Brandon Emmanuel Knight (born December 2, 1991) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). A two-time

Gatorade National Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...

, Knight played one season of college basketball for

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

before being selected by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting spons ...

. After two seasons with the Pistons, he was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. He spent a season and a half in Milwaukee before being traded to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in February 2015. In August 2018, he was traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. At the 2019 trade deadline, he was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

before being traded back to the Pistons at the 2020 trade deadline.

High school career

Born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, Knight attended

Pine Crest School Pine Crest School is a private preparatory school with campuses in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1934 by Mae McMillan, who also served as the school's first president. The School has ...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 Unit ...

. A student-athlete at Pine Crest, Knight held a 4.3 grade-point average. As a junior in 2008–09, he averaged 31.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals. As a senior in 2009–10, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was subsequently named

both years, in addition to earning Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year in 2010. He led Pine Crest to four state title games, winning state championships in 2008 and 2009. He was also a four-time class 3A-1A Basketball Player of the Year (as named by the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami. and a two-time Florida Mr. Basketball. His 3,515 career points ranks second on the Florida high school basketball scoring list. Following his senior season, Knight participated in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

and

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

. In the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game, he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the West a 107–104 win. Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect of 2010 by Rivals.com, Knight made a verbal commitment to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

in April 2010. Knight did not sign a binding national letter of intent with Kentucky. He kept his options open by signing a financial-aid agreement, which indicated his intention to play for Kentucky, but left him free to go elsewhere amid speculation about coach

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College ...

going to the NBA.

College career

Knight averaged 17.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 38 games as a freshman for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,47 ...

. He shot 42% from the field, 38% from three-point range and 80% from the free-throw line on the season. He set Kentucky freshman records in points scored (657), 3-pointers made (87) and most 20-point games in a season (14). He also led the team in SEC play with 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 16 games to earn First-Team All-SEC honors by the coaches, Second-Team All-SEC by the media and an SEC All-Freshman team selection. Knight scored a career-high 30 points against

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

in the third round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. He then recorded 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists against

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

in the Elite Eight and was named the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player. In April 2011, Knight declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2011–2013)

Knight was selected by the

with the eighth overall pick in the

. In May 2012, he earned

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

honors, becoming the first Pistons' rookie since

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely consider ...

(1994–95) to be named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Knight's 847 points were the second-most by a Pistons' rookie since the 1985–86 season and his 12.8 points per game was the fourth highest average by a Pistons' rookie since the 1980–81 season. Knight appeared in 141 games (135 starts) in two seasons with Detroit, averaging 13.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures 92 times with the Pistons, including three 30-point outings.

Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2015)

On July 31, 2013, Knight was traded, along with

Khris Middleton James Khristian Middleton (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a three-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Bucks in ...

and

Viacheslav Kravtsov Viacheslav "Slava" Kravtsov ( uk, В’ячеслав Кравцов; born 25 August 1987) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers of the P. League+. He also represents the Ukrainian national basketball t ...

, to the

in exchange for

Brandon Jennings Brandon Byron Jennings (born September 23, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known for being one of the first Americans to go from high school to ...

. Knight's first season with Milwaukee was hit early with a hamstring injury in the season opener on October 30, limiting him to two minutes that night and forcing him to miss eight of the next 10 games. On December 20, 2013, Knight scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists in a 114–111 loss to the

. On December 31, Knight scored a career-high 37 points in a 94–79 win over the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He enjoyed the most productive season in his three years as a pro, becoming only the second player in the franchise's 46-year history to lead the team in scoring (1,291 points) and assists (352) during his first season with the team. On November 19, 2014, Knight infamously missed a wide-open layup for the win in OT against the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. Although, Milwaukee still won the game 122–118. On January 15, 2015, Knight scored 20 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, recorded 6 assists, and recorded a career-high 6 steals in a blowout win versus the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. The 2014–15 season saw Knight enter the All-Star break as the team's leader in scoring and assists. In 52 games at the All-Star break, he averaged 17.8 points, a career-high 5.4 assists, career-high 4.3 rebounds and career-high 1.6 steals, while shooting career highs of 43.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range.

Phoenix Suns (2015–2018)

Partido NBA -i---i- (31910569110) (cropped)

On February 19, 2015, Knight was traded, along with

Kendall Marshall Kendall Dewan Marshall (born August 19, 1991) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was born in Dumfries, Virginia, and attended Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. He played college basketball for th ...

, to the

in a three-team trade also involving the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. He missed time in March with a left ankle injury, before missing the conclusion of the season with a left heel bone bruise that required surgery. On July 17, 2015, Knight re-signed with the Suns to a five-year, $70 million contract. On November 12, he tied his career high with 37 points in a 118–104 win over the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. Four days later, Knight recorded his first career triple-double posting 30 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists in a 120–101 win over the

. Knight became just the fourth player since steals became an official stat in the 1973–74 season to record a triple-double with a line of at least 30 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and four steals, joining

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised i ...

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

and

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star an ...

, as well as the second player behind Magic Johnson to record such a line at 23 years old or younger. On November 20, Knight set a new career high with 38 points in a 114–107 victory over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On December 13, he scored 25 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 108–101 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. Knight missed time between late January and early March with a left adductor strain. On March 12, he scored 30 points and hit a career high-tying seven 3-pointers in a 123–116 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. On March 28, he again scored 30 points and tied a career high with seven 3-pointers in a 121–116 loss to the

, recording his fifth 30-point game of the season. On April 3, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with the same left adductor strain that kept him out for seven weeks earlier in the season. Five days later, he underwent successful surgery to treat the sports hernia. The 2016–17 season saw Knight come off the bench during the first half of the season before being shut down despite being healthy over the second half of the season. He went on to miss the entire 2017–18 season after sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee in July 2017 that required surgery.

Houston Rockets (2018–2019)

On August 31, 2018, Knight was traded, alongside

Marquese Chriss Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was sele ...

, to the

in exchange for Ryan Anderson and

De'Anthony Melton De'Anthony Melton (born May 28, 1998), nicknamed "Mr. Do Something", is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans of the P ...

. Despite looking to rehabilitate his career in 2018–19, Knight was ruled out indefinitely prior to the season after his surgery got infected during the offseason. On November 30, he was assigned to the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

on a rehab assignment. He played for the Vipers that night, recording 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes against the

Salt Lake City Stars The Salt Lake City Stars are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. As of the 2022-23 season, the Stars play in the Maverik Center in West Valley City, U ...

, before being recalled by the Rockets on December 1. On December 13, he made his debut for the Rockets, recording one assist and one rebound in four minutes in a 126–111 win over the

, marking his first game since February 15, 2017. He played 12 games for the Rockets, with his final appearance coming on January 11 against the

. He was sidelined in January due to left knee soreness.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2020)

On February 7, 2019, Knight was acquired by the

in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. He made his debut for the Cavaliers two days later, scoring nine points in just under 12 minutes off the bench in a 105–90 loss to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

Return to Detroit (2020)

On February 6, 2020, the

traded Knight and John Henson, along with a 2023 second round draft pick, to the

for

Andre Drummond Andre Jamal Drummond (born August 10, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft with t ...

Dallas Mavericks / Sioux Falls Skyforce (2021–2022)

In March 2021, Knight worked out with the

, his former team from the peak of his professional career. Ultimately, the Bucks did not sign him. On August 3, 2021, Knight joined

for the

2021 NBA Summer League The 2021 NBA Summer League was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer league c ...

. On October 16, he signed with the

, but was waived the same day. On October 23, 2021, Knight was selected by the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

sixth overall in the 2021 NBA G League draft. In 11 games, he averaged 21.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 38.0 minutes, while making 3.2 three-pointers per game at a 35.7% rate. On December 23, 2021, Knight signed a 10-day contract with the

and on January 14, 2022, he was reacquired by Sioux Falls after the 10-day deal expired. On March 29, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Mavericks.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

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, 52 , , 52 , , 32.5 , , .435 , , .409 , , .881 , , 4.3 , , 5.4 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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, 52 , , 50 , , 36.0 , , .415 , , .342 , , .852 , , 3.9 , , 5.1 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 5 , , 21.1 , , .398 , , .324 , , .857 , , 2.2 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .1 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, 12 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .234 , , .156 , , .818 , , .8 , , .8 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

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, 16 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .326 , , .297 , , .308 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

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College

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2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

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, 38 , , 38 , , 35.9 , , .423 , , .377 , , .795 , , 4.0 , , 4.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 17.3

Personal life

Knight is the son of Efrem and Tonya Knight. Knight is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Brandon 1991 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Miami Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Houston Rockets players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Milwaukee Bucks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns players Point guards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Sportspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida