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V. J. King

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V. J. King
King in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
No. 15 – Victoria Libertas Pesaro
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueLega Basket Serie A
Personal information
Born (1997-01-22) January 22, 1997 (age 27)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeLouisville (2016–2019)
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2022Westchester Knicks
2022–2023Bristol Flyers
2023–2024Hamburg Towers
2024–presentVictoria Libertas Pesaro
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA U17 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2014 Dubai National team
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 Uruguay National team

Vincent King Jr. (born January 22, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals.

Early life and high school career

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King is the son of Lo and Vincent King Sr. When he was in sixth grade at the United Faith Christian Academy, he received his first Division I scholarship offer from Charlotte. Prior to his freshman year of high school, King moved to Akron, Ohio and he attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. He became the first freshman to start on the team since LeBron James and he led the Fighting Irish to the state final.[1] As a sophomore, he averaged 17 points per game and was named to the 2013–14 Associated Press Division II All-Ohio First Team alongside teammate Jalen Hudson.[2] King transferred to Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia prior to his junior year where he was coached by Glenn Farello. He averaged 18.7 points per game as a junior and earned All-Met honors.[1] On the AAU Circuit, King competed for Team Takeover where he averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2015.[3] King scored 35 points in a high school game in December 2015.[1] As a senior, King averaged 22.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He led the Panthers to a 20–11 record and to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship game. He was a First Team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honoree and was selected as the USA Today Gatorade Virginia Basketball Player of the Year. King was named a McDonald's All American in 2016 and was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic.[4]

King was a five-star recruit ranked No. 27 in his class according to ESPN, while Rivals ranked him No. 11 in the class of 2016.[1][3] On June 12, 2015, King committed to Louisville, spurning offers from Arizona, UConn and Virginia among others. He cited his relationship with Louisville assistant coach Kenny Johnson, previously an assistant at Paul VI, as crucial in his decision.[3]

College career

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On February 6, 2017, King scored a career-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting in a loss against Virginia.[5] As a freshman at Louisville, King averaged 5.5 points per game off the bench.[6] He started every game as a sophomore and averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shooting 32 percent from three-point range.[7] As a junior, he started five games and averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. After the season, he announced he was leaving Louisville and entered the 2019 NBA draft.[6]

Professional career

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After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, King signed with the New York Knicks.[8] He was waived by the Knicks on October 19, 2019.[9] King joined their G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.[10] King played in 13 of the team's first 15 games then missed roughly a month due to a strained hamstring and knee soreness. He returned to Westchester on January 18, 2020, and on January 31 posted his season high 17 points against the Maine Red Claws. King averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in his rookie season.[11]

He was waived on February 1, 2022.[12]

On August 10, 2022, he signed with the Bristol Flyers of the British Basketball League.[13] King averaged 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game, earning BBL Team of the Year honors.[14]

On June 30, 2023, he signed with Hamburg Towers of the Basketball Bundesliga.[15]

On July 18, 2024, he signed with Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[16]

National team career

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King competed in the 2013 FIBA Under-16 World Championship representing the United States. He helped the team go 5–0, winning the title while averaging 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

King competed in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship representing the United States. He helped the team go 7–0, winning the title while averaging 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.[17]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

NBA G League

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Westchester 26 2 11.8 .398 .282 .769 2.4 .6 .2 .1 4.7
Career 26 2 11.8 .398 .282 .769 2.4 .6 .2 .1 4.7

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Louisville 33 7 13.5 .432 .421 .821 2.1 .5 .2 .1 5.5
2017–18 Louisville 36 36 25.4 .398 .320 .735 3.3 .9 .6 .1 8.6
2018–19 Louisville 32 5 13.7 .367 .114 .791 3.0 .6 .2 .1 3.9
Career 101 48 17.8 .400 .297 .772 2.8 .7 .3 .1 6.1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Parker, Brandon (January 4, 2016). "Once compared to LeBron James, Louisville basketball recruit VJ King is flourishing his own way at Paul VI". Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Cassilo, Dan (March 17, 2014). "St. Vincent-St. Mary's VJ King and Jalen Hudson, Central Catholic's Tervell Beck headline All-Ohio Division II boys basketball teams". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Johnson, Chris (June 12, 2015). "Five-star swingman V.J. King, a natural scorer, commits to Louisville". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Virginia Boys Basketball POY: V.J. King". USA Today. March 17, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Greer, Jeff (February 8, 2017). "UofL's King encouraged by performance at UVa". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Lerner, Danielle (April 25, 2019). "V.J. King will not return to Louisville next season, Chris Mack says". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Lerner, Danielle (August 1, 2018). "Louisville basketball 2018-19: Can veteran V.J. King reach his potential?". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Lerner, Danielle (June 21, 2019). "Louisville's V.J. King signs NBA deal with the New York Knicks, report says". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. ^ Hersch, Corey (October 19, 2019). "Knicks waive guard Lamar Peters, forwards VJ King and Kenny Wooten". SNY. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  10. ^ Weir, Josh (December 17, 2019). "NBA G League Preview: Westchester Knicks at Canton Charge". The Repository. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  11. ^ Priczak, Chris (April 13, 2020). "2019-20 Westchester Knicks Season Recap: V.J. King". Ridiculous Upside. SB Nation. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "NBA G League Transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "Flyers confirm signing of VJ King". British Basketball League. August 10, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "VJ King named in BBL Team of the Year". Bristol Flyers. May 9, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Ein King wechselt aus dem Königreich nach Hamburg". hamburgtowers.de (in German). Sportando. June 30, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "La Carpegna Prosciutto Basket Pesaro chiude il roster 2024/2025 col botto: firmato V.J.King". victorialibertas.it (in Italian). July 18, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "VJ King". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
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