Luke Kennard

Luke Douglas Kennard (born June 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

On January 6, 2016, Luke scored 23 points in a 91–75 win over Wake Forest.

On February 6, 2016, Kennard tallied 26 points in an 88–80 win over NC State.

As a freshman at Duke, Kennard averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

On November 29, 2016, he scored 20 points in a 78–69 win against Michigan State in ACC–Big Ten Challenge.

On December 3, 2016, Kennard scored 35 points in a 94–55 win over Maine.

He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 12th pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kennard attended Franklin High School in Franklin, Ohio near Dayton.

As a senior, he was named the Parade National Player of the Year.

He was named the Ohio Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year as junior and senior.

He also played high school football, lettering for three years as a quarterback.

And though he shot with his left hand in basketball, he threw with his right hand in football.

Finishing high school, Kennard was one of the most sought after recruits in the nation.

He was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in his recruiting class by ESPN.

Kennard committed to Duke University to play college basketball during his junior year of high school.

He finished his career with the second most points in Ohio history, three spots ahead of LeBron James.

He was a McDonald's All-American selection.

On January 28, 2017, Kennard scored 34 points in an 85–83 win over Wake Forest.

On February 11, 2017, Kennard tallied 25 points in a 64–62 victory over Clemson.

On March 3, 2017, Luke scored 20 points in a 79–72 victory over Clemson in the second round and scored 24 points in an 81–77 win against Louisville in the quarterfinals of the 2017 ACC tournament.

On March 10, 2017, Kennard scored 20 points in a 93–83 win over rival North Carolina in the semifinals.

On March 11, 2017, Kennard tallied 16 points in a 75–69 win against Notre Dame in the ACC Championship game.

During his sophomore year, Luke averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

He led the team both from the three-point range with 43.8% and free throw line at 85.6%.

As a sophomore, he was named first team All-ACC and second-team All-American.

He finished 1–6 from the field and fouled out in Duke's second-round loss to South Carolina in the NCAA tournament.

His reaction to the final foul call against him quickly turned into a meme.

After his sophomore season, Kennard chose to forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NBA draft.

He joined Duke teammates Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, and Frank Jackson in declaring early for the draft.

On June 22, 2017, Kennard was drafted 12th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2017 NBA draft.

He made his NBA debut on October 20, 2017, against the Washington Wizards, scoring 11 points and recording 2 steals in 18 minutes.

Kennard started his first NBA game on December 15, 2017, after Avery Bradley suffered a groin injury, scoring 9 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a win against the Indiana Pacers.

Kennard recorded his first career double-double on January 24, 2018, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

On April 11, 2018, Kennard recorded a former career-high 23 points in a 119–87 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

In July 2018, the Pistons announced that Kennard suffered a left knee strain and would miss the 2018 NBA Summer League.

On October 26, 2018, Kennard suffered a sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder and would be out for at least two weeks.

On December 10, 2018, he recorded a career-high 28 points in a 116–102 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

In 2020, it was announced that Franklin High would retire Kennard's number 10.

In practice, he frequently matched up against Duke guard Grayson Allen.