K._J._Lawson

K. J. Lawson

K. J. Lawson

American basketball player

Keelon Lawson III (born May 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Worcester Wolves of the British Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers, the Kansas Jayhawks, and the Tulane Green Wave.

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High school career

Lawson attended Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee. He averaged 21.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game as a junior, earning TSWA Class AAA All-State Team honors.[1] As a senior, he averaged 22.3 points per game and led the Wildcats to the 2015 TSSAA Class AAA state title.[2] Lawson committed to play college basketball at Memphis on October 7, 2013.[3]

College career

Lawson played in 10 games as a true freshman, averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, before sustaining an Achilles injury and taking a medical redshirt.[4] As a redshirt freshman, Lawson averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, earning AAC Freshman of the Year honors.[5] He transferred to Kansas in April 2017.[6] In the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Lawson scored 13 points in a 87-53 win against Northeastern.[7] Lawson averaged 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a redshirt sophomore. Following the season, he transferred again to Tulane.[8] On December 1, 2019, Lawson scored a career-high 30 points in an 82-65 win against Southern.[9] As a redshirt junior, Lawson averaged 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.[10] Though he had an additional year of eligibility, he opted to turn professional.[5]

Professional career

On September 4, 2020, Lawson signed his first professional contract with the Worcester Wolves of the British Basketball League.[11]

He joined the Boston Celtics roster for the 2021 NBA Summer League.[12]

Personal life

Lawson's younger brother, Dedric, plays basketball professionally and was his college teammate at Memphis and Kansas. Another younger brother, Chandler, played for Oregon before transferring to Memphis. Lawson's youngest brother, Johnathan, was a highly ranked high school recruit in the 2021 class before committing to Memphis.[13][14] K.J. Lawson married his wife Sydney in July 2019, having met at Kansas. He is a vegan.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    "SENIOR DAY: Tulane Honors Men's Basketball's K.J. Lawson". Tulane Green Wave. April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. [2]
    Stukenborg, Phil (October 12, 2016). "Memphis forward K.J. Lawson looks to come back strong". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  3. [3]
    Biancardi, Paul (October 7, 2013). "K.J. Lawson commits to Memphis". ESPN. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  4. [4]
    Smith, Jason (February 2, 2016). "Tigers' K.J. Lawson likely to seek medical redshirt". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  5. [5]
    Smith, Guerry (February 28, 2020). "Lack of winning has not affected K.J. Lawson's role as a leader". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. [6]
    Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2017). "Dedric, K.J. Lawson to transfer to Kansas from Memphis". ESPN. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  7. [7]
    Bedore, Gary (March 21, 2019). "Lawson brothers lead KU to 87-53 rout of Northeastern in NCAA Tournament opener". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. [8]
    Thompson, Khari (May 13, 2019). "KJ Lawson reportedly to transfer to Tulane from Kansas". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  9. [9]
    "Lawson's career-high effort lifts Tulane past Southern". ESPN. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  10. [10]
    Bedore, Gary (August 18, 2020). "Former Piper hoops standout Bates slices list of schools to seven. Did KU, MU make cut?". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. [11]
    "Wolves bolster front court with Tulane Green Wave forward". British Basketball League. September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  12. [12]
    "Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Aug 8, 2021 Box Scores | NBA.com". Nba.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  13. [13]
    Medcalf, Myron (June 25, 2018). "Meet the new first family of college basketball". ESPN. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  14. [14]
    Munz, Jason (November 9, 2021). "Chandler Lawson cleared to play for Memphis basketball after missing exhibition games". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
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