Kerry Kittles

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Lore & Background

Kittles was raised in New Orleans and attended St. Augustine High School. He then attended Villanova University, where he was a freshman on the 1994 NIT Championship team. As a junior, Kittles made the All-Big East team. Villanova reached the NCAA tournament in 1996, Kittles's senior season. Kittles was named second-team All-American by some selectors in 1996. He was inducted into the program's hall of fame. Kittles was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the eighth pick in the 1996 NBA draft. In his first season, he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. He sat out his entire fifth season, in 2000–01, due to rehabilitation from off-season surgery on his right knee. Kittles played in the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals as a member of the Nets. Following seven seasons with the Nets, Kittles was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a salary purge. After one injury-riddled year with the Clippers, Kittles retired from the NBA. Kittles was an assistant coach at Princeton from 2016 to 2018.

In Their Own Story

In his rookie season (1996–97), Kittles averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3 assists while setting an NBA rookie record with 158 three-point field goals made. On April 13, 1997, he scored a career-high 40 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, his trajectory was interrupted by severe knee issues; he underwent four operations in five years and missed the entire 2000–01 season for rehabilitation. Despite these setbacks, Kittles returned to form, shooting over 40% from three-point range in three different seasons. His partnership with Jason Kidd propelled the Nets to the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals, where he was a key secondary scorer. In July 2004, the Nets traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in a salary purge move.

Reader's Guide

Kerry Kittles is a former NBA shooting guard known for his three-point shooting and defense. He played college basketball at Villanova, where he became the program's all-time leading scorer and steals leader. He was a key player for the New Jersey Nets, helping them reach the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. After retiring, he served as an assistant coach at Princeton University.

Did You Know?

• Kittles set the Nets' franchise record for three-point field goals made in a season with 158 as a rookie.
• He scored a career-high 40 points on April 13, 1997, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
• Kittles earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Villanova in 2009.