 Kalkbrenner withCreighton in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 32 – Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2002-01-17)January 17, 2002 (age 23) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, Missouri) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Creighton (2020–2025) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2025: 2nd round, 34th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Charlotte Hornets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Charlotte Hornets | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Ryan Thomas Kalkbrenner (born January 17, 2002) is an American professionalbasketball player for theCharlotte Hornets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theCreighton Bluejays.
Kalkbrenner played basketball forTrinity Catholic High School inSt. Louis, Missouri.[1] As a junior, he averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game, earning AAA Player of the Year and Class 3 All-State honors.[2][3] Kalkbrenner competed for Mac Irvin Fire on theAmateur Athletic Union circuit, and was namedNike Elite Youth Basketball League Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.[4] In his senior season, Kalkbrenner averaged 16.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game, repeating as a Class 3 All-State selection.[5] A consensus four-starrecruit, he committed to playingcollege basketball forCreighton over offers fromStanford,Purdue, andKansas.[6]
Kalkbrenner came off the bench in his freshman season at Creighton. On December 17, 2020, he recorded a season-high 15 points and five rebounds in a 94–76 win overSt. John's.[7] As a freshman, Kalkbrenner averaged 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, leading allBig East freshmen in blocks.[8] On February 12, 2022, he scored a career-high 22 points and had 15 rebounds in an 80–66 win againstGeorgetown.[9] Kalkbrenner was named Honorable Mention All-Big East as well as Defensive Player of the Year.[10][11] He suffered a knee injury in a 72–69 overtime win overSan Diego State in the2022 NCAA tournament, ending his season. Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.[12]
During the followingNCAA tournament, Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 31 points during a 72–63 first-round win overNC State.[13]
On October 23, 2024, he was named 2024–25Big East Conference Preseason Player of the Year.[14] On November 6, he scored a career-high 49 points in a win overUT Rio Grande Valley and set a Bluejays record with 20 made field goals.[15] Kalkbrenner averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He received theKareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, theNaismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was named a Third Team All-American.[16]
Kalkbrenner was selected with the 34th pick of the2025 NBA draft by theCharlotte Hornets.[17]
In his NBA regular season debut on October 22, 2025, Kalkbrenner put up 10 points and 11 rebounds in a 136–117 win over theBrooklyn Nets. He also joinedEmeka Okafor as the only players in Hornets franchise history to record a double-double in an NBA debut.[18][19]
Kalkbrenner represented theUnited States at the2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged 5.9 points, four rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[20]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Creighton | 31 | 0 | 13.8 | .645 | .000 | .489 | 3.5 | .3 | .2 | 1.2 | 5.9 |
| 2021–22 | Creighton | 34 | 34 | 29.4 | .646 | .250 | .736 | 7.7 | .9 | .4 | 2.6 | 13.1 |
| 2022–23 | Creighton | 34 | 34 | 32.2 | .695 | .316 | .795 | 6.1 | 1.2 | .6 | 2.1 | 15.9 |
| 2023–24 | Creighton | 35 | 35 | 34.7 | .646 | .296 | .711 | 7.6 | 1.3 | .4 | 3.1 | 17.3 |
| 2024–25 | Creighton | 35 | 35 | 34.5 | .653 | .344 | .681 | 8.7 | 1.5 | .5 | 2.7 | 19.2 |
| Career | 169 | 138 | 29.3 | .658 | .311 | .709 | 6.8 | 1.1 | .4 | 2.4 | 14.5 | |
Ryan's parents are Kraig and Lynn Kalkbrenner, and his brother is Nate Kalkbrenner.[21] He married Rachael Saunders, a Creighton women's basketball alumna, in August 2024.[21]
· Basketball Reference 
