Kenyon Martin Jr.

Kenyon "KJ" Lee Martin Jr. (born January 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended IMG Academy for his postgraduate year in Bradenton, Florida.

Kenyon Martin Jr.
Martin at the Drew League in 2019
No. 6 – Houston Rockets
PositionSmall forward / Power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-01-06) January 6, 2001
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 52nd overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentHouston Rockets
2021→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA G League All-Rookie Team (2021)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Kenyon Martin Jr attended Oaks Christian High School as a freshman but did not play basketball that year. Early in the school year, Kenyon Martin Jr was pulled out of Oaks Christian to be homeschooled. After his freshman year, he was enrolled in Chaminade College Preparatory where he started playing basketball as a sophomore.[1][2]

A three-star recruit from Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, Martin played alongside Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cassius Stanley. Martin averaged 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the back-to-back California Open Division champions.[3]

Martin originally committed to play collegiately for Vanderbilt before opting for a postgraduate year at IMG Academy.[4] He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game at IMG Academy, drawing praise for his athleticism.[5] Martin scored 37 points at the National Prep Showcase and demonstrated an improved jump shot.[6] Martin declared for the 2020 NBA draft on March 24, 2020.[4][7][8]

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2020–present)

On November 18, 2020, Martin was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 52nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. On November 25, 2020, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations and a future second-round pick.[9] Martin signed a four-year contract with the Rockets on November 30.[10] The Rockets organization put him on their G League affiliate team the Rio Grande Vally Vipers.[11] He made his Vipers debut on February 10, 2021 and on March 6, 2021, he was recalled by the Houston Rockets. After returning from the G League, where KJ averaged 17.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks & 1.8 assists per game,[12] he has been a rotational player off the bench for the Rockets.

Martin received his fair share of attention in his rookie season for blocking some of the tallest players in the league in a series of games. This list includes Boban Marjanović, Kristaps Porziņģis, Tacko Fall, and Rudy Gobert. Martin has been noted to have very good jumping abilities, often comparable with his father.

On August 8, 2021, Martin made his summer league debut in a 84–76 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he posted 17 points, three rebounds, and one block in 30 minutes.

Career statistics
Legend
  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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Houston 45823.7.509.365.7145.41.1.7.99.3

Personal life

Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, who was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA draft and played in the NBA for 15 years,[4] and Heather Martin.[13]

References
  1. "K.J. Martin, son of former NBA star Kenyon Martin, transfers to Sierra Canyon (Calif.)". USA TODAY High School Sports. June 12, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  2. "Boys' basketball: K.J. Martin, son of NBA's Kenyon Martin, is making progress at Chaminade". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  3. Spears, Marc (July 9, 2019). "How Kenyon Martin is supporting his son's decision to skip college and go pro". The Undefeated. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  4. Bumbaca, Chris (March 25, 2020). "Kenyon Martin Jr., son of former No. 1 overall pick, declares for 2020 NBA Draft". USA Today. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  5. Wojnarowski, Adrian (March 24, 2020). "Kenyon Martin Jr., son of longtime NBA player, declares for draft". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  6. Daniels, Evan (November 29, 2019). "Kenyon Martin Jr. and his father discuss the professional path". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. Timothy Rapp (March 24, 2020). "Kenyon Martin Jr. Declares for 2020 NBA Draft, Will Skip College". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  8. Adrian Wojnarowski (March 24, 2020). "Kenyon Martin Jr., son of longtime NBA player, declares for draft". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  9. "Rockets Acquire KJ Martin Jr". NBA.com. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  10. DoBose, Ben (November 30, 2020). "Rockets sign KJ Martin Jr. to four-year deal; first season guaranteed". Rockets Wire. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  11. "Kenyon Martin Jr. | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. "Kenyon Martin Jr GLeague | Gleague.NBA.com". gleague.nba.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  13. Robbins, Liz (August 26, 2003). "BASKETBALL; It's a Busy Honeymoon For Martin and His Wife". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
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