When Kyle Korver was drafted into the NBA in 2003 by the New Jersey Nets, the team probably had no idea that he will turn out to become quite the star that he is today. If the Nets could have seen the future, they would not have pawned the future 3-point shooting specialist off to the Philadelphia 76ers for $125,000 on draft night. The California native has since gone on to enjoy an impressive career, garnering plenty of prestigious awards.
Korver is a one-time NBA All-Star and recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. More so, he is not the only sportsman in his family as a good number of his folks are sports inclined which explains why he picked interest in sports right from the get-go.
Kyle Kover’s Early Years
The basketball player was born on March 17, 1981, in Paramount, California. He is eldest of the four sons born to Kevin and Laine Korver. His paternal grandfather, Harold Korver, is the pastor of the Emmanuel Reformed Church situated in his hometown of Paramount, California.
In 1993, Kyle Korver and his family left Los Angeles for Pella, Iowa where his father was posted to serve as the pastor of the Third Reformed Church. Not much is known about the elementary school Kyle attended, however, we do know that he attended Pella High School Pella, Iowa following his family’s relocation.
His Achievements in NCAA Basketball
Kyle Korver developed a passion for basketball during his time as a child in Los Angeles. As an avid Los Angeles Lakers fan, the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were role models to him and he desperately aimed to become them.
Upon graduation from high school where he played the game he loved, Kyle was admitted into Creighton University. After his freshman year where he averaged 8.8 points per game, he was named to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Bench team, All-Freshman team, and All-Newcomer team.
In his sophomore year, Kyle Korver set a number of records, including scoring 100 three-pointers as he averaged 14.6 points per game. This feat earned him second-team All-MVC honors and a place on the MVC All-Tournament team. In his junior year, he led his team in multiple categories, including scoring, assists, rebounding, and steals to earn himself the MVC Player of the Year award and honorable-mention All-America honors.
Korver again won the prestigious MVC Player of the Year award the following year, making him the sixth player in a list that includes Larry Bird to manage such a feat. He rounded off his college career in style with a school-record 371 three-pointers among other statistics that helped land him a place in the basketball annals of his university. In 2003, Korver graduated from Creighton with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communications before deciding to go pro.
Kyle Korver’s Career Journey and the Teams He Has Played For
Philadelphia 76ers (2003-2007)
Kyle Korver emerged as the 51st overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected by the New Jersey Nets who had in the previous year won the Atlantic Division championships and featured in the NBA Finals. Due to some financial constraints, the team was forced to sell the player’s draft rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for $125,000. The fee was intended to cover the purchase of a copy machine and logistics for the summer league.
Korver went on to spend five seasons with the Philadelphia team, making only one playoff appearance before was traded to the Utah Jazz.
Utah Jazz (2007-2010 and 2018-2019)
The 76ers traded Kyle Korver and a future first-round draft pick to the Jazz for Gordan Giricek. The player proved to be a great addition to the team as his three-point shooting helped them make the playoffs in the three years he spent there. He, however, suffered a couple of injury setbacks which ruled him out of a significant amount of games. He battled with a lot of wrist and knee issues for which he had to undergo surgery before he left the team.
In 2018, Korver returned to the team for a second stint after being traded by the Cavaliers.
Chicago Bulls (2010-2012)
Kyle Korver signed for the Chicago Bulls on July 13, 2010. He featured in all 82 regular-season games in his debut season, the third time he had achieved this in his career even though he came off the bench for all his appearances. Kyle averaged 8.3 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game that season. The following year, he averaged 8.1 points, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 65 games.
Atlanta Hawks (2012-2017)
Before the beginning of the 2012-13 season, the Bulls traded the NBA star to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for cash considerations. Kyle went on to score 189 three-pointers for the team in his debut season. The following year, after signing a new and impressive contract, Korver finished the season on top of the NBA’s three-point shooting percentage chart.
In 2015, the Hawks star got his first NBA All-Star call-up. In that same year, he surpassed Kobe Bryant on the list of all-time three-pointers made. While at the Atlanta-based franchise, the athlete won the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the 2014/15 season.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-2018)
On January 7, 2017, Cleveland Cavaliers traded two of its players plus a protected future first-round draft pick and cash considerations for Kyle Korver. During his time with the team, the shooting guard/small forward netted his 2000th career three-pointer, making him the seventh player to do so in NBA history. He also reached 11,000 career points while playing for the franchise.
Milwaukee Bucks
The veteran basketball player joined the Milwaukee Bucks on July 25, 2019. Ever since he signed for the Bucks, injuries have limited his playing time. His contract with the team will elapse on July 25, 2020.
Details of His Impressive Career Stats
Kyle Korver has countless times proved his mettle as a basketball player. In the 2009/10 season, he set an NBA single-season three-point field goal accuracy record with 53.6%. In total, his three-point field goal percentage stands at 42.9% while his overall field goal percentage stands at 44.3% as of 2020.
Over the course of his career, Korver has played in 1,174 games and has averaged 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Unfortunately, despite all his impressive personal stats, a championship has eluded him even though he has made two NBA finals appearances.
Who are His Family Members?
As mentioned above, Kyle Korver has three brothers; Kirk, Klayton, and Kaleb. The quartet were ardent and skilled basketball players during their time at Pella High School. Their achievements in scoring and rebounding still resound in the school to date.
Kirk, Klayton, and Kaleb all went on to play Division I basketball. Kaleb, who also attended Creighton University like Kyle, played as a guard. Klayton was a talented guard and forward player who plied his trade at Drake University while Kirk was a forward for the UMKC Kangaroos before he died in March 2018.
The Korver boys are not the only members of the family who have huge interests in the game of basketball. Their mum Laine played basketball in high school and once netted 74 points in a single game. Kyle Korver’s uncle, Kris, coaches the Northwestern college basketball team. His cousin Kari Korver is a former UCLA women’s basketball player.
What We Know About Kyle Korver’s Wife & Children
Kyle Korver is happily married to his heartthrob, Juliet Richardson. His wife was born on January 1, 1980, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was raised in a Catholic family that frowned at secular music. Despite her upbringing, she has taken to the genre and is garnering fame for it. She has also worked as a model.
As a talented singer, she is best known for her highly-rated album, Random Order, which was released in 2005. The album’s hit single “Avalon” garnered her widespread praise and acclaim.
Kyle and Juliet tied the knot on August 10, 2011. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Kyra Elyse Korver, on December 5, 2012. Juliet has since given birth to two lovely boys; Knox Elliot who was born on October 4, 2014, and Koen who was born on November 7, 2016.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7u7PRZ6WerF%2Bau3DDyKSgaGpgZ35urculZK2glWLBpq3MrGSksZyaeqy70a%2Bcq2WYlsBuvMuasJ6cXZu8s3nAp5tmmZyherCyjKGgrGWWlrqquNhmqZ6kkam2sLrSoaCpq18%3D