Luke Kennard (born on June 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who plays in the NBA League. He plays as a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Detroit Pistons selected him in the 2017 NBA draft.
Previously before playing in the NBA, he briefly played his college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils of Duke University. While playing there for two years, he emerged as one of the best shooting guards in the country.
Consequently, he stood out as one of the nation’s top prospects for the draft.
Luke is very good at scoring from a long-range as a shooting guard. In addition, he can move smoothly all around the court and can reach up to the basket very easily. The Ohio native has been quite impressive with his gameplay in all these years in the NBA.
Even though yet to be the NBA champion, Luke Kennard is quite a successful player, overviewing his overall career. The athlete just in his mid-20s has great potential, and his fans can still hope for great games from him in the upcoming years.
Let’s explore more about Kennard’s early life, relationships, net worth, etc.
But before getting into the details, here are some quick facts about Luke Kennard.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Luke Douglas Kennard |
| Known As | Luke Kennard |
| Date of Birth | June 24, 1996 |
| Birth Place | Middletown, Ohio, the USA |
| Nick Name | Cool Hand Luke, Duck |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 feet 5 inches) |
| Weight | 206 lb (93 kg) |
| Hair Color | Light brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Mark Kennard |
| Mother’s Name | Jennifer Kennard |
| Siblings | An older sister |
| Siblings’ Name | Lauren Kennard |
| Education |
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| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Wife’s Name | Anna Castro |
| Kid | None |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Profession | Professional basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2017 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| Active Years | (2017–present) |
| Net Worth | $3-$4 million |
| Currently Plays For | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Former Clubs |
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| Jersey Number | 5 |
| Career Highlights & Awards |
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| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Notebook, Autographed card |
| Last Update | August 2024 |
Early Life, Family & Education
Luke Douglas Kennard, commonly known as Luke Kennard, was born on June 24, 1996, in Middletown, Ohio, United States. He is the second child of the Ohio natives, Mark Kennard and Jennifer Kennard.
The player has a deep affection for his parents. They are the ones who first inspired him to play basketball and to do the stuff he liked.
Especially his father, Mark, assisted Luke in dreaming about making a career in sports. Mark was a basketball player during his high school and college years. He used to play as a point guard for the Franklin School and Georgetown College.
Not only did he inspire Luke to engage in sports, but Mark taught his daughter, Lauren (the elder sister of Luke), to participate in extra-curricular activities. However, Lauren did not pursue her career in sports.
His dad initially coached his son at home. He would teach him basic basketball skills such as dribbling and shooting with both hands. Luke was ambidextrous, so he used both hands while playing.
However, he would always go through the left side of the court to score.
Moreover, he was quite taller than other kids, and this, of course, helped him a lot. Over time, his dad suggested Luke work more on covering maximum ground while on the court and be effective in any area possible.
He heeded his experienced father’s advice, and as a result, he improved a lot as a basketball player. Even though he was equally good in baseball and football, he eventually chose basketball.
Luke continued playing basketball for his high school team and graduated from Franklin in 2014. Following his high school graduation, the basketball player enrolled at Duke University to play college basketball and continue his higher studies.
Luke Kennard | Career
High School Career
Luke Kennard played his high school basketball for the Franklin School, the same school he enrolled in as a kid. He was already quite good at it as he had enough home practice.
Similarly, he engaged himself in playing football for his high school team. He used to play as a quarterback. Even though he had to give time to two different games, he never slackened.
He kept doing better, and as a result, Luke earned Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year (Ohio) two times in his junior and senior years. In addition, many universities followed him to recruit him to their basketball team.
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However, Luke had already decided to join Duke Blue Devils for his college career while still in his junior season. Consequently, he enrolled in Duke University in 2015.
College Career
Luke Kennard was a college player at Duke University for just two seasons. However, he already had made his name before joining the university, so it was relatively easy for him to confirm his place in the squad.
Kennard played 36 games in his rookie season and did pretty well. He averaged 11.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game that season.
Luke’s performance in his first year was so impressive that the coaches there began to look up to him as the team’s most trusted shooting guard.
He improved his stats almost by a double in the second season. Many people saw him as an even better guard than his senior, Grayson Allen.
Playing 37 matches, Kennard averaged 19.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Soon after, when his fame was at its peak, he decided to forgo his last two college seasons and declared for the NBA draft.
Professional Career
The Detroit Pistons chose Kennard as the 2017 NBA draft’s first-round 12th pick. Subsequently, he made his NBA debut against the Washington Wizards on October 20, 2017.
He had a good rookie season with the Detroit Pistons, even though he missed some matches due to a knee injury. However, he recovered soon and joined his team for the remaining matches of that season.
Moreover, he missed two weeks due to a shoulder injury in the same season.
Playing over 70 matches, Luke averaged 7.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. In the meantime, the team gave him a brief assignment for the Grand Rapids drive, an affiliate club of the Denver Nuggets.
Luke played two more NBA seasons for the Pistons before moving to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020. He played much better than his rookie season in the next two seasons, playing one NBA playoff series with them.
The club eventually traded him to the LA Clippers on November 19. However, it took him some time to fit in with his new team. He could only average 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in his first season with the Clippers.
Yet, he again reached the playoff with his new club in 2021.
Luke is currently playing his second NBA season for the Clippers. He has already played over 50 matches for them in which he has averaged over 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game which is much better than his last season.
Apart from league games, he has also represented the United States in international tournaments. He was the winner of the 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.
Luke Kennard | Awards & Achievements
Luke Kennard has achieved several awards and accolades in his basketball career. Although he is yet to win any trophies in his professional career, his time as a player prior to the NBA was quite fruitful.
Some of Luke Kennard’s awards and achievements include:
- Ohio Mr. Basketball (2014, 2015)
- FIBA Americas U-18 Championship (2014)
- ACC Tournament MVP (2017)
- McDonald’s All-American (2015)
- Consensus second-team All-American (2017)
- First-team All-ACC (2017)
- First-team Parade All-American (2015)
Age, Weight & Height
As of 2024, the NBA player is 28 years of age. He celebrates his birthday every June 24.
Moving onto his body measurements, he is quite lightweight and has an athletic build. So, he is very agile and is extremely fast-paced. Kennard weighs around 206 lb (93 kg).
In addition, he stands 1.96 meters (6 feet 5 inches) tall. He was quite taller than other average kids since his childhood. His height has always been a great plus point for him to excel as a shooting guard.
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Likewise, the athlete has light brown hair and brown eyes.
Luke Kennard | Personal Life
Luke is a handsome guy making big in the NBA scene with a good sense of humor. So, it is quite obvious that many of his female fans desire him.
Luke’s relationship status is one of the most sought-after things about him on the Internet. Sadly for his female fans who have hoped to approach him somehow, he already has a girlfriend whom he loves very much.
Her name is Anna Castro. She is a native of Springboro, Ohio, and a graduate of Centerville High School. Moreover, she graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2016.
She used to work as a cheerleader for her high school and college teams. Luke and Anna met each other while she was still in high school and soon fell in love and began dating.
In the meantime, Luke distanced himself from Anna and briefly dated another girl, Savannah Chrisley. Savannah is a reality TV star who has starred in a couple of TV shows, such as Chrisley Knows Best and Growing Up Chrisley.
He and Savannah broke up in 2017. However, following the separation, he again became close with Castro.
Luke eventually proposed to Anna on October 17, 2021. They kept their differences aside, and now they love each other very much. The couple has scheduled their wedding to be held in August 2022 if everything goes as per their plans.
The couple does not have any kids as of yet.
Net Worth, Salary & Career Earnings
Even though Luke started playing professional basketball back in 2017, he has earned enough to live comfortably well. He is the sixth best-paid player in the Clippers this season.
According to sources, Luke Kennard’s net worth is estimated to be between $3 million to $4 million.
His primary source of earnings is the NBA league games. He played his rookie season for the Pistons, for which the club paid him around $2.75 million. Then, playing two more seasons for the same club, he charged around $7 million.
After transferring to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020, the club paid him $5.2 million for his first season with the club.
He currently has an annual salary of approximately $12 million. He has already accumulated about $15 million from his NBA career to date.
Luke Kennard on Social Media
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Luke Kennard still in the NBA?
Yes. Luke Kennard is still in the NBA. The NBA player is still very young and has a long way to go. Moreover, he is in great form, and it won’t be disappointing for his fans to hope that he is on his way to gaining greater success in the coming years.
Is Luke Kennard a starter?
Even though he has started many matches in his basketball career, Luke Kennard has not always been a starter. He had started the most number of games in his college during his sophomore year. But since then, he seldom does it.
