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Kira Lewis Jr.

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Kira Lewis Jr.
Lewis with Alabama in 2019
No. 13 – Capital City Go-Go
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2001-04-06) April 6, 2001 (age 23)
Meridianville, Alabama, U.S.
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
2020–2024New Orleans Pelicans
2022–2024→Birmingham Squadron
2024Toronto Raptors
2024→Raptors 905
2024Utah Jazz
2024–presentCapital City Go-Go
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 Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Greece Team

Kira Aundrea Lewis Jr. (/ˈkaɪrə/ KY-rə;[1] born April 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.

High school career

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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.[2] He was originally in the 2019 class but graduated early from high school and reclassified to 2018.[3] 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.[4]

College career

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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.[5] He tied his season high of 24 points against Georgia in February 2019.[6] 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.[7]

In his sophomore season opener, Lewis scored a then-career-high 30 points in an 81–80 loss to Penn.[8] He scored a career-high 37 points on February 8, 2020, in a 105–102 overtime win against Georgia.[9] On February 12, Lewis 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 second player in school history to reach this accomplishment.[10] On February 25, Lewis contributed 29 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in a 80–73 loss to Mississippi State.[11] At the conclusion of the regular season, Lewis was named to the First Team All-SEC.[12] As a sophomore, Lewis averaged 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.[13] After the season, Lewis declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[14]

Professional career

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New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2024)

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Lewis was selected with the 13th pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.[15] On November 30, 2020, he signed with the Pelicans.[16] Lewis was a rotational player to start the year. His first career game with double-digit scoring came January 13, 2021 against the Los Angeles Clippers. He had 10 points that game. He registered a career-high 16 points and 6 assists on March 23 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

On December 8, 2021, Lewis tore his ACL and sprained his MCL during a 114–120 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, ending his season.[17]

Toronto Raptors (2024)

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On January 17, 2024, Lewis and a 2024 second-round pick were traded by the Pelicans to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for cash considerations,[18] before being traded to the Toronto Raptors, along with Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks in exchange for Pascal Siakam.[19] On January 19, 2024, the Raptors assigned Lewis to the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League.[20]

Utah Jazz (2024)

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After playing only two minutes in one game with the Raptors, Lewis was traded to the Utah Jazz alongside Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick in exchange for Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.[21]

Capital City Go-Go (2024–present)

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On September 29, 2024, Lewis signed with the Washington Wizards,[22] but was waived on October 12.[23] On October 25, Lewis joined the Capital City Go-Go.[24]

National team career

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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.[25]

Career statistics

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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

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 New Orleans 54 0 16.7 .386 .333 .843 1.3 2.3 .7 .2 6.4
2021–22 New Orleans 24 0 14.2 .404 .224 .833 1.6 2.0 .5 .0 5.9
2022–23 New Orleans 25 0 9.4 .455 .441 .864 1.3 .9 .4 .1 4.6
2023–24 New Orleans 15 0 9.6 .308 .100 .909 .9 1.2 .3 .1 2.9
Toronto 1 0 1.6 — — — .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Utah 12 0 9.9 .450 .154 .778 1.0 1.6 .3 .1 3.8
Career 131 0 13.3 .397 .294 .848 1.3 1.8 .5 .1 5.2

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 New Orleans 1 0 4.7 .000 .000 – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 1 0 4.7 .000 .000 – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0

College

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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

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Alabama Men's Basketball Signs Kira Lewis, will Enroll in Classes this Fall". University of Alabama Athletics. August 15, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Daniels, Evan (August 10, 2018). "Kira Lewis commits to Alabama, reclassifies to 2018". 247Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Casagrande, Michael (April 8, 2019). "Kira Lewis is staying at Alabama after flirting with transfer". Al.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Dingle lifts Penn to 81–80 opening win over Alabama". ESPN. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Lewis scores career-high 37 as Alabama tops Georgia in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. February 8, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Wiley, No. 11 Auburn survive in OT again, 95–91 over Alabama". ESPN. Associated Press. February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Stephens, Hannah (February 25, 2020). "Alabama loses game, John Petty against Miss State". Roll Tide Wire. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Tsoukalas, Tony (March 11, 2020). "How to watch: Alabama basketball vs Tennessee in the SEC Tournament". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Potter, Charlie (March 24, 2020). "Alabama's Kira Lewis, John Petty to test NBA draft waters". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Flaherty, Kevin (November 18, 2020). "Pelicans pick Alabama's Kira Lewis at No. 13 in NBA draft". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans sign Kira Lewis Jr". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  17. ^ Lopez, Andrew (December 9, 2021). "New Orleans Pelicans' Kira Lewis out for season after tearing ACL". ESPN. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  18. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans complete trade with Indiana Pacers". NBA.com. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "RAPTORS COMPLETE TRADE WITH INDIANA". NBA.com. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  20. ^ "Raptors assign Lewis Jr. to Raptors 905". NBA.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Utah Jazz Acquire Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a Future Draft Pick from Toronto Raptors". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Wizards Announce 2024 Training Camp Roster/Schedule". NBA.com. September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  23. ^ Wizards PR [@WizPRStats] (October 12, 2024). "Official: The Washington Wizards have waived G Kira Lewis Jr. and F Leaky Black" (Tweet). Retrieved October 13, 2024 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "NBA G LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS". gleague.nba.com. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  25. ^ Villicana, Paloma (July 8, 2019). "Kira Lewis brings back gold to north Alabama". WAFF.com. WAFF. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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