Kendall Gray

Kendall Gray
REG
PositionCenter
LeagueYouTube
Personal information
Born (1992-05-05) May 5, 1992 (age 32)
Merced, California
NationalityAmerican / Rwandan
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight130 lb (59 kg)
Career information
High schoolPolytech (Woodside, Delaware)
CollegeDelaware State (2011–2015)
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Bayreuth
2016–2017Dąbrowa Górnicza
2017–2018Long Island Nets
2018Soles de Santo Domingo Este
2018–2019Long Island Nets
2019–2020Gießen 46ers
2021–2022JS Kairouan
2022Patriots
2022Bangui Sporting Club
2023–presentREG
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Rwanda
FIBA AfroCan
Bronze medal – third place Angola 2023

Kendall Lamar Gray (born May 5, 1992) is an American-born Rwandan basketball player who currently plays for REG. He played college basketball for Delaware State University, being named the 2014–15 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, becoming the fourth selection in school history to earn the honor.

Early life

Gray was born in Merced, California but grew up in Dover, Delaware.[1] He earned three varsity letters while playing at Polytech High School in Woodside, Delaware.[1] In 2010, he led the team to a Henlopen Conference Southern Division Championship.[1] In Gray's his senior season he averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 blocks per game.[1] He then committed to play for the Delaware State Hornets in college.

College career

Although limited to just 17 games his freshman season, Gray still earned two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Defensive Player of the Week awards.[1] He was ninth in NCAA Division I in blocks (54) when he went down with an injury.[1] He remained healthy for the final three seasons of his collegiate career and improved statistically in each successive year. As a junior in 2013–14 he averaged 11.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game en route to a Second Team All-MEAC selection.[1][2] In 2014–15, Gray increased those averages to 12.3, 12.4, and 2.8, respectively.[2] On March 5, 2015, Gray recorded a 33-point, 30-rebound game against Coppin State.[3] It was the most rebounds in a single game at the Division I level in 10 years, and he became just the seventh player in the last 40 seasons with at least 30 rebounds in a game.[3] The next day, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference named Gray their Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.[4] He joined Kyle O'Quinn as the only two players in conference history to earn both awards in the same season.[4]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Gray signed with Medi Bayreuth of the Basketball Bundesliga on July 23, 2015.[5] On January 18, 2016, he parted ways with Medi Bayreuth.[6] On March 31, he was acquired by the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League[7] but didn't play for them.

On August 23, 2016, Gray signed with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of the Polish League.[8]

On June 6, 2018, Gray signed with Soles de Santo Domingo Este of the Dominican League.[9] Gray rejoined the Long Island Nets for the 2018–19 season.[10]

On September 16, 2019, he signed with Gießen 46ers of the Basketball Bundesliga.[11] Gray averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. On October 11, 2021, he signed with JS Kairouan of the Championnat National A.[12]

In August 2022, Gray joined Patriots BBC on a short-term contract to play in the playoffs of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL).[13] He was selected to play in the RBL All-Star Game.[14]

In November 2022, Gray played for the Bangui Sporting Club in the Elite 16 of the 2023 Road to BAL games.[15]

In October 2023, Gray joined the Rwandan club REG for the 2023–24 season, to begin his second stint in the Rwanda Basketball League.[16]

National team career

Gray joined the Rwanda national basketball team in 2022.[17] He won a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA AfroCan in Angola, the country's first podium finish in an international tournament.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Kendall Gray bio". DSUHornets.com. Delaware State University. 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Kendall Gray college statistics". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Bieler, Des (March 5, 2015). "Delaware State's Kendall Gray has 30-30 game against Coppin State". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "MEAC announces men's basketball all-conference honors". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "medi bayreuth verpflichtet Center Kendall Gray". Medi-Bayreuth.de (in German). July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  6. ^ "Medi Bayreuth part ways with Kendall Gray and Jeffrey Xavier". Sportando.com. January 18, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  7. ^ "NBA D-League Transactions". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  8. ^ "Kendall Gray (ex Bayreuth) signs at MKS Dabrowa Gornicza". Eurobasket.com. August 23, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  9. ^ Martínez, Franklin (June 6, 2018). "Soles SDE contratan al refuerzo Kendall Gray para torneo LNB 2018". BasketDominicano.com (in Spanish). Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "Long Island Nets Finalize Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  11. ^ "Veränderte Centerrotation in Gießen: Kendall Gray ersetzt jungen Big Man Duke Shelton" (in German). easycredit-bbl.de. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Addasi, Abdul Hamid (October 11, 2021). "Kendall Gray (ex Giessen) is a newcomer at JS Kairouan". Eurobasket. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "What will Kendall Gray bring to Patriots ahead of the playoffs?". The New Times | Rwanda. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Rwandan All-Star Game 2022 Rosters". Afrobasket.com. September 27, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  15. ^ "Bangui Sporting Club at the Africa Champions Clubs ROAD TO B.A.L. 2023 2022". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  16. ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (October 13, 2023). "REG wins battle to sign Kendall Gray despite APR's attempt". The New Times. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Kendall Gray on his desire to guide Rwanda to FIBA World Cup". The New Times | Rwanda. May 31, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  18. ^ "Rwanda see off DR Congo for historic podium finish". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved July 21, 2023.