Atlanta will be the fourth team Kennard has played on since he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft after two seasons at Duke University.
The Franklin native played last season with the Memphis Grizzlies where he averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Mark Kennard said he expected his son to play a couple more seasons in Memphis, but the team took a different direction, and it was “time to move on.”
He said his son enjoyed his time in Memphis and looks forward to joining the Hawks and playing in the Eastern Conference.
“The NBA is a business,” Mark Kennard said. “Sometimes you have to look out for yourself.”
Kennard’s signing brings another impact player to Atlanta shortly after it brought in former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who signed a four-year, $62 million deal.
Atlanta already acquired Kristaps Porzingis via trade and will see the return of forward Jalen Johnson alongside star guard Trae Young.
For his career, with stops in Detroit, Los Angeles and Memphis, Kennard, 29, has averaged 9.8 points while shooting 45.7% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range.
He ranks second in NBA history in career three-point field goal percentage and first among active players.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
At Franklin, Kennard was named the Parade National Player of the Year as a senior and the Ohio Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year as a junior and senior.
Franklin has retired his No. 10 jersey and named the school’s basketball court after him.
Last year, 306 kids attended the Luke Kennard Basketball Camp at Camp Chautauqua that also included a “One Special Game” basketball game for players with special needs.
On one of the last nights of the camp, the campers, camp staff, and parents watched as 14 players with special needs participated in a basketball game, an event called “One Special Game,” another brainchild of Berachah Church’s Pastor Lamar Ferrell.
The two teams, each comprised of seven players with differing disabilities, were named the Grizzlies and Memphis, in honor of the NBA team where Kennard, a 2015 Franklin High School graduate, played at the time.
The game ended in a 32-32 tie which was appropriate considering there were no losers here.
“It was pure electric,” said Herb Davis, one of the referees. “The campers went crazy, the fans were in tears and the players had the time of their lives.”
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