 2024-25 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 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.