Kendrick Perry (born December 23, 1992, in Ocoee, Florida, USA) is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard. In the 2018/2019 season he played for BC Nizhny Novgorod in the VTB United League and the FIBA Champions League, becoming one of the club's most prominent players of that period.[2]

Career before coming to Nizhny Novgorod

Perry spent his college years at Youngstown State University (Ohio), playing for the Youngstown State Penguins in the NCAA (Horizon League) from 2010 to 2014. During that time he was named to the conference's first team three times and received an award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In his final college season he started all 32 games, averaging 21.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.[2]

In 2014, Perry played in the NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic, after which he signed with the Australian club Sydney Kings, averaging 10.4 points per game in the National Basketball League of Australia in the 2014/2015 season. In March 2015 he returned to the United States and joined the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League.[2]

In the 2015/2016 season he played for Kormend of Hungary, helping the club take third place in the Hungarian championship and win the national cup. He spent the 2016/2017 season with Karpos Sokoli of Macedonia, with whom he reached the national championship final for the first time in the club's history and won the Macedonian Cup.[2] He then moved to Szolnoki Olaj of Hungary, with whom he won the Hungarian championship and cup in the 2017/2018 season. At the end of that season, Perry was named Finals MVP, Player of the Year, Best Guard, and Best Foreign Player of the Hungarian championship, and was also selected to the league's first all-star team.[2]

The season in Nizhny Novgorod

In July 2018, Perry signed a two-year contract with BC Nizhny Novgorod. Club fans knew him from the matchup in the group stage of the FIBA Europe Cup, where Nizhny Novgorod faced Szolnoki Olaj.[2] The team's head coach, Zoran Lukic, described him as "a true team player with a fighting spirit," noting his skill in the pick-and-roll and his ability to create opportunities for teammates.[2]

In the 2018/2019 season, Perry played 18 games in the VTB United League, averaging 16.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, as well as 15 games in the FIBA Champions League, averaging 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.[4] In February 2019 he took part in the VTB United League All-Star Game, becoming the first BC Nizhny Novgorod player to compete in the dunk contest, and finished second.[1]

Beyond his on-court results, Perry also endured himself to Nizhny Novgorod fans away from the court. In interviews he talked about the Russian winter, for which he had prepared in advance by bringing plenty of warm clothing, about the absence of a language barrier at first, and about his favorite places in the city — restaurants and strolls along Bolshaya Pokrovskaya. During a visit by his family to Nizhny Novgorod, he attended a game of HC Torpedo together with his parents for the first time in his life.[3]

After Nizhny Novgorod

In July 2019, despite a valid two-year contract, the club announced Perry's departure: the 26-year-old basketball player moved to the French club "Metropolitans 92".[1][4] The management of BC "Nizhny Novgorod" thanked the player — in the club's community he was known by the nickname KP — for an excellent season.[1]

Sources

  1. Newsroom24 — Kendrick Perry has left BC "Nizhny Novgorod" — Sports
  2. nn-basket.ru — Kendrick Perry has joined the ranks of "Nizhny Novgorod" — BC "Nizhny Novgorod" (archive)
  3. sobaka.ru — Kendrick Perry. How in one year to tear apart the basketball "VTB United League" and make the whole city fall in love with you (archive)
  4. sports.ru — Kendrick Perry has left "Nizhny Novgorod" (archive)