Small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. of the NationalBasketball Association (NBA) was originally selected in the 2015 NBA draft with the Atlanta Hawks’ 15th overall pick, but was quickly traded to the Washington Wizards. He has played in the NBA for 3 years, although he missed a few games due to back-to-back suspensions. Below are facts you didn’t know about the young baller.
Kelly Oubre Jnr – Bio
Kelly Oubre Jnr was born Kelly Paul Oubre Jnr on December 9, 1995 to Tonya Coleman Oubre and Kelly Oubre Snr in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He is African American.
He has two siblings; an older sister, AmberColeman and a younger brother, Gared Washington. His younger brother has also played basketball and plays the close finishing position on the basketball team at De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Los Angeles. Kelly Oubre Jnr grew up with his family in the government district of Magnolia before they relocated to Richmond, Texas in 2005 due to devastating Hurricane Katrina.
His father was his early influence and coach in the game of basketball. His father set him on the path to a basketball career in the NBA by sourcing previous NBA tapes which he watched his son model the stars he saw in the videos.
Kelly Oubre Jnr had his primary education at Edward Hynes, now known as the Hynes Charter School. He then attended George Bush High School in Fort Bend, Texas, where his basketball skills came into their own. He later joined Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, Las Vegas, where he completed his high school education.
After graduating from high school, he went to the University of Kansas where he began playing for their basketball team; the Jayhawks in 2014. In his first season with the collegiate team, he played in 36 games, of which he started 27, he averaged 9.3 points, 1.1 steals in 21.0 minutes per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, this score was good enough to earn him a string of other college honors and recognition, including winning the Big 12 New Comer Awards and All-Newcomers Team Honors in 2015.
He finally announced his intention to forego his 3 remaining years of eligibility to appear on the 2015 draft, as did LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard to name a few who are doing very well in their respective franchises today assert.
His career stats
Baller was originally drafted on June 25, 2015 by the Atlanta Hawks 15th overall. The franchise’s management quickly sold him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jerian Grant.
On July 9, 2015, after the dust had settled, he landed his first NBA contract with the Wizards, valued at $9.2 million. He went on to record his first results for the team during the Las Vegas Summer Leagues, earning 5.7 rebounds and a 16.8 point average in just 6 games played.
He later played against the Boston Celtics, on December 16, 2015, recording 2 rebounds and assists in 14 minutes and 7 points. He then scored his first career high of 18 points in the game against the Spurs, despite his team losing the game. By November 2016, his production skyrocketed when he hit his first double double 10 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings.
He later set his second career high of 19 points in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which his team won by just 5 points in December 2016. Kelly’s playing time on the court decreased drastically after he was found wanting by the NBA, which handed him a 4-game ban and suspension in 2017.
After dealing his 4-game ban, he returned to the court and tied his 19-point career high, though the Wizards lost the game to the Golden State Warriors in a 120-117 score. He continued to improve his game, leading to another career-high 26 points in the game they won against the Detroit Pistons by a 122-112 aggregate score.
In summary, the talented player has started about 25 of 223 games to date, averaging a record 7.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game and 0.7 steals and assists from 20.2 minutes per game in all his regular seasons, since he was drafted.
He played a total of 35 games during his 2018 season and was traded again to the Phoenix Suns on December 17, 2018. He joined the Suns with Austin Rivers in exchange for Trevor Ariza.
Why was he suspended?
The diminutive forward is likely to be dealing with issues of youthful exuberance and anger as he has been embroiled in some controversy since 2015. Kelly Oubre Jnr made his first contact with NBA authorities on November 6, 2015, after making an offensive gesture on the sidelines. This was during the game against the San Antonio Spurs, he eventually bagged a $15,000 fine.
He got into trouble with the NBA again, this time for kicking the ball into the stands during a playoff against the Atlanta Hawks, of course he didn’t walk away scot-free as he was fined $25,000 for the act on April 21, 2017.
As if his April fine wasn’t enough, KellyOubre Jnr deserves his own – a 4-game ban for unruly behavior. His temper got better again in the game against the Boston Celtics when he brought down his namesake, Kelly Olynk, which led to an on-court brawl that resulted in the former being forcibly removed from the court.
He was suspended again from May 6-8, 2017 after wearing an overcoat with “Fk” written on his head in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
height and weight
The young athlete is well built and athletic in physique, he is 6 feet, 7 inches standing and weighs 93 pounds. Its wingspan is estimated at 2.2 meters.