Khem Xavier Birch (born September 28, 1992) is a Canadian 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 (appro ...

player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish BSL and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facul ...

and the

UNLV Runnin' Rebels The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are the men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As ...

High school career

Birch played varsity basketball for St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in

Russell, Ontario The Township of Russell is a municipal township, located south-east of Canada's capital of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, on the Castor River. The township had a population of 19,598 in the 2021 Can ...

before playing out the remainder of his high school career at

The Winchendon School The Winchendon School is a coeducational, preparatory boarding and day school composed of two campuses; one in Massachusetts, and another in Herald Square, Manhattan, New York. Founded in 1926, The Winchendon School has an average classroom size ...

Winchendon, Massachusetts Winchendon ( ), nicknamed Toy Town, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,364 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs (also known as Spring Village). A ...

and Notre Dame Prep in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

College career

In 2011–12, Birch played

at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, with the

. He then, in 2012, transferred to

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...

, where he played with the

. As a junior, in the 2013–14 season, he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, which was the third highest in the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

, while also averaging 3.8 blocks per game, which was the second highest in the Mountain West Conference. During his college career, he averaged 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists in 25.4 minutes per game in 69 games. In April 2014, he entered the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014–2015)

After going undrafted in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The ...

, Birch joined the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On September 14, 2014, he signed with his first NBA team, the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. However, he was later waived by the Heat on October 25, 2014. On November 3, 2014, he was acquired 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 has played its home games in the Sanford Pentagon since the 2013–14 ...

, as an affiliate player. On February 4, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015

NBA D-League All-Star Game The NBA D-League All-Star Game was an annual exhibition basketball game held by the NBA Development League (D-League). The D-League was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and later as the NBA Development League. Th ...

. In the 2014–15 NBA D-League season, he averaged 11.1 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, 1.8 blocks per game, and 0.7 steals per game, in 52 games played.

Uşak Sportif (2015–2016)

On June 30, 2015, Birch signed to play in Turkey, with

Uşak Sportif Uşak Sportif, also known as Uşak Üniversitesi Belediyespor, was a professional basketball team that is based in the city of Uşak, in Turkey. The team was founded in 2006. Their home arena was the Uşak Üniversitesi Sport Hall, which has a se ...

of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

(BSL). The following month, he joined the

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

for the 2015 Orlando Summer League and the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

for the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League. He went on to play with Uşak during the 2015–16 season, and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 32 games played in the Turkish Super League 2015–16 season.

Olympiacos (2016–2017)

On June 14, 2016, Birch signed to play in Greece, on a 2-year

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

1.1 million

net income In business and Accountancy, accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and Amortization (a ...

contract, with the defending

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

champions,

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

. With Olympiacos, he averaged 15.7 minutes, 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game, in 33 games played in the

2016–17 season. He also averaged 18.1 minutes, 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 37 games played in the

2016–17 season, helped the team to join

2017 EuroLeague Final Four The 2017 EuroLeague Final Four was the concluding EuroLeague Final Four tournament of the 2016–17 EuroLeague season, the 60th season of Europe's premier level club basketball tournament, and the 17th season since it is organised by Euroleague ...

. On July 10, 2017, Birch opted out of his contract with Olympiacos, in order to sign in the NBA.

Orlando Magic (2017–2021)

On July 27, 2017, Birch signed with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. On March 14, 2019, Birch recorded a double-double, tying his career-high with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and two steals in a 120–91 win against 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. On July 10, 2019, Birch re-signed with the Magic on a 2-year contract. On March 26, 2021, Birch had his best game of his career when he netted new career-highs with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four steals with four assists and two blocks in a 112–105 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. On April 8, 2021, Birch was waived by the Magic.

Toronto Raptors (2021–2023)

On April 10, 2021, Birch signed with the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

for the remainder of the 2020–21 season, making his debut the next day during a 102–96 loss to 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, getting four points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Three days later, Birch tied his career-high with 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in a 117–112 win against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On April 26, he tied his career-high again with 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals and two blocks in a 112–96 win against the

. The next day, Birch had his first double-double with the Raptors, getting 13 points and 14 rebounds, nine of which were offensive rebounds, in a 116–103 loss against the

. On April 29, he scored a career-high 20 points, making a career-high two three-pointers while adding nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in a 121–111 loss to 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On August 6, 2021, Birch re-signed with the Raptors for 3 years and just over $20 million, keeping him with the team through the 2023–24 season. On February 9, 2023, Birch was traded, alongside a 2024 first-round draft pick and two future second-round draft picks, to the

in exchange for Jakob Poeltl. He did not appear in a game for the team, and was waived prior to the start of the following season on October 19.

Bàsquet Girona (2024)

On February 5, 2024, Birch signed with

Bàsquet Girona Club Bàsquet Girona 2014, SAD, commonly known as Bàsquet Girona (), is a professional basketball club based in Girona, Spain. It was founded in 2014 by former NBA player Marc Gasol. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Its home arena is Fontajau. ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

Fenerbahçe (2024–present)

On September 11, 2024, he signed a one-year deal with the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe. On May 25, 2025, Birch helped Fenerbahçe to their second EuroLeague championship in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Canadian national team

Birch was a member of the junior national teams of Canada. With Canada's Under-18 junior national team, he played at the 2010

FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup, previously known as the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, is the Americas basketball championship for men's under-18 national teams that takes place every two years in the FIBA Americas zone. The top four finishers ...

, where he won a bronze medal. He is also a member of the senior men's Canadian national team. With Canada's senior national team, he played at the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Birch represented Canada at the

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...

in China. He was named to Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 42 , , 0 , , 13.8 , , .540 , , – , , .689 , , 4.3 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 1 , , 12.9 , , .603 , , .000 , , .699 , , 3.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , .6 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 24 , , 19.2 , , .510 , , .000 , , .653 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .5 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 5 , , 19.8 , , .450 , , .190 , , .741 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .6 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 19 , , 17 , , 30.4 , , .556 , , .290 , , .636 , , 7.6 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 28 , , 18.0 , , .485 , , .000 , , .746 , , 4.3 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .594 , , .500 , , .800 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 282 , , 75 , , 17.1 , , .520 , , .200 , , .698 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .556 , , , , .857 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 1.0 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .500 , , , , .909 , , 5.0 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 4 , , 10.5 , , .500 , , .500 , , , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 16 , , 4 , , 15.3 , , .521 , , .500 , , .889 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , .4 , , 4.3

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#CFECEC;", 37* , , 21 , , 18.1 , , .624 , , , , .643 , , 5.6 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 7.3 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2024–25† , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe Beko , 36 , , 19 , , 13.4 , , .585 , , , , .725 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.5 , , 5.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 73 , , 40 , , 16.0 , , .611 , , , , .667 , , 4.7 , , .5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.4 , , 8.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2011–12† , style="text-align:left;",

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, 10 , , 6 , , 15.0 , , .571 , , – , , .545 , , 5.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.9 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 15 , , 21.8 , , .563 , , – , , .642 , , 5.7 , , .6 , , .7 , , 2.6 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 31.4 , , .510 , , – , , .693 , , 10.2 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 3.8 , , 11.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 69 , , 53 , , 25.4 , , .531 , , – , , .668 , , 7.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , 3.1 , , 8.9

Personal life

Birch has three brothers, and attended high school at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in

. Birch grew up a fan of the Toronto Raptors, watching their games on television and even driving five hours with his father to Toronto to watch a live game at the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

. He has been married since 2018 and has a daughter born in 2019. He also has two unnamed children from past relationships a daughter and son born between 2015 and 2016.

References

External links

Twitter

Euroleague.net profileEurobasket.com ProfileGreek League profile

Greek League profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Khem 1992 births Living people 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Anglophone Quebec people Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Montreal Bàsquet Girona players Black Canadian basketball players Black Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate basketball people in Greece Canadian expatriate basketball people in Spain Canadian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canada men's national basketball team players Centers (basketball) Fenerbahçe men's basketball players Lakeland Magic players McDonald's High School All-Americans NBA players from Canada Olympiacos B.C. players Olympic basketball players for Canada Orlando Magic players People from Russell, Ontario Canadian people of Black Nova Scotian descent Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Toronto Raptors players Undrafted NBA players UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball players Uşak Sportif players