Kenny Wooten
Kenneth Wooten Jr. (born April 17, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks.
Free agent | |
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Position | Power forward |
Personal information | |
Born | Stockton, California | April 17, 1998
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College | Oregon (2017–2019) |
NBA draft | 2019 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2020 | Westchester Knicks |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats | |
Stats |
Early life and high school career
Wooten was born and grew up in Stockton, California and initially attended Stagg High School before transferring to Manteca High School after his sophomore year.[1] As a senior, he averaged 13.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game and scored 26 points with 18 rebounds and nine blocks in the Buffaloes win over Ayala High School in the 2016 State title game. Rated a four-star recruit, Wooten initially signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball at Nevada before asking to be released from his commitment in order to re-open his recruiting due to coaching changes at the school.[2] He then transferred to Trinity International School in Las Vegas, Nevada for a postgraduate year in order to reclassify for the class of 2017.[3] After initially committing to Arizona State, Wooten de-committed and accepted a scholarship to play at Oregon.[4][5]
College career
As a freshman, Wooten averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and a Pac-12 Conference-leading 2.6 blocks per game and was named to the conference's All-Defensive team.[6][7] Wooten's 92 blocked shots was the third most in a single season by an Oregon player.[8] He averaged 6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game and was again named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team in his sophomore season.[9][10] Wooten had a career-high 20 points on December 8, 2018, in an 84–61 win over Omaha.[11] Following the end of the season, Wooten announced that he would forgo his final two seasons of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2019 NBA draft.[12] Despite only playing two seasons, Wooten left Oregon as the Ducks' third all-time leading shot blocker with 166 blocks.[13]
Professional career
After going unselected in the 2019 NBA draft, Wooten was invited to play for the New York Knicks' summer league team.[14] The Knicks signed Wooten to an Exhibit 10 contract on July 20, 2019.[15] Wooten was waived by the Knicks on October 19, 2019 and joined the team's NBA G League affiliated, the Westchester Knicks.[16] The Knicks signed Wooten to a two-way contract for two years on January 14, 2020.[17][18] However, he did not play a game for the Knicks in the 2019–20 season as he suffered a thumb injury requiring surgery in late February 2020. He averaged 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 65.1% from the field for Westchester.[19] On November 19, 2020, the Knicks waived Wooten.[20]
He was claimed off waivers by the Houston Rockets on November 21, 2020, [21] but was waived during training camp.[22]
Career statistics
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 |
References
- "Ducks love Wooten's peaks, but want him to avoid the valleys". The Register-Guard. February 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Murray, Chris (May 11, 2016). "Four-star commit Wooten has not ruled out playing for Pack". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Burns, James (May 10, 2016). "Wooten leaves Manteca High for Trinity International in Las Vegas". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Metcalfe, Jeff (December 20, 2016). "Forward Kenny Wooten commits to ASU basketball". Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Nemec, Andrew (January 12, 2018). "Oregon's Kenny Wooten, former Arizona State commit, has 'no regrets' about recruiting flip". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Alger, Tyson (March 21, 2018). "Kenny Wooten won't test NBA draft waters, announces return to Oregon Ducks". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Wade, Kevin (June 22, 2018). "Multiple Ducks trending in 2019 NBA Mock Drafts". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Alger, Tyson (March 26, 2018). "Kenny Wooten's shot-blocking prowess is fueling Oregon's Sweet 16 run". The Athletic. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Mack, Jared (June 19, 2019). "What NBA team offers the best fit for Kenny Wooten?". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Crepea, James (March 11, 2019). "Oregon's Kenny Wooten, Louis King honored by Pac-12 coaches". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- "Wooten scores career-best 20, leads Oregon over Omaha 84-61". USA Today. Associated Press. December 8, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Amaranthus, Bri (May 20, 2019). "Concerns surround Oregon forward Kenny Wooten's NBA readiness". NBC Sports Northwest. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Skopil, Erik (June 25, 2019). "Report: Kenny Wooten to play for Knicks in NBA Summer League". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Amaranthus, Bri (June 21, 2019). "NBA Draft: What's next for Louis King and Kenny Wooten?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Berman, Marc (July 20, 2019). "Kenny Wooten getting another big Knicks chance". New York Post. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Hersch, Corey (October 19, 2019). "Knicks waive guard Lamar Peters, forwards VJ King and Kenny Wooten". SNY.tv. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- "Knicks Sign Kenny Wooten to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- Smith, Alex (January 15, 2020). "Kenny Wooten eagerly awaiting first game action with Knicks". SNY.tv. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Wolfe, Alex (March 21, 2020). "Keep or Cut: Kadeem Allen and Kenny Wooten". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- "Knicks Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- Feigen, Jonathan (November 21, 2020). "Rockets pick up Kenny Wooten off waivers". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- DuBose, Ben (December 16, 2020). "Rockets waive Jerian Grant, Trevelin Queen, and Kenny Wooten". Rockets Wire. Retrieved December 16, 2020.