Kenyon Martin

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Martin was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on December 30, 1977, to Lydia Moore, a single mother of two. He has a sister, Tamara, who is 3½ years older. The family moved to the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, where Martin's mother worked two jobs. Martin attended three high schools in four years, playing basketball, baseball, and football. He graduated from Bryan Adams High School in Dallas in 1996. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats under head coach Bob Huggins. As a senior in 1999–2000, Martin averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, was consensus National Player of the Year, and led the Bearcats to a 29–4 record. He suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament, keeping him out of the NCAA Tournament. Martin remains the Bearcats' all-time leader in career blocked shots (292) and field goal percentage (.586). Cincinnati retired his #4 jersey on April 25, 2000. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

In Their Own Story

The turning point for Martin's individual accolades arrived during the 2003–04 season. He averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks, earning his first and only NBA All-Star selection as a backup forward for the Eastern Conference. In the 2004 All-Star Game itself, he scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out three assists. However, tension also marked this era; Martin once mocked teammate Alonzo Mourning's life-threatening kidney disease during morning shootarounds, a mistake Martin later admitted to and apologized for on the Scoop B Radio Podcast. He acknowledged that while he wasn't a shootaround guy, Mourning felt he should have been working as hard as the veterans. This incident led to Martin participating in Mourning's annual charity basketball game as an act of reconciliation before his trade.

Reader's Guide

Martin's NBA debut was on October 31, 2000, for the New Jersey Nets. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, he helped the Nets reach the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. On January 29, 2003, he recorded a career-best 21 rebounds. He again helped the Nets reach the 2003 NBA Finals, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games. In the 2003–04 season, he averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, earning his first NBA All-Star selection as a backup forward for the Eastern Conference. In the 2004 All-Star Game, he scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists. Following the 2003–04 season, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal. He played for the Nuggets from 2004 to 2011, undergoing microfracture surgery on both knees. He signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of China in 2011 but was released on December 24, 2011. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on February 3, 2012. He joined the New York Knicks on February 21, 2013, on a 10-day contract, and re-signed for the 2013–14 season. He signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on January 9, 2015, and was waived on February 19, 2015. He announced his retirement on July 3, 2015.

Did You Know?

• Martin is the half-brother of former Colorado Buffaloes shooting guard Richard Roby.
• Martin recorded his second triple double as a senior with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks vs. Memphis.
• Martin is believed to be the first NBA player to have, and to return from, microfracture surgery on both knees.
• Martin changed his uniform number from 6 to 4 for the 2007–08 season to symbolize a fresh start.