Kobe Bufkin ( ; born September 21, 2003) 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 (appro ...
player for the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA). The Hawks drafted him with the 15th overall selection in the
2023 NBA draft
The 2023 NBA draft, the 77th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 22, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft consisted of 58 picks instead of the typical 60 for the second ...
. He has also played professionally for the Hawks'
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
affiliate, the
College Park Skyhawks
The College Park Skyhawks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in College Park, Georgia, and are affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks. The Skyhawks play their home games at Gateway Center Arena at College Park af ...
. Bufkin played in high school for
Grand Rapids Christian High School
Grand Rapids Christian High School (GRCHS) is a private school, private Christian school, Christian secondary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1920, "Christian High" is a member of Grand Rapids Christian Schools and Christian Schools ...
where he was a three-time All-state honoree and a
2021 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 2021 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an all-star basketball game that was scheduled be held in 2021. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in the class of 2021. The game would have be ...
selection. Bufkin 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
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...
where he was a
2023 third-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore.
High school career
Kobe Bufkin was born on September 21, 2003, in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
to Kimberly Camp and Michael Bufkin.
When he was five years old, he stated that he wanted to play for the
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...
team.
[ Bufkin played basketball for ]Grand Rapids Christian High School
Grand Rapids Christian High School (GRCHS) is a private school, private Christian school, Christian secondary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1920, "Christian High" is a member of Grand Rapids Christian Schools and Christian Schools ...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
. He joined the varsity team
A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...
as a freshman. Entering his sophomore season, he was in the lower half of the 16 sophomores listed among the top 100 players in the state, according to the ''Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
''. On February 27, 2019, Bufkin scored 35 in a 71–63 Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...
(MHSAA) district semifinal season-ending loss to Catholic Central High School of Grand Rapids. As a sophomore, Bufkin averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, helping his team achieve a 16–6 record.[ Following the season, he was recognized as a Division 2 second team All-state selection by the ]Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
in a year that Romeo Weems was selected as the Division 2 Michigan state player of the year.
Prior to his junior season, the ''Detroit Free Press'' ranked him as the best junior in the state and the sixth-best player in the state. Bufkin was among several elite recruits (along with Emoni Bates
Emoni James-Wayne Bates ( ; born January 28, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He pl ...
, Caleb Furst and others) on hand at the Breslin Student Events Center
The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pus ...
on February 15, 2020, when Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
hosted Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
season of the 1999–2000 Michigan State Spartans. By early March, Bufkin had an offer from Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
. Bufkin reported an offer from Michigan on April 24. In his junior season, he averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, leading his team to a 20–2 record. Following the season, he was recognized as a Division 2 first team all-state selection by the Associated Press in a year that Carlos 'Scooby' Johnson was honored as the Division 2 Michigan state player of the year. Following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...
-related premature conclusion of the season in which Bufkin's Grand Rapids Christian finished with a 20–2 record, Bufkin listed Michigan State, Michigan, DePaul, LSU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
and Ohio State
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
as his final five on July 7. At the time Bufkin was , and ranked 78th in the national class of 2021, 15th among shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...
s and third in the state of Michigan by the 247Sports
247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount.
The website hosts a large ...
composite rankings. Three days later he announced his verbal commitment to Michigan which pushed Michigan's 2021 class from the 5th-ranked class to the 3rd ranked. By the time of his signing on November 11, 2020, he was the 63 ranked member of the class of 2021.[
As a senior, Bufkin averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game in five games, before missing most of the COVID-delayed/shortened season with a fractured left wrist on February 20, 2021. A week before his injury, Bufkin had been ranked as the number 2 (Pierre Brooks II, #1) player in the state of Michigan by the '']Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
''. Before the injury, Bufkin had been named as a preseason SI All-American candidate by ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''. Bufkin was named to the McDonald's All-American Game
The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...
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 and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced.
Th ...
rosters. Diabaté, Houstan and Bufkin, were the University of Michigan's first McDonald's All-Americans since Daniel Horton in 2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
. Bufkin was the state of Michigan's first McDonald's All-American since Deyonta Davis in 2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
. It was the fifth time that the University of Michigan had had multiple McDonald's All-American selections (first since Louis Bullock
Louis "Lou" Bullock Jr. (born May 20, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player.
Although his records have officially been vacated, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for mos ...
, Robert Traylor
Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor (February 1, 1977 – May 11, 2011) was an American professional basketball player. He got his nickname because of his hulking frame. Traylor was the sixth pick in the 1998 NBA draft and played seven seasons in th ...
and Albert White in 1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
) and the third time that they had three or more. By the time of the announcement, Bufkin was ranked 42 according to 247Sports
247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount.
The website hosts a large ...
. Bufkin finished third in the Mr. Basketball of Michigan
Each year the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best Secondary education, high school senior boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Michigan. The award is named in honor of the late Hal Schram, a sports wri ...
voting by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan members. Brooks ( Douglass Academy for Young Men/Michigan State) won with 2,889 points, and he was followed by Foster Wonders ( Iron Mountain High School/Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two List of U.S. rivers by discharge, most voluminous ri ...
) with 2,573 points ahead of Bufkin's 2,143 points. Bufkin was again recognized as a Division 2 first team All-state selection by the Associated Press, but Ke'Ontae Barnes was chosen as Division 2 Michigan state player of the year. Barnes had not been one of the five finalists for Mr. Basketball of Michigan.[
]
Recruiting
A consensus four-star recruit, Bufkin committed to playing college basketball for Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
over offers from a set of finalists that also included LSU, DePaul, Michigan State and Ohio State. Other schools known to have made Bufkin offers included Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, Northwestern and TCU TCU may stand for:
Education
* Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania
* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas
** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school
* Tok ...
. He was drawn to Michigan by assistant coach Saddi Washington who was retained when Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard ( ; born February7, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach ...
took over from John Beilein
John Patrick Beilein ( ; born February 5, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach who currently serves as a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. Before being hired by the Big Ten Network, Beilein served as the head coac ...
. Bufkin marked Howard's first instate commitment since becoming Michigan head coach the year before. Along with Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabaté
Moussa Diabaté ( , ; born 21 January 2002) is a French professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Diabaté was a consensus five- ...
, he was part of a recruiting class that was the top-ranked class in the nation according to ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, Rivals.com and 247Sports
247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount.
The website hosts a large ...
for the 2021–22 Michigan Wolverines. The individual player rankings at the time of signing were Houstan at 8, Diabaté at 20, Frankie Collins at 59, Bufkin at 63, Isaiah Barnes at 114 and Will Tschetter at 155.
College career
The 2021–22 Michigan Wolverines opened the season ranked sixth in the national polls. Bufkin enrolled at Michigan at the age of 17.[ As a freshman for the Wolverines, Bufkin averaged three points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 10.6 minutes per game.] On December 20, 2021, he earned co-Big Ten freshman of the week honors for his first double-digit scoring effort on December 18 against Southern Utah
Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah, bordering nearby Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave ...
when he posted 11 points and 3 rebounds. He also reached double digits with 10 against Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
on February 17, 2022. In the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the ...
, Michigan defeated (No. 24 AP poll) Colorado State, and (No. 5 AP poll/No. 8 Coaches Poll) Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to (No. 6 AP poll/No. 5 Coaches Poll) Villanova.
The 2022–23 Michigan Wolverines opened the season ranked twenty-second in the national polls. As a sophomore, Bufkin remained the youngest player on the team.[ He picked up a lot of minutes as a sophomore following the 2022 departures of Brooks, Jones and Frankie Collins.][ In fact, he led the team with 34 minutes played per game and posted averages of 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists.] On December 8, Michigan defeated Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
90–75 in its Big Ten Conference season opener. Both Bufkin and teammate Dug McDaniel established new career highs with 15 points each. He posted a then-career-high 22 points in back-to-back games against Lipscomb (December 17) and North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
in the Jumpman Invitational (December 21). On February 2, 2023, Bufkin contributed 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, for his first career double-double as well as a career-high eight assists against Northwestern. On February 26, Bufkin led Michigan with a career-high 28 points in an 87–79 overtime victory over Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. Following the regular season, he earned All-Big Ten third-team recognition from the media and honorable mention recognition from the coaches. On March 14, Michigan began their participation in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament
The 2023 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I men's college basketball teams not selected to participate in the 2023 NCAA tournament. The tournament began on March 14 and ended on March 30. Th ...
with a 90–80 victory over Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Or ...
in the first round. Michigan was led by Bufkin with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Michigan lost to Vanderbilt in the second round. In the offseason, he participated in the NBA draft combine at Wintrust Arena
Wintrust Arena at McCormick Square, previously referred to as DePaul Arena or McCormick Place Events Center, is a 10,387-seat sports venue in the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago t ...
.[
]
Professional career
Atlanta Hawks (2023–present)
The Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
selected Bufkin with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft
The 2023 NBA draft, the 77th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 22, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft consisted of 58 picks instead of the typical 60 for the second ...
. Bufkin had been projected to be selected in the teens by several NBA draft prognosticators. Almost all draft experts felt that Bufkin was a very good selection by the Hawks at 15. On July 3, 2023, Bufkin signed a rookie-scale contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Bufkin played for Atlanta in the 2023 NBA Summer League
The 2023 NBA Summer League (branded as ''NBA 2K, NBA 2K24'' Summer League 2023 for sponsorship reasons) was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las ...
in the unfamiliar role as point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game.
A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
. In his debut, he posted eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, but did so on a night with five personal fouls, eight turnovers, 4-of-14 field goal shooting, including going 0 for 8 on three-point shots as a point guard, even though he had been practicing as a shooting guard. That year the summer league boasted two players vying to be the second player to play in the NBA named Kobe (the other was Kobe Brown
Kobe Levose Brown (born January 1, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers men's basketball, Missouri Tige ...
). Both were named after Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...
. In the 99–98 July 13 Summer League win against the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...
, Bufkin had 7 assists and hit the game-winning shot with 12.6 seconds remaining. Bufkin got more playing time than any other Hawk in the summer league (27.1 minutes). He posted averages of 14 points, 3.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds. However, he was tasked with developing his skills as a playmaker for others during the summer league and it resulted in 4.6 turnovers per game. Although his defense was strong, he showed that he needed to develop strengthwise and with his playmaking decisions. Bufkin's NBA preseason debut was also inauspicious: nine points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field (including 1-of-6 three-point shooting), one assist, one rebound and four personal fouls.
Bufkin debuted on October 29 in Atlanta's third game (but first win) of the season against 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
playing 3 minutes and 14 seconds and making 1 of 2 free throws to score his first NBA point; He was 0 of 2 from the field. Although Brown debuted before him on October 25, both players scored their first points on October 29. Bufkin likely scored first because he scored his points in the Central Time Zone
The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...
of Milwaukee, while Brown scored his first points at home for the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
in the Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...
. After appearing in two of Atlanta's first five games Bufkin fractured his thumb on November 3.
When Bufkin's thumb healed, he was assigned to the Hawks' NBA G-League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks
The College Park Skyhawks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in College Park, Georgia, and are affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks. The Skyhawks play their home games at Gateway Center Arena at College Park af ...
and posted performances of 34, 29, 33 and 27 points in his first four games for them. On January 29, 2024, Bufkin posted 43 points for the Skyhawks. In 14 appearances with the Skyhawks, Bufkin averaged 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals with four performances of 30 points or more.
When 2024 NBA All-Star Trae Young
Rayford Trae Young (born September 19, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, where in his one season in 201 ...
required surgery on a ligament
A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have liga ...
of a finger on his left hand in late February 2024, Bufkin was thrust into the main rotation. At the time of the Young's injury, the Hawks had exceeded Trent Forrest's two-way contract
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...
eligibility limits and had to cut Patty Mills
Patrick Sammie Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian ( Kokatha and Dauareb-Meriam) professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is ...
to make roster space. Then, Bufkin seemed to overtake Forrest in the rotation. In his first four games with the Hawks after Young's injury, Bufkin averaged 6 points, 3.5 assists and 2 rebounds, including a career-high 12 points on February 29 against Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. However, after those four games Bufkin was in a boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
with a big toe injury. On March 7, he was diagnosed with a left big toe sprain that required 10 days of immobilization before re-evaluation. His return was delayed 7 to 10 more days on March 21. On April 1, he was announced as available for his first action since March 2. Upon his April 1 return to action after missing 14 games, Bufkin was back in the main rotation, displacing Forrest as the backup point guard, and at times playing simultaneously with point guard Dejounte Murray
Dejounte Dashaun Murray ( ; born September 19, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Washington Huskies, w ...
as the shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...
. He showed potential in his return, especially in a defensive assignment against Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...
.
Bufkin played in 10 games for Atlanta in the 2024–25 NBA season
The 2024–25 NBA season is the 79th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 22, 2024, and ended on April 13, 2025. The NBA held an in-season tournament for the second consecutive year, now called ...
, averaging 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. On December 18, 2024, it was announced that Bufkin would undergo season–ending surgery to address right shoulder instability.
Personal life
Kobe Bufkin is the son of Mike Bufkin and Kimberly Camp. Bufkin's parents were fans of the Michigan men's basketball team since the Fab Five era, and named his brothers after Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
and Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...
, but the family debates about whether Kobe was really named after Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...
.
Career statistics
NBA
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, 17 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .370 , , .225 , , .500 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, 10 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .383 , , .211 , , .722 , , 2.1 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 5.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 27 , , 0 , , 11.9 , , .374 , , .220 , , .654 , , 2.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 5.0
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2021–22
, style="text-align:left;", Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, 28 , , 0 , , 10.6 , , .380 , , .222 , , .773 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, style="text-align:left;", Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, 33 , , 33 , , 34.0 , , .482 , , .355 , , .849 , , 4.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 14.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 61 , , 33 , , 23.3 , , .463 , , .325 , , .833 , , 3.0 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .4 , , 9.0
References
External links
Michigan Wolverines bio
at Sports Reference
Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...
college stats
at Sports Reference
Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bufkin, Kobe
2003 births
Living people
21st-century American sportsmen
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks draft picks
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players from Grand Rapids, Michigan
College Park Skyhawks players
Grand Rapids Christian High School alumni
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players
Shooting guards