Kenyon Martin Jr.

Kenyon Lee "KJ" Martin Jr. (born January 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The son of former NBA player Kenyon Martin, he grew up in southern California and played basketball while attending Chaminade College Prep and Sierra Canyon before going to IMG Academy for his postgraduate year. He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft. In November 2020, the Kings traded Martin to the Houston Rockets, where he played for three seasons. During the 2023 off-season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. In November 2023, after just 2 games with the Clippers, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

High school career
Kenyon Martin Jr attended Oaks Christian High School as a freshman but did not play basketball that year. Early in the school year, Kenyon Martin Jr was pulled out of Oaks Christian to be homeschooled. After his freshman year, he was enrolled in Chaminade College Preparatory where he started playing basketball as a sophomore.

A three-star recruit from Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, Martin played alongside Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cassius Stanley. Martin averaged 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the back-to-back California Open Division champions.

Martin originally committed to play collegiately for Vanderbilt before opting for a postgraduate year at IMG Academy. He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game at IMG Academy, drawing praise for his athleticism. Martin scored 37 points at the National Prep Showcase and demonstrated an improved jump shot. Martin declared for the 2020 NBA draft on March 24, 2020.

2020-21
On November 18, 2020, Martin was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft with the 52nd overall pick. On November 25, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations and a future second-round pick. Martin signed a four-year contract with the Rockets on November 30. The Rockets organization put him on their G League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Martin was activated by the Houston Rockets for the January 4, 2021, game against the Dallas Mavericks, then was inactive for one game before making his on-court NBA debut on January 8, 2021, vs. the Orlando Magic, scoring 7 points on 3-3 shooting (including a three-pointer)

On May 8, 2021, Martin scored a season career-high 27 points against the Utah Jazz. He had a then-career high 10 rebounds in three different games, all in May 2021.

2021-22
Martin played in 79 of 82 games during the season, starting two. He scored a season-high 20 points on March 2, 2022 against the Utah Jazz and twice snared 11 rebounds in a game.

2022-23
Before the season, Martin made a trade request to the Rockets with the desire of playing more minutes. He instead became a full-time starter when Eric Gordon was traded in February 2023. Martin played in all 82 of the Rockets' games, starting 49 of them in his third season in the NBA. He also achieved career highs in points per game (12.7), field goal percentage (.572), rebounds per game (5.5), and minutes per game (28.0).

On November 25, 2022, he scored 21 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds in a 128–122 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

On March 22, 2023, Martin scored a career-high 31 points, shooting 12-18 from the field against the Memphis Grizzlies.

On February 18, 2023, he was one of four participants in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on all-star weekend.

Los Angeles Clippers (2023)
On July 8, 2023, the Rockets traded Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers for two future second-round picks.

Philadelphia 76ers (2023–present)
On November 1, 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Martin, Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington from the Clippers in exchange for James Harden, P. J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev. As part of the trade, the Clippers dealt a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and cash considerations to the 76ers, while sending a pick swap and cash considerations to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On July 15, 2024, he re-signed with the Sixers.

Personal life
Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, who was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA draft and played in the NBA for 15 years, and Heather Martin.