NBA sensation, Yogi Ferrell was born as KevinDuane Ferrell Jr. on May 9, 1993. He was born in Greenfield, Indiana to the family of Kevin Ferrell Sr. and Lydia Ferrell. Ferrell was one (the first) of four children born to his parents – two younger sisters and a brother whose names are Khloe, Kelsey (sisters) and Kaleb (brother). There’s a remarkable unique pattern to how his parents named him and his siblings (I guess you haven’t noticed); all four have a name beginning with the letter “K”.
Who is Yogi Ferrell?
Yogi Ferrell was a born star! He started playing basketball at an early age and his parents were very supportive of him. At the elementary level, he played for Lakeside Elementary School’s basketball team, where he showed incredible skills – almost too amazing for his young age. He could take on his teammates one on one, leave them in his wake, and dribble effectively with superb skills.
He attended Park Tudor School, Indiana and continues on his road to making an outstanding career in the brown leather game. In high school, Yogi Ferrell led his school team to two 2A IHSAA State Championships; the first off the back of a record 26 wins and just 2 losses in his junior year, and the other in his senior year where he nearly had a triple double with 17 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds.
After graduating, he was ranked as a top player on Rick Bolus’ High Potential Rankings. Rivals.com ranked Ferrell as the No. 19 player and 3rd guard in his category, as well as the “best passer, best speed and best guard” in Indiana. He was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game and came in second (Gary Harris was first) for the 2012 Indiana Mr. Basketball.
University career
Despite offers from elsewhere, including the universities of Virginia and Florida, Yogi Ferrell opted to stay close to home and enroll at Indiana University Bloomington. It was an obvious choice for the Hoosiers – the school’s basketball team. After his remarkable high school playing success, his roster with the Hoosiers was highly anticipated by the team’s fans. With what he brought to the team in his first year, he was considered older than his age in terms of football experience.
In his first season, the Hoosiers won the Big Ten championship. On a personal note, he received All-Nine Big Ten host team endorsement and All-Big Ten honorable mention from coaches and media, respectively. It was the same in the second year, because he had once again earned a place in the very first Ten Ten team. Ferrell kept the momentum going, breaking records while setting new ones. He joined the 1,000 career point elite in his junior season and led the team in points and assists for the second straight year.
The following season, which was his final year with the Hoosiers, he broke one more record by becoming Indiana University’s “assisted king”. To put things in the right perspective, Yogi Ferrell single-handedly put Indiana University in the running order as far as college basketball is concerned.
NBA Point Guard Career Pro
Everything was ready for the talented young basketball player from Grenada to explode onto the professional scene when he declared joining the 2016 NBA draft. With a damning resume in his arsenal, major recruiting sites have listed him as the top potential pick in the draft. However, to the shock of so many, he was yet to be drafted at the end of the 2016 draft. He would, however, end up with the Brooklyn Netw after joining them for the NBA Summer League in the hope of landing a contract with the team.
After impressing in the Summer League, Ferrell was offered a rookie contract but was released months later and reunited with his NBA D-League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – in November 2016. After some back and forth (mixing between the Brooklyn Nets and the Long Island Nets), the Dallas Mavericks came for him, with whom he signed a 10-day contract. With the Mavericks he seemed to regain his mojo and a great streak ensued which saw Yogi Ferrell beat (and create) even more records in the franchise and also in the NBA.
He signed a two-year contract with the Mavs in February 2017 and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the same month. This was despite playing from the bench for most games. His impressive game would see him selected to the NBA Second Team All-Star at the end of his first season with the Mavs. After refusing to sign a new deal with the Mavericks in 2018, Yogi Ferrell left the team to join the Sacramento Kings in July of that year.
Here are 6 lesser known facts about Yogi Ferrell
1. Height and Weight – The new Sacremento Kings guard is 6ft tall and weighs 81kg (178lbs).
2. Basketball wasn’t the only thing young Yogi Ferrell did while growing up. It is said that he sang in the choir from his 6th to 12th grade. Quite a while!
3. His birth name is Kevin Ferrell Jr. The name “Yogi” comes from a popular comic book character, Yogi Bear. And the reason he was needed was because his dad wanted him to forge his own path and not be called “Kevin Ferrell,” which has the same name as his dad. And again, he loved picnic baskets, just like the cartoon character.
4 His growth in play as a child saw him develop certain selfish tendencies. His highlight is when, in response to his younger brother’s request that he’s no good, he replies, “Google! child and learn basic morals.
5. While in college, Ferrell was arrested for underage drinking and possession of a fake ID. He used this ID to gain access to a bar in 2014, just before his 21st birthday.
6 It was dissected or better said, a name uttered by rapper Wale in one of his songs, Yogi, who was with the Dallas Mavericks at the time, took it as a compliment. He saw the funny side and joked about it on Twitter.