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Kira Lewis Jr.

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Kira Lewis Jr.
Lewis with Alabama in 2019
No. 13 – New Orleans Pelicans
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-04-06) April 6, 2001 (age 23)
Meridianville, Alabama
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolHazel Green
(Hazel Green, Alabama)
CollegeAlabama (2018–2020)
NBA draft2020: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentNew Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-SEC (2020)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2019)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Greece Team

Kira Aundrea Lewis Jr. (born April 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

High school career

Lewis played basketball for Hazel Green High School in Hazel Green, Alabama for three years. As a junior, he averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 steals per game and led his team to the Alabama Class 6A semifinals. Lewis earned first-team All-State honors for his second consecutive season, was a finalist for Alabama Mr. Basketball, and was named Huntsville Region Player of the Year and Alabama Class 6A Player of the Year.[1] He was originally in the 2019 class but graduated early from high school and reclassified to 2018.[2] On August 10, 2018, Lewis committed to Alabama over several major NCAA Division I offers, including from Indiana and Kansas. He was considered a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports.[3]

College career

In his freshman season with Alabama, Lewis, at age 17, was the second-youngest player in NCAA Division I basketball behind Everett Perrot of Pepperdine and was the youngest player to appear in a game. Lewis scored six points in his first career game versus Southern. The following game, he had 21 points against Appalachian State and followed that up with a season-high 24 points against Wichita State.[4] He tied his season-high of 24 points against Georgia in February 2019.[5] Lewis averaged 13.5 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. However, Alabama struggled and finished 18–16, losing in the first round of the NIT. Lewis entered the transfer portal before new coach Nate Oats convinced him to return.[6]

In his sophomore season opener, Lewis scored a then-career-high 30 points in an 81–80 loss to Penn.[7] Lewis scored a career-high 37 points on February 8, 2020, in a 105–102 overtime win against Georgia.[8] On February 12, he became the first Alabama player since 1996 to record a triple double, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in a 95–91 overtime loss to Auburn. He became the 2nd player in school history to reach this accomplishment.[9] On February 25, Lewis contributed 29 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in a 80–73 loss to Mississippi State.[10] At the conclusion of the regular season, Lewis was named to the First Team All-SEC.[11] As a sophomore, Lewis averaged 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.[12] After the season, Lewis declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[13]

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans (2020-present)

Lewis was selected with the 13th pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.[14] On November 30, 2020, he signed with the Pelicans.[15]

Rookie Year: 2020-21

Kira Lewis was a rotational player to start the year. His first career game with double-digit scoring came January 13th against the LA Clippers. He had 10 points that game.

National team career

Lewis played for the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. He averaged four points and 1.6 assists per game and helped his team win a gold medal.[16]

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

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Alabama 34 34 31.6 .433 .358 .783 2.6 2.9 .8 .3 13.5
2019–20 Alabama 31 31 37.6 .459 .366 .802 4.8 5.2 1.8 .6 18.5
Career 65 65 34.5 .447 .362 .793 3.6 4.0 1.3 .4 15.9

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 New Orleans Pelicans 8 0 8.8 .353 .400 .700 .5 1.3 .1 .1 4.4
Career 8 0 8.8 .353 .400 .700 .5 1.3 .1 .1 4.4

References

  1. ^ Boyette, Daniel (March 20, 2018). "Hazel Green's Kira Lewis stepped up as leader, earns Huntsville top basketball honor". AL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "Alabama Men's Basketball Signs Kira Lewis, will Enroll in Classes this Fall". University of Alabama Athletics. August 15, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Daniels, Evan (August 10, 2018). "Kira Lewis commits to Alabama, reclassifies to 2018". 247Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Walsh, Christopher (January 22, 2019). "The talk about Kira Lewis Jr. is shifting from his age to his consistency". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Casagrande, Michael (April 8, 2019). "Kira Lewis is staying at Alabama after flirting with transfer". Al.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  6. ^ Martin, Tyler (October 25, 2019). "Alabama Will Look to an Older, More Experienced Kira Lewis Jr. for Success Under Nate Oats". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dingle lifts Penn to 81–80 opening win over Alabama". ESPN. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Lewis scores career-high 37 as Alabama tops Georgia in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. February 8, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Wiley, No. 11 Auburn survive in OT again, 95–91 over Alabama". ESPN. Associated Press. February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Stephens, Hannah (February 25, 2020). "Alabama loses game, John Petty against Miss State". Roll Tide Wire. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  12. ^ Tsoukalas, Tony. "How to watch: Alabama basketball vs Tennessee in the SEC Tournament". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  13. ^ Potter, Charlie (March 24, 2020). "Alabama's Kira Lewis, John Petty to test NBA draft waters". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Flaherty, Kevin (November 18, 2020). "Pelicans pick Alabama's Kira Lewis at No. 13 in NBA draft". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  15. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans sign Kira Lewis Jr". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  16. ^ Villicana, Paloma (July 8, 2019). "Kira Lewis brings back gold to north Alabama". WAFF. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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