Kiwi Gardner
Personal information
Born (1993-04-07) April 7, 1993 (age 31)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight155 lb (70 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeMidland (2012–2013)
NBA draft2013: undrafted
Playing career2013–present
PositionPoint guard
Career history
2013–2015Santa Cruz Warriors
2015Pioneros de Los Mochis
2015–2016Al-Ansar
2017Westports Malaysia Dragons
2020Santa Cruz Warriors
2022Illawarra Hawks
Career highlights and awards

Keyondrei Samuel "Kiwi" Gardner[1] (born April 7, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East. He became an Internet sensation via YouTube in 2011.[2][3] Gardner played one season of college basketball for Midland College before beginning his professional career in 2013.

High school career

Gardner was born in Oakland, California.[4] He was raised by his mother and his extended family in the Maxwell Park neighborhood, and began playing basketball at the age of four.[5] From 2007 to 2010, Gardner attended Manteca High School in Manteca, California.[6] As a sophomore in 2008–09, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as he helped the Buffaloes finish with a 24–4 record. As a junior in 2009–10, he averaged 24 points, 3.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals as he helped the Buffaloes finish a 23–6 record.[7]

In 2010, Gardner transferred to Westwind Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. He did not meet the eligibility requirements of the Arizona Interscholastic Association because of transferring in his senior year, so he did not play on WPA's State Championship High School team that year. Instead, he played on WPA's prep team. Gardner was chosen to participate in the NCAA's High School Slam Dunk contest during the Final Four Tournament, where the crowd watched the same showmanship that has led to hundreds of thousands of hits on his YouTube highlight videos.[8] He averaged 23.7 points, seven assists, four steals and four rebounds per game during the 2010–11 season, leading Westwind to a 30–2 record and a state title.[7]

College career

Gardner committed to Providence College,[7] but he never gained eligibility to play.[9] He subsequently sat out the 2011–12 season and transferred to Midland College, where he played nine games during the 2012–13 season.[10] Following the season, he declared for the NBA draft.[11]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Gardner spent the 2013–14 season in the NBA Development League with the Santa Cruz Warriors.[12][13] After a stint with the Golden State Warriors during the 2014 NBA Summer League,[14] Gardner returned to Santa Cruz for the 2014–15 season and helped the Warriors win the D-League championship.[15][16]

In 2015, Gardner played in Mexico for Pioneros de Los Mochis.[17] For the 2015–16 season, he played in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ansar.[18] He scored 74 points in a game outside Mecca.[5]

After a preseason stint with the Windy City Bulls in November 2016,[19][20] Gardner joined the Westports Malaysia Dragons of the ASEAN Basketball League in February 2017.[21][22] After one season, Gardner played in lower professional and semi-professional leagues in China, Japan, and Hong Kong.[5]

On February 7, 2020, Gardner was acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors, returning to the franchise for a second stint.[23] He played 11 games to finish the 2019–20 NBA G League season.[24]

In March 2022, Gardner moved to Australia to play for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East.[25] He was named the 2022 NBL1 East MVP.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Keyondrei Samuel Gardner was born on April 7, 1993 in Alameda County, California". californiabirthindex.org. California Birth Index. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Kiwi Gardner, The Youtube Sensation... Official Senior Season Mixtape". YouTube.com. April 15, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Gardner, Kiwi (December 31, 2013). "Kiwi Gardner Gets A Break, Told To 'Go At The Rim'". Morning Edition (Interview). Interviewed by David Greene. NPR. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  4. ^ Dunn, Geoffrey (January 28, 2014). "How Kiwi Gardner Became a Fan Favorite". santacruz.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Dunn, Geoffrey (March 10, 2020). "Kiwi Gardner's internal fire burns strong". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Jacinto, Jonamar (January 21, 2010). "Back from suspension, Gardner letting game do the talking". Manteca Bulletin. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Kiwi Gardner Signs A NLI To Attend PC". Friars.com. May 13, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  8. ^ "Gardner to be featured in dunk contest". MantecaBulletin.com. March 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  9. ^ Simmons, Rusty (October 19, 2013). "Oakland's Gardner makes D-League tryout circuit". SFGate.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  10. ^ "Kiwi Gardner – NJCAA Stats". NJCAA.org. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  11. ^ "Eighteen early-entry candidates withdraw from 2013 Draft". NBA.com. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  12. ^ "2013 NBA Development League Draft". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  13. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  14. ^ "Warriors Announce 2014 Summer League Roster & T.V. Schedule". NBA.com. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  15. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce 2014 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  16. ^ "Title Wave: Santa Cruz Wins NBA D-League Championship". NBA.com. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  17. ^ "Kiwi Gardner signs with Los Mochis". Court-Side.com. June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ^ Laird, Sam (October 20, 2015). "From East Oakland to Saudi Arabia, Kiwi Gardner's hoop dream marches on". Mashable.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  19. ^ "Windy City Bulls Select Four Players in 2016 D-League Draft to Complete Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 30, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  20. ^ "WINDY CITY BULLS WAIVE FIVE PLAYERS". NBA.com. November 4, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  21. ^ "Game 10 Preview: Malaysia Dragons versus Singapore Slingers". kldragons.com. February 7, 2017. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  22. ^ Lee, David (February 10, 2017). "Slingers coach: 'We need local players to perform'". tnp.sg. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  23. ^ "NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Kiwi Gardner". realgm.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "Basketball Illawarra is proud to announce our first signing for the NBL1 East season!!". facebook.com/IllawarraBasketball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  26. ^ "2022 COLES EXPRESS NBL1 EAST & SPALDING WARATAH LEAGUE | MVP AWARDS". bnsw.com.au. August 26, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.

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