 Martin with the Nuggets in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1977-12-30)December 30, 1977 (age 47) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bryan Adams (Dallas, Texas) |
| College | Cincinnati (1996–2000) |
| NBA draft | 2000: 1st round,1st overall pick |
| Drafted by | New Jersey Nets |
| Playing career | 2000–2015 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 6, 4, 2, 3 |
| Career history | |
| 2000–2004 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2004–2011 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2011 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2013–2014 | New York Knicks |
| 2015 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 9,325 (12.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,159 (6.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,439 (1.9 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Medals | |
Kenyon Lee Martin Sr. (born December 30, 1977) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played 15 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). As apower forward, he played for theNew Jersey Nets,Denver Nuggets,Los Angeles Clippers,New York Knicks andMilwaukee Bucks of the NBA, and theXinjiang Flying Tigers ofChina. He playedcollege basketball for theCincinnati Bearcats and was named thenational college player of the year during his senior season. Martin was drafted with thefirst overall pick in the2000 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He was anNBA All-Star in2004.
Martin was born inSaginaw, Michigan, on December 30, 1977, to Lydia Moore, a single mother of two. He has a sister, Tamara, who is 3½ years older. Shortly after, the family moved south to the Oak Cliff neighborhood ofDallas, where Martin's mother worked two jobs. Later, Martin was often watched by his sister while their mother worked.[1]
Martin attended three high schools in four years, but he sought refuge in sports, playing basketball, baseball, and football. In high school, many major universities showed interest in his basketball prowess, but theUniversity of Cincinnati and assistant coach John Loyer recruited him hardest after seeing him playAAU ball after his junior year. He graduated fromBryan Adams High School inDallas in 1996 (he was named to the school's hall of fame in 2009).[2]
Martin went to theUniversity of Cincinnati and played for theCincinnati Bearcats under the direction of head coachBob Huggins. He was homesick early in his freshman year and actually took a bus back home to Dallas. His mother and his older sister, who by then were both working two jobs and attending college, steered him to return to finish college.[2]
By Martin's junior year, he led Cincinnati to a 27–6 record and was named second-team All-Conference USA and, in the summer following, he led the U.S. team to the gold medal in theWorld University Games, leading the team in scoring and rebounding.
As a senior in 1999–2000, Martin averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game during a season in which the Bearcats were ranked No. 1 for 12 weeks. That season, he recorded his second triple double with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks vs. Memphis (in 1997, he recorded 24/23/10 vs. DePaul). Martin was the consensus National Player of the Year, earning numerous awards from various organizations, and the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the conclusion of the regular season. However, Martin suffered a broken leg three minutes into the Bearcats' first game of theConference USA Tournament, keeping him out of theNCAA Tournament that year. The team finished with a record of 29–4.
Martin remains the Bearcats' all-time leader in career blocked shots (292) and field goal percentage (.586). Cincinnati retired his #4 jersey on April 25, 2000. Later that year, he was selected first overall in the2000 NBA draft by theNew Jersey Nets. As of 2024, Martin remains the last American-born college senior to have been the top overall pick.
Martin graduated with abachelor's degree incriminal justice.[3]
Martin's debut game was played on October 31, 2000, in an 86–82 loss to theCleveland Cavaliers, where he recorded 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists.[4] As a rookie for the New Jersey Nets, Martin averaged 12 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He was named to theNBA All-Rookie First Team and finished second in voting forNBA Rookie of the Year behind winnerMike Miller.
In his second season, Martin averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in helping the Nets rise from last place in the Atlantic Division to an Eastern Conference title and the best season to date in the Nets' NBA history. Along withJason Kidd,Kerry Kittles,Keith Van Horn andRichard Jefferson, Martin led the Nets to the2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by theLos Angeles Lakers.
On January 29, 2003, Martin recorded a career-best 21 rebounds, while adding 19 points and eight assists, in an 86–78 win over theWashington Wizards.[5] That season, his third in the NBA, Martin again helped his team to the finals, where the Nets lost in six games to theSan Antonio Spurs. The next year, Martin averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks en route to his firstNBA All-Star selection, as a backup forward for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. In the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, Martin scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists.
Martin and teammateAlonzo Mourning almost fought when Martin mocked Mourning's life-threatening kidney disease.[6] Martin later admitted that he had made a mistake and apologized to Mourning. On an episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Martin toldBrandon Scoop B Robinson that Mourning thought that Martin should have been working as hard as he was in morning shootarounds, but he was never a shootaround guy.[7]Martin now participates in Mourning's annual charity basketball game (see below "Off the court").
At the end of the2003–04 season, Martin was traded to the Denver Nuggets for three future first-round draft picks in a sign-and-trade deal.[8]
Martin played in 70 games during the2004–05 season, averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds; however, a problem with his knee was detected shortly into the off-season, and on May 16, 2005, Kenyon underwentmicrofracture surgery on his left knee.[9]
During the2005–06 season, Martin missed 26 games due to knee tendinitis, but was able to return in time for the playoffs. During that playoff series against theLos Angeles Clippers, Martin was suspended from the Denver Nuggets indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team."[10] During halftime of game two of the first round series, Martin got into an argument with head coachGeorge Karl over his playing time, and refused to play for the second half of the game. During the offseason, Karl and Martin patched things up.[11]
Believing injuries were behind him, Martin learned the swelling now occurring in hisright knee would require another microfracture procedure. On November 15, 2006, after playing two regular season games, Martin underwent his second knee operation in less than two years.[12] Martin is believed to be the first NBA player to have, and to return from, microfracture surgery on both knees.[13]
Martin was fined $15,000 by the NBA when, during the third quarter of a 2006 game against theChicago Bulls, Martin as well as some of his friends got into a verbal altercation with some fans. He was also cautioned to no longer bring his entourage to games.[14][15]
To symbolize a fresh start to his career, Kenyon changed his uniform number from 6 to the number 4, which he wore in college, for the2007–08 season.[16]
Martin became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2011; however, due to the2011 NBA lockout, he opted to sign a one-year contract with theXinjiang Flying Tigers of theChinese Basketball Association. His contract reportedly would have made him the highest paid player in the Chinese league's history.[17][18] On December 24, 2011, Martin was released from the club so that he could "take care of family affairs".[19] Martin was initially not allowed to return to the NBA until the Flying Tigers' season ended on February 15, 2012, if not later due to the2012 CBA Playoffs. However, theFIBA granted him an earlier release on February 2.[20]
On February 3, 2012, Martin signed with theLos Angeles Clippers.[21] In his first game with the Clippers, Martin scored six points and collected four rebounds in a loss to theCleveland Cavaliers.[22]
On February 21, 2013, Martin agreed to join theNew York Knicks on a 10-day contract, which reunited him withJason Kidd.[23] He officially joined the team on February 23.[24] He was signed to a second 10-day contract on March 5,[25] and signed for the remainder of the season on March 15.[26] Upon his signing, he provided a large amount of help to a Knicks team that was depleted in the frontcourt, replacingTyson Chandler, who was out with a neck injury, in the Knicks' starting lineup. On July 25, 2013, Martin re-signed with the Knicks for the 2013–14 season.[27]
On January 9, 2015, Martin signed a 10-day contract with theMilwaukee Bucks.[28] He went on to sign a second 10-day contract on January 19,[29] and a rest-of-season contract on January 29.[30] Martin's final NBA game was on February 2, 2015, in an 82–75 win over the Toronto Raptors where Martin recorded 4 points and 3 rebounds. On February 19, 2015, he was waived by the Bucks.[31]
On July 3, 2015, Martin announced his retirement from professional basketball.[32]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | New Jersey | 68 | 68 | 33.4 | .445 | .091 | .630 | 7.4 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 12.0 |
| 2001–02 | New Jersey | 73 | 73 | 34.3 | .463 | .224 | .678 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 14.9 |
| 2002–03 | New Jersey | 77 | 77 | 34.1 | .470 | .209 | .653 | 8.3 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .9 | 16.7 |
| 2003–04 | New Jersey | 65 | 62 | 34.6 | .488 | .280 | .684 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 16.7 |
| 2004–05 | Denver | 70 | 67 | 32.5 | .490 | .000 | .646 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 15.5 |
| 2005–06 | Denver | 56 | 49 | 27.6 | .495 | .227 | .712 | 6.3 | 1.4 | .8 | .9 | 12.9 |
| 2006–07 | Denver | 2 | 2 | 31.5 | .500 | .000 | .250 | 10.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 9.5 |
| 2007–08 | Denver | 71 | 71 | 30.4 | .538 | .182 | .580 | 6.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 12.4 |
| 2008–09 | Denver | 66 | 66 | 32.0 | .491 | .368 | .604 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 11.7 |
| 2009–10 | Denver | 58 | 58 | 34.2 | .456 | .276 | .557 | 9.4 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 11.5 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 48 | 48 | 25.7 | .511 | .222 | .583 | 6.2 | 2.3 | .9 | .7 | 8.6 |
| 2011–12 | L.A. Clippers | 42 | 0 | 22.4 | .441 | .231 | .370 | 4.3 | .4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.2 |
| 2012–13 | New York | 18 | 11 | 23.9 | .602 | — | .425 | 5.3 | .4 | .9 | .9 | 7.2 |
| 2013–14 | New York | 32 | 15 | 19.8 | .512 | .000 | .579 | 4.2 | 1.6 | .8 | .8 | 4.3 |
| 2014–15 | Milwaukee | 11 | 0 | 9.5 | .409 | — | 1.000 | 1.7 | .5 | .5 | .5 | 1.8 |
| Career | 757 | 667 | 30.6 | .483 | .234 | .629 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 12.3 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 23.0 | .800 | .000 | .500 | 7.0 | 3.0 | .0 | .0 | 17.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 37.5 | .424 | .222 | .691 | 5.8 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 16.8 |
| 2003 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 38.9 | .453 | .091 | .693 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 18.9 |
| 2004 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 37.2 | .533 | .000 | .750 | 11.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 19.1 |
| 2005 | Denver | 5 | 5 | 32.8 | .466 | .000 | .615 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.4 |
| 2006 | Denver | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | .308 | — | .500 | 4.5 | .5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| 2008 | Denver | 4 | 4 | 29.5 | .441 | — | .625 | 6.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 8.8 |
| 2009 | Denver | 16 | 16 | 33.6 | .497 | .200 | .657 | 5.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .9 | 10.9 |
| 2010 | Denver | 6 | 6 | 34.2 | .480 | .000 | .632 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 10.0 |
| 2011 | Denver | 5 | 5 | 29.6 | .480 | — | .611 | 7.8 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | 11.8 |
| 2012 | L.A. Clippers | 11 | 0 | 17.5 | .524 | — | .625 | 3.2 | .3 | .4 | 1.7 | 4.5 |
| 2013 | New York | 12 | 1 | 21.1 | .580 | — | .550 | 4.5 | .9 | .8 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
| Career | 112 | 88 | 32.0 | .470 | .129 | .679 | 6.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 12.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 12 | 11 | 29.9 | .521 | .000 | .613 | 9.7 | 1.8 | .8 | .6 | 13.9 |
Martin is the half-brother of formerColorado Buffaloes shooting guardRichard Roby. He is also the cousin of Robert "50" Martin ofAND1 Mixtape Tour fame.[citation needed]
Martin's son,Kenyon Martin Jr., played his postgraduate year for theIMG Academy after graduating from theSierra Canyon School.[33] On March 24, 2020, his son declared for the2020 NBA draft[34][35] and was selected 52nd overall by theSacramento Kings.
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