 Faried in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 35 – Panathinaikos | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center /power forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | GBL EuroLeague | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-11-19)November 19, 1989 (age 36) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 100 kg (220 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Technology (Newark, New Jersey) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Morehead State (2007–2011) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2011: 1st round, 22nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Zhejiang Lions | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Leones de Ponce | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Grand Rapids Gold | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Austin Spurs | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Mexico City Capitanes | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Leones de Ponce | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Soles de Mexicali | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Reggio Emilia | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | TSG GhostHawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Panathinaikos | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Kenneth Bernard Faried Lewis[1] (/fərˈiːd/fə-REED; born November 19, 1989) is an American professionalbasketball player forPanathinaikos of theGreek Basketball League and theEuroLeague. Known as "the Manimal" due to his hustle on the court, he attendedMorehead State University for four years, twice being named theOhio Valley Conference Player of the Year.[2] He finished his collegiate career as theNCAA all-time leading rebounder in thepost-1973 era with 1,673 rebounds, although he was surpassed byArmando Bacot in 2024. He was selected 22nd overall in the2011 NBA draft by theDenver Nuggets.
Faried played for theUnited States national team at the2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he won a gold medal and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Faried attendedTechnology High School inNewark, New Jersey.[3][4][5] Due to his lanky physique and low standardized test scores, he was not heavily recruited out of high school, only receiving interest fromIona College,Marist College, andMorehead State University.[6] He ultimately chose to attend Morehead State, citing their persistence as the deciding factor.[7]
A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) post player, Faried arrived atMorehead State in 2007. He led theOhio Valley Conference inrebounding as both a sophomore and a junior (13.0 rebounds per game in each season) – ranking him third in theNCAA in2008–09 and second in2009–10. Faried also chipped in double-digit scoring in each of his three varsity seasons.[8]
Faried also led the Eagles to team success, as Morehead claimed a berth in the2009 NCAA tournament by winning theOhio Valley Conference tournament. He led the way in the conference championship, his 15 points and 17 rebounds in its final againstAustin Peay earning him the tournament'sMVP. In his junior year Faried again led the Eagles to the post-season, as they advanced to the second round of theCollege Basketball Invitational. At the end of the season, Faried was named OVC Player and Defensive Player of the Year and anAP honorable mentionAll-American.[9] He also passed 1000 rebounds for his career.
After his junior season, Faried declared himself eligible for the2010 NBA draft. However, he elected to return as a senior,[10] and went on to breakTim Duncan's modern-era (post-1973) Division I career rebounding record of 1,570 rebounds. The mark, which had stood since 1997, fell to Faried's 12 rebounds in the Eagles' 71–65 victory overIndiana State on February 19, 2011.Morehead State again won theOhio Valley conference tournament, earning a 13 seed in the2011 NCAA tournament. Led by the play of Faried, Morehead State pulled off a huge upset in the first round of the tournament, toppling the 4 seedLouisville Cardinals. Faried ended his collegiate career with1,673 rebounds.
In his senior season, Faried was named a second-teamAll-American by theUnited States Basketball Writers Association andFox Sports.[11][12]
On April 1, 2011, Faried was named the most valuable player of theReese's College All-Star Game.[13]
.JPG)
On June 23, 2011, Faried was selected by theDenver Nuggets with the 22nd overall pick in the2011 NBA draft.[14] Prior to his rookie season, he earned the nickname "Manimal", for playing hard and fearlessly.[15] He appeared in 46 games (39 starts) in his rookie year, recording 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 22.5 minutes. He posted career highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds against theGolden State Warriors on April 9, 2012, becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to have at least 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing less than 25 minutes.[14] He went on to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April.[16] He finished third inNBA Rookie of the Year voting for the2011–12 season,[17] and earnedNBA All-Rookie Team honors.[18]
On November 12, 2012, Faried was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 5, through Sunday, November 11. It was his first and only player of the week award of his career.[19] Three days later, he posted 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds (career-high 11 offensive) in 36 minutes against theMiami Heat.[14] On December 12, he recorded a season-high 26 points, 14 rebounds and career-high three steals in 38 minutes against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[14] On February 15, 2013, he was named MVP of theRising Stars Challenge, where he recorded 40 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes for the winning side as Team Chuck beat Team Shaq 163–135.[20][21] He also competed in the 2013Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, but was eliminated in the team round.
On February 3, 2014, Faried recorded a career-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds against theLos Angeles Clippers.[14] He registered a new career high with 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against theLos Angeles Lakers on March 7.[14] He posted 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 27 minutes on April 2 against theNew Orleans Pelicans,[22] becoming the first player in NBA history to record those numbers while playing 27 minutes or less.[14] He recorded 24 points to go along with a career-high 21 rebounds against theUtah Jazz on April 12.[14]
On October 8, 2014, Faried signed a multi-year contract extension with the Nuggets.[23] On December 26, he had a career-high 25 rebounds to go along with 26 points, as the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 106–102.[24] On April 12, 2015, he scored a season-high 30 points in a 122–111 win over theSacramento Kings.[25]
On November 3, 2015, Faried scored a season-high 28 points in a 120–109 win over the Lakers.[26] On March 6, 2016, he recorded 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 116–114 overtime win over theDallas Mavericks.[27]
Faried suffered through a sore back for much of the 2016–17 season and caused him to miss 15 games overall, most of which were in February, March and the final games in April. He played through the pain in many others. He played in 61 games overall with averages of 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, all career lows.[28]
His role shifted to the bench over his final two years in Denver, especially after the Nuggets signed NBA All-StarPaul Millsap in 2017. Faried's role diminished in 2017–18 as he averaged career lows of 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest in just 32 games.[29]
On July 13, 2018, Faried was traded, along withDarrell Arthur, a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second round draft pick, to his hometown team theBrooklyn Nets in exchange forIsaiah Whitehead.[30] On January 19, 2019, he was waived by the Nets.[31]
On January 21, 2019, Faried signed with theHouston Rockets for the rest of the season.[32]
On November 6, 2019, Faried was reported to have signed with theZhejiang Lions.[33] After appearing in seven games, Faried was reported to have his contract with theZhejiang Lions terminated on December 4. The Lions lack of recovery tools and resources caused Faried to return to the U.S. as a free agent.[34]
On August 3, 2021, Faried was included on the roster of thePortland Trail Blazers for the2021 NBA Summer League.[35] On October 1, he signed withLeones de Ponce of theBaloncesto Superior Nacional.[36] In notable fashion, he provided a game-winning help-side block againstCariduros de Fajardo in his debut.[37]
On October 1, 2021, Faried signed withCSKA Moscow of theVTB United League and theEuroLeague.[38] He parted ways with the team on December 17, after averaging only 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.[39]
On December 29, 2021, Faried was claimed by theGrand Rapids Gold of theNBA G League.[40] On March 15, 2022, he was waived.[41]
On November 11, 2022, Faried was claimed by theAustin Spurs.[42] On December 13, he was waived.[43]
On December 27, 2022, Faried was acquired by theMexico City Capitanes.[44]
On May 3, 2023, Faried signed withCangrejeros de Santurce of thePuerto Rican league.[45]
On October 30, 2023, Faried re-signed with theMexico City Capitanes.[46]
On October 27, 2023, it was announced that Faried would return to theCangrejeros de Santurce for the 2024 season.[47] However, he never played for them, instead signing with theLeones de Ponce on July 17, 2024.[48]
On November 28, 2024, he signed withPallacanestro Reggiana of the ItalianLega Basket Serie A (LBA).[49]
On October 8, 2025, Faried signed with theTSG GhostHawks of theP. League+ in Taiwan.[50]
On 9 November 2025, Faried signed a two-month contract withEuroLeague powerhousePanathinaikos to cover the gap left by the simultaneous injuries of the team's three centers:Mathias Lessort,Ömer Yurtseven, andRichaun Holmes.
Despite initial doubts about his age, form and fitness, he was named MVP of his firstEuroLeague game againstParis Basketball on 12 November 2025, recording a double-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks, helping the team secure a decisive victory.[51] On top of that, two days later, he was again a key player to Panathinaikos victory at Real Madrid with a near double-double game of 16 points and 8 rebounds,[52] having also the game highlight with a poster dunk againstEdy Tavares, Euroleague's premier rim protector.
Faried was a member of theUnited States national team that won the2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup; Faried was also named to the All-Tournament team.[53] He was also one of the 30 finalists for their2016 Olympic team.[54]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Denver | 46 | 39 | 22.5 | .586 | .000 | .665 | 7.7 | .8 | .7 | 1.0 | 10.2 |
| 2012–13 | Denver | 80 | 80 | 28.1 | .552 | .000 | .613 | 9.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 |
| 2013–14 | Denver | 80 | 77 | 27.2 | .545 | .000 | .650 | 8.6 | 1.2 | .9 | .9 | 13.7 |
| 2014–15 | Denver | 75 | 71 | 27.8 | .507 | .125 | .691 | 8.9 | 1.2 | .8 | .8 | 12.6 |
| 2015–16 | Denver | 67 | 64 | 25.3 | .558 | .500 | .613 | 8.7 | 1.2 | .5 | .9 | 12.5 |
| 2016–17 | Denver | 61 | 34 | 21.2 | .549 | .000 | .693 | 7.5 | .9 | .7 | .7 | 9.6 |
| 2017–18 | Denver | 32 | 7 | 14.4 | .514 | .000 | .706 | 4.8 | .6 | .4 | .4 | 5.9 |
| 2018–19 | Brooklyn | 12 | 0 | 9.8 | .595 | .200 | .649 | 3.7 | .2 | .2 | .3 | 5.1 |
| Houston | 25 | 13 | 24.4 | .587 | .350 | .651 | 8.2 | .7 | .6 | .8 | 12.9 | |
| Career | 478 | 385 | 24.5 | .546 | .222 | .654 | 8.1 | 1.0 | .7 | .8 | 11.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Denver | 7 | 7 | 27.4 | .533 | .000 | .750 | 10.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 10.4 |
| 2013 | Denver | 5 | 4 | 29.0 | .625 | .000 | .733 | 8.4 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 10.2 |
| 2019 | Houston | 6 | 0 | 9.3 | .692 | 1.000 | .833 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 18 | 11 | 21.8 | .581 | 1.000 | .758 | 7.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 8.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | CSKA Moscow | 7 | 0 | 7.5 | .333 | 1.000 | .833 | 2.4 | .0 | .1 | .0 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| 2025–26 | Panathinaikos B.C. | 3 | 3 | 27.6 | .666 | N/A | .666 | 7.7 | 1.6 | .7 | 2.3 | 14.0 | 22.6 |
| Career | 10 | 3 | 13.3 | .500 | 1.000 | .704 | 4.0 | .5 | .3 | .7 | 5.8 | 8.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Morehead State | 30 | 20 | 20.2 | .516 | .000 | .580 | 8.0 | .3 | 1.2 | .8 | 10.5 |
| 2008–09 | Morehead State | 36 | 36 | 30.1 | .556 | .400 | .577 | 13.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| 2009–10 | Morehead State | 35 | 32 | 30.3 | .564 | .250 | .595 | 13.0 | .5 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 16.9 |
| 2010–11 | Morehead State | 35 | 34 | 34.7 | .623 | – | .577 | 14.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 17.3 |
| Career | 136 | 122 | 29.1 | .569 | .250 | .583 | 12.3 | .9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 14.8 | |
Faried's father is Kenneth Lewis and Faried's mother is Waudda Faried. Waudda suffers from lupus and diabetes and has undergone a kidney transplant. In 2007 she married Manasin Copeland; they were the fifth same-sex couple to be wed in New Jersey after the state legalized gay and lesbian marriage. Kenneth Faried is a committedstraight ally, having worked with theGay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and also withAthlete Ally, a group that works to break down homophobia in sports.[55]
Faried has at least four children, including three sons and one daughter.[56][57] His social-media profile with his partner, Atar Hajali, names three sons (KT, Kenai, and Kiyan) and two daughters (Kyra and Kenzie).
