Kelly Olynyk

At 32 years old, Kelly Olynyk has this physical status:

Kelly Tyler Olynyk ( oh-LIN-ik; born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he earned NCAA All-American honours in 2013.

After forgoing his senior year, Olynyk was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2013 NBA draft, before being immediately traded to the Boston Celtics.

He also represents the Canadian national team.

Early life

Olynyk was born in Toronto, where he started playing basketball at an early age. He and fellow future NBA player Cory Joseph were both on a Scarborough Blues club team that rarely lost in the late 1990s and early 2000s. One defeat came against rival Toronto 5–0, led by Stephen Curry. Olynyk moved to Kamloops, British Columbia when he was in grade 7.

Personal life

Olynyk's father, Ken, was head men's basketball coach at the University of Toronto from 1989 to 2002 and the Canadian junior men's national team from 1983 to 1996, notably cutting future Canadian basketball icon Steve Nash from the junior national team. His mother, Arlene, was a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS; now U Sports) women's basketball referee. From 1995 to 2004, his mother worked for the Toronto Raptors, as the first female NBA scorekeeper. In 2003, Ken became the athletic director at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, with the rest of the family soon joining him in Kamloops. Olynyk has two sisters, Jesse and Maya; the latter played CIS basketball for the Saskatchewan Huskies. Olynyk's family is of Ukrainian origin.

Source

High school career

Olynyk did not enroll in a high school or prep school in the United States; rather, he stayed home at South Kamloops Secondary School, exposing himself to American competition and mentors while competing on provincial teams (AAU) and non-AAU tournaments in the United States; and the Canadian junior national team. Also after increasing from 6'3" (1.90 m) to 6'10" (2.08 m) in grade 11, Olynyk developed as a point guard, keeping the position as a point guard. The likes of Syracuse, Providence, and North Carolina State attracted a large number of students out of high school. In part, he picked Gonzaga so he could play closer to home.

In his grade 12 years, Olynyk was named the best high school athlete of the year, leading his South Kamloops Titans to a 36–2 record and third-place finish at the BC AAA Boys' Basketball Championships.

When he was in high school and broke his arm during a playoff game in 2007, Olynyk was also a quarterback for the Titans.

College career

Olynyk played college basketball at Gonzaga from 2009 to 2013. He was mainly a bench player for the Bulldogs in his freshman and sophomore seasons, averaging around 12 to 13 minutes per game. Gonzaga and Olynyk decided to redshirt his junior year (2011–12), implying that he will train with the team but not play.

Olynyk returned to the Bulldogs in their first game of the 2012–13 season, as well as the 2012–13 Academic All-America first team. Following his redshirt junior year, he opted for the NBA draft, forgoing his senior year of eligibility (though by that time he had already earned his bachelor's degree in accounting).

Professional career

Olynyk was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and then moved to the Boston Celtics for the rights to Lucas No. 31 and two future second round picks. Olynyk signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics on July 7, 2013. For the 2014 Rising Stars Challenge, Olynyk was selected alongside teammate Jared Sullinger on Team Webber. He was selected to the NBA All-Rookie second team after averaging 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 70 games in 2013-14.

The Celtics exercised their third-year option on Olynyk's rookie scale contract on October 29, 2014, extending the deal through the 2015–16 season. In a 105-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on December 15, 2014, he scored a career-high 30 points. In the fourth quarter of the Celtics' 90-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, he injured his ankle after landing on the foot of Thomas Robinson. Olynyk didn't appear to be back soon after the All-Star break, and instead missed 18 games. On March 4, he returned to action against the Utah Jazz. Kevin Love's shoulder against the Cleveland Cavaliers was injured in game 4 of the first round of the 2015 NBA playoffs while wrestling. Love did not appear in the rest of the 2015 playoffs.

After being suspended for his role in Kevin Love's left shoulder injury during the 2015 playoffs, Olynyk missed the Celtics' 2015–16 season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28. The Celtics used their fourth-year team option on Olynyk's rookie scale deal two days earlier, extending the deal through the 2016-17 season. In a 124-119 double overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on December 11, 2015, he scored a season-high 28 points. After missing the previous 12 games due to an injured right shoulder, he returned to action for the Celtics on March 16, 2016.

Since undergoing right shoulder surgery in May 2016, Olynyk missed the first six games of the 2016--17 season, and later spent a day with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League in early November. In a 118-93 loss to the Washington Wizards, he made his season debut for the Celtics on November 9, 2016, playing 25 minutes and scoring two points. In a 103-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, he set a new season high of 26 points on January 13, 2017. He scored 14 of his playoff career-high 26 points in the first 8:34 minutes of the fourth quarter on May 15, the Celtics' first appearance since 2012, defeating the Washington Wizards in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2012.

Following his release as a restricted free agent, the Celtics renounced their rights Olynyk, resulting in his appointment as an unrestricted free agent.

Olynyk signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Miami Heat on July 7, 2017. In his season opener against the Orlando Magic on October 18, 2017, Olynyk scored ten points in a 116–109 loss to the Orlando Magic. In a 90-89 victory over his former team, the Boston Celtics, he scored a career-high 32 points. In a 149-141 double-overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on March 19, 2018, he scored 30 points off the bench, making him the second reserve in Heat history to score 30 points. In a 119–98 victory over the New York Knicks, he scored 22 points and a career-high 10 assists.

In a 113-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors, Olynyk had two double-doubles, including 12 points and a new career-high 11 assists, as well as six rebounds, one steal, and one block. Olynyk helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals in 2020, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Victor Oladipo and Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and a 2022 draft pick swap were traded to the Houston Rockets on March 25, 2021. In a victory over the Timberwolves on March 27, he made his debut, scoring 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 25 minutes.

Olynyk, a Detroit Pistons guard, agreed to a three-year, $37 million deal on August 6, 2021. In a 112–104 victory over the Houston Rockets on November 10, he sustained a knee injury. The injury was diagnosed as a grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain two days later, effectively ending Olynyk out of action for at least six weeks.

With Saben Lee to the Utah Jazz in 2022, Olynyk was traded with Bojan Bogdanovi to the Utah Jazz on September 26, 2022. In a 122–121 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on October 23, Olynyk put up 20 points with a game-winning layup.

National team career

Olynyk was on the Canadian national team's training camp roster on July 17, 2019, but he withdrew from the team after being hospitalized in an exhibition match with Nigeria on August 7.

Olynyk agreed to a three-year contract with the Canadian senior men's national team on May 24, 2022.

Source