The gentle and dynamic Ryan Kelly is an American-born professional basketball player. He currently plays as a power forward for the Sun Rockers Shibuya in the Japanese B. League.
However, Kelly began his professional league journey in the NBA by playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013. After failing to deliver in the NBA, he went abroad to try in foreign leagues just after four seasons.
Before his NBA debut, he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils until 2013. He won the NCAA championship with the Devils in 2010.
The former NBA power forward is not the top player but always strives to give his best while appearing on the court. This spirit improved his game in his college years, which saved him from getting undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft.
But sadly, the exact opposite happened with him in the NBA. His performance went downhill in the second season and kept declining until he exited early in 2017.
Let’s discover more about this resilient athlete’s life, career, and almost everything about him that concerns us as his fans. But before that, here are some quick facts about Kelly.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ryan Matthew Kelly |
| Known As | Ryan Kelly |
| Date of Birth | April 9, 1991 |
| Birth Place | Carmel, New York, the USA |
| Nick Name | Not available |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Age | 33 years old |
| Height | 2.11 m (6 feet 11 inches) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Hair Color | Light Brown |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Chris Kelly |
| Mother’s Name | Doreen Kelly |
| Siblings | Sean Kelly, Erin Kelly |
| Education |
|
| Marital Status | Married |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Wife’s Name | Lindsay Cowher |
| Kids | Nile Jeremiah, Tess Eden, Ruth Margot |
| Salary | Not available |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2013 / Round: 2 / 48th pick overall |
| Position | Power forward |
| League | B. League (Japan) |
| Active Years | (2013 – Present) |
| Net Worth | $1-$5 million |
| Currently Plays For | Sun Rockers Shibuya |
| Jersey Number | 34 |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Basketball Card |
| Last Update | October 2024 |
Ryan Kelly | Early Life, Family & Education
On April 9, 1991, Ryan Kelly was born in Caramel, New York, United States. He was the first child of his parents, Chris and Doreen Kelly. He has a younger brother named Sean and a younger sister named Erin in his family.
Even though Ryan was a native of Caramel, he initially attended the local school in Caramel. However, in the late nineties, he shifted to the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina.
His mother, Doreen, joined the teaching faculty in 1999, and all his siblings later attended the same school. His mother, Doreen, has been serving as the head of school at Ravenscroft since 2003.
Besides being an educated family, Ryan’s parents were very enthusiastic about sports. His mother, Doreen, was a former volleyball player at the University of Pennsylvania.
Similarly, his father, Chris, was a former professional basketball player who played for around three seasons in the French league. So, he had an early motivation to take part in sports events.
Interestingly, his brother, Sean, was just two years younger than him, and he liked to play with his brother. So, they grew up playing basketball together. His father, Chris, played along and helped his young boys hone their basketball skills.
Furthermore, he kept improving as he got more match exposure playing the AAU tournaments with the D-One Sports team.
Being born into an affluent family, Ryan got everything he needed from his parents. Besides basketball, he was into all the stuff that 90s kids liked doing, such as playing video games and watching the popular American sitcom Seinfeld.
Kelly eventually graduated his high school in 2009 and joined Duke University for higher education. His younger brother attended the same university and played college basketball for the Devils.
Ryan Kelly | Basketball Career
High School Career
Ryan played his four-year high school basketball for the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kelly started as a power forward in his first season, and he was extremely good at it.
He finished his sophomore season with an average of 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Even though Ryan had pretty decent numbers that season, he was not satisfied, so he geared up in his last two seasons.
Consequently, he averaged around 25.0 and 10.0 rebounds per game in his junior and senior seasons. For his performance, he was selected for the McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand All-American games in 2009.
Also, popular sports agency Scouts.com recognized him as one of the top recruits in the country. He left his high school keeping many records, including all-time best scorer and rebounds.
College Career
In 2009, Ryan Kelly enrolled at Duke University to play college basketball. Consequently, the legendary college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski took an interest in him and immediately liked his style of play.
However, the Duke Blue Devils had its capable power forward, Kyle Singler, so he mainly played as a substitute for his senior. As he had less playtime, he could only average 1.2 points per game as a freshman.
The following year, Kelly got more opportunities and somehow improved his game. The team management deemed him capable of leading the Devils, so he was made the team captain in his last two college seasons.
Although he had far better performances in the last two seasons, he missed many games due to a foot injury. He averaged over 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in his final college seasons.
Professional Career
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Kelly as the 2013 NBA draft’s 48th overall pick in the second round. Consequently, Ryan signed a rookie scale contract with the Lakers on September 20, 2013.
He appeared in 59 matches in his rookie season and finished it with an average of 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. In addition, the Lakers sent him to play in the NBA G League for their affiliate club, Los Angeles D-Fenders as well.
They became impressed with his rookie season performance and re-signed him for another two years on July 21, 2014. But, contrary to their expectation, Kelly’s performance was miserable even though they allowed him more playtime in the second season.
After another bad season, he went to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2016-17 season. He only played nine matches for the Hawks before playing for the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League.
Foreign Leagues
Kelly joined the Spanish club, Real Betis Energia Plus, on September 12, 2017, after spending a brief time with the Houston Rockets. He played one season of the Liga ACB before moving to Japan to play in the B. League.
Since 2018, he has been regularly playing for the Tokyo club, Sun Rockers Shibuya, in the top basketball league in Japan.
Besides his club career, Ryan Kelly has represented the United States national team in different international tournaments. Ryan was part of the American team that lifted the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship trophy in 2008.
Awards & Achievements
Some of his awards and achievements are:
- First-team Parade All-American (2009)
- McDonald’s All-American (2009)
- NCAA champion (2010)
Ryan Kelly | Net Worth & Career Earnings
One of the best American players to play overseas leagues, Ryan Kelly, has a net worth somewhere between $1 million to $5 million. His basic source of earning is the league games.
After getting picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers, he signed a two-year contract worth $1.5 million. The Lakers paid him around $490k for his rookie season alone. They offered him a considerable sum of $1.65 million for his second season.
Similarly, the Lakers increased his salary to $1.72 million when he appeared in the third season for them.
Then, the Atlanta Hawks acquired him by signing a contract worth around $1 million in 2016, but they released him soon after appearing in six preseason games.
However, he later rejoined them and played nine more 2016-17 season games. Overall, he earned around $713k from his games for the Atlanta Hawks.
Summing up, Ryan accumulated around $4.5 million from his overall NBA career.
Ryan is currently playing for the Sun Rockers Shibuya and earning pretty well. However, he has not revealed his exact earnings to the public. But seeing his comfortable lifestyle in Japan, one can rest assured that he receives a fair annual salary.
Ryan Kelly | Wife & Kids
The charming athlete Ryan Kelly is married to a beautiful lady named Lindsay Cowher. Ryan and Lindsay knew each other in their teens and have been dating each other since their high school days.
After years of dating, they had an engagement in 2013 and married nearly a year later in August 2014. They married each other in a beautiful ceremony organized at Angus Barn Pavilion in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Many of his former Duke teammates, such as Seth Curry, Quinn Cook, Amile Jefferson, etc., were present to bless the newly married couple.
Lindsay was born on December 20, 1990, in Kansas City, Missouri, to her parents, Bill and Kaye Cowher. Her father, Bill, played professional football league, NFL, for many years and is a former head coach of the NFL club Pittsburgh Steelers.
Like Ryan, she was a basketball player for the Ravenscroft High School team and was its leading performer. She later played college basketball at the prestigious Princeton University, but she worked as a school teacher after graduation.
Besides that, Lindsay is interested in various stuff such as traveling, music, books, and films.
Furthermore, she is an adept writer. You can go through her blog, MAMAPLAYSMUSIC, to get more insights into their life.
Currently, the couple is blessed with three beautiful children, one son and two daughters. Their son, Nile Jeremiah, was born in 2014. Similarly, his wife later gave birth to their two cute daughters, Tess Eden and Ruth Margot.
Ryan lives happily with his wife and children in Tokyo, Japan, as he has been playing professional basketball there since 2018.
Age, Weight & Height
As of 2024, Ryan Kelly is 33 years old.
Regarding his physical stats, Ryan stands at a gigantic height of 2.11 meters (6 feet 11 inches) and weighs around 230 lb (104 kg).
Social Media
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Ryan Kelly on the Lakers?
Ryan Kelly was on the Lakers from 2013 to 2016.
Does Ryan Kelly play football?
No, Ryan Kelly does not play football. However, another athlete named Ryan Patrick Kelly, also known as Ryan Kelly, plays professional football for the Indianapolis Colts.
