| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1974-06-12)June 12, 1974 (age 51) Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Augustine (New Orleans, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Villanova (1992–1996) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1996: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | New Jersey Nets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1996–2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 30 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2016–2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–2004 | New Jersey Nets | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Princeton (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As assistant coach:
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 7,165 (14.1 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,983 (3.9 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,295 (2.6 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Kerry Kittles (born June 12, 1974) is an Americanbasketball coach and former professional basketball player. A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) shooting guard, Kittles played for theNew Jersey Nets and theLos Angeles Clippers in an NBA career that spanned from 1996 to 2005.
Kittles was raised inNew Orleans and attendedSt. Augustine High School. He then attendedVillanova University, where he led the Villanova Wildcats to the1994 NIT Championship. As a junior, Kittles made the All-Big East team and helped Villanova win the1995 Big East tournament championship. Villanova reached the NCAA tournament in 1996, Kittles's senior season. Kittles was named the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1995 and was a consensus first-teamAll-American in 1996. He was inducted into the program's hall of fame and had his #30 retired.
Kittles was selected by theNew Jersey Nets with the eighth pick in the1996 NBA draft. In his first season, he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. He sat out his entire fifth season, in2000–01, due to rehabilitation from off-season surgery on his right knee. Kittles played in the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals as a member of the Nets. Following seven seasons with the Nets, Kittles was traded to theLos Angeles Clippers in a salary purge. After one injury-riddled year with the Clippers, Kittles retired from the NBA.
Kittles was an assistant coach atPrinceton from 2016 to 2018.
Kittles attendedSt. Augustine High School and was considered to be one of the best basketball talents to ever come out of New Orleans. He led St. Augustine to a 66–5 record in his last two seasons while also earning first-team all-metro and all-state honors under head coach Bernard Griffith. As a junior, Kittles led the Purple Knights to the 1991 state finals. As a senior he averaged 22.5 points per game for St. Augustine as they finished with a 32–3 record. The team defeatedJohn Ehret High School in the 1992 Class 5A state championship game.[1] He was namedLouisiana Mr. Basketball in 1992.[2]
After finishing high school, Kittles attendedVillanova University and played for itsWildcats basketball team. Kittles' commitment to Villanova was a surprise to Louisiana basketball fans by going out of state.[3]
Kittles considered transferring to another university when head coachRollie Massimino left forUNLV before his freshman year. New head coachSteve Lappas flew to New Orleans the day after he was hired to convince Kittles to stay at Villanova.[4]
Kittles possessed an accurate, quick-trigger jump shot and used his long, athletic 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) frame to drive and finish strong at the rim. He was a heady player with a tenacious defensive will. These characteristics allowed Kittles to become one of the most decorated players ever in the school's history. Kittles ended his college career as Villanova's all-time leader for most points (2,243) and steals (277).[5][6] As a sophomore he led the Wildcats to the1994 NIT Championship.[7] Kittles made All-Big East as a junior averaging 21.4 points per game and led Villanova to the1995 Big East tournament championship. He won the Big East tournament MVP award and would garner Consensus All-American honors.[8][9] In his senior season, Kittles averaged 20 points per game, was namedAll-Big 5 Player of the Year for the second time, and again received All-Big East and All-American honors with Villanova earning a national no. 2 rank at one point but getting upset in the NCAA Tournament by Louisville in the second round.[3][8][10] Kittles was later inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and had his #30 retired.[6]
In the1996 NBA draft, Kittles was selected eighth overall by theNew Jersey Nets.[11] Kittles made theNBA All-Rookie Second Team for the1996–97 season, after averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.9 steals a game.[12][13] On April 13, 1997, Kittles scored a career-best 40 points in a 123–132 loss to theMilwaukee Bucks.[14][15] That same season, he set the Nets' franchise record and NBA rookie record for three-point field goals made with 158.[16]
Kittles enjoyed a productive seven-year stint starting at shooting guard for the Nets. However, after he averaged 16.4 points per game as a rookie, followed by 17.2 points per game as a second-year player, knee injuries began to slow his game. Kittles would have four operations in five years.[1] He missed the2000–01 season due to a knee injury. He posted three seasons shooting over 40 percent from the three-point range and helpedJason Kidd to take the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.[17][18]
In July 2004, the Nets traded Kittles to theLos Angeles Clippers in a cost-cutting move.[19] As of 2020, Kittles held third place on the Nets' all-time list in three-point field goals (687) and third place in steals (803).[20]
After an injury-riddled season with the Clippers,[21] Kittles retired from the NBA in 2005.[22]
Kittles was an assistant basketball coach atPrinceton University from 2016 to 2018.[23][24][25]
Kittles, together with his wife, four daughters and one son, has been a resident ofHarding Township, New Jersey.[24][26]
Kittles isCatholic and religion is an important part of his life. He chose to attend Villanova because it is a Catholic institution, stating at the time:
"It was a smaller institution, it was a Catholic school, its basketball games were on television and I had the opportunity to play. But the biggest factor was its graduation rate."[1][3]
Kittles became aeucharistic minister in 1996. As of 2020, he remained a eucharistic minister.[24][27][28]
Kittles earned hisMaster of Business Administration degree from Villanova in 2009. He has served as a member of the university's board of trustees.[29] Kittles is a member ofKappa Alpha Psi fraternity.[30]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | New Jersey | 82 | 57 | 36.7 | .426 | .377 | .771 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 1.9 | .4 | 16.4 |
| 1997–98 | New Jersey | 77 | 76 | 36.5 | .440 | .418 | .808 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .5 | 17.2 |
| 1998–99 | New Jersey | 46 | 40 | 34.1 | .370 | .316 | .772 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 1.7 | .6 | 12.9 |
| 1999–00 | New Jersey | 62 | 61 | 30.6 | .437 | .400 | .795 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .3 | 13.0 |
| 2001–02 | New Jersey | 82 | 82 | 31.7 | .466 | .405 | .744 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .4 | 13.4 |
| 2002–03 | New Jersey | 65 | 57 | 30.0 | .467 | .356 | .785 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .5 | 13.0 |
| 2003–04 | New Jersey | 82 | 82 | 34.7 | .453 | .351 | .787 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | .5 | 13.1 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Clippers | 11 | 0 | 22.1 | .384 | .333 | .600 | 2.9 | 1.8 | .7 | .3 | 6.3 |
| Career | 507 | 455 | 33.4 | .439 | .378 | .780 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .4 | 14.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | New Jersey | 3 | 3 | 42.0 | .425 | .385 | .909 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .7 | 16.3 |
| 2002 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 29.0 | .435 | .265 | .778 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.6 | .5 | 12.1 |
| 2003 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 30.7 | .395 | .413 | .762 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .3 | 10.8 |
| 2004 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 37.7 | .448 | .327 | .618 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 | .9 | 14.4 |
| Career | 54 | 54 | 32.1 | .424 | .337 | .742 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.6 | .5 | 12.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Villanova | 27 | — | 32.4 | .482 | .432 | .673 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.7 | .4 | 10.9 |
| 1993–94 | Villanova | 32 | — | 39.3 | .452 | .349 | .705 | 6.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | .4 | 19.7 |
| 1994–95 | Villanova | 33 | 33 | 36.9 | .524 | .411 | .767 | 6.1 | 3.5 | 2.2 | .4 | 21.4 |
| 1995–96 | Villanova | 30 | 29 | 35.3 | .455 | .404 | .710 | 7.1 | 3.5 | 2.4 | .4 | 20.4 |
| Career | 122 | 62 | 36.1 | .478 | .394 | .719 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 2.3 | .4 | 18.4 | |
