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Ryan Kalkbrenner
American basketball player (born 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ryan Thomas Kalkbrenner (born January 17, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays.
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High school career
Kalkbrenner played basketball for Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] As a junior, he averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game, earning AAA Player of the Year and Class 3 All-State honors.[2][3] Kalkbrenner competed for Mac Irvin Fire on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, and was named Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.[4] In his senior season, Kalkbrenner averaged 16.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game, repeating as a Class 3 All-State selection.[5] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Creighton over offers from Stanford, Purdue, and Kansas.[6]
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College career
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Kalkbrenner came off the bench in his freshman season at Creighton. On December 17, 2020, he recorded a season-high 15 points and five rebounds in a 94–76 win over St. John's.[7] As a freshman, Kalkbrenner averaged 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, leading all Big East freshmen in blocks.[8] On February 12, 2022, he scored a career-high 22 points and had 15 rebounds in an 80–66 win against Georgetown.[9] Kalkbrenner was named Honorable Mention All-Big East as well as Defensive Player of the Year.[10][11] He suffered a knee injury in a 72–69 overtime win over San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament, ending his season. Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.[12]
During the following NCAA tournament, Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 31 points during a 72–63 first-round win over NC State.[13]
On October 23, 2024, he was named 2024–2025 Big East Conference Preseason Player of the Year.[14] On November 6, he scored a career-high 49 points in a win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros and set a Bluejays record with 20 made field goals.[15] Kalkbrenner averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He received the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was named a Third Team All-American.[16]
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Professional career
Kalkbrenner was selected with the 34th pick of the 2025 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.[17]
National team career
Kalkbrenner represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged 5.9 points, four rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[18]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
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Personal life
Ryan's parents are Kraig and Lynn Kalkbrenner, his brother is Nate Kalkbrenner.[19] He married Rachael Saunders, a Creighton women's basketball alumna, in August 2024.[19]
See also
References
External links
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