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Kel'el Ware

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Kel'el Ware
No. 7 – Sioux Falls Skyforce
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2004-04-20) April 20, 2004 (age 20)
Sherwood, Arkansas, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Little Rock
(North Little Rock, Arkansas)
College
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 15th overall pick
Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentMiami Heat
2024–present→Sioux Falls Skyforce
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2022 Mexico Team

Kel'el Ware (/kəˈlɛl wɛər/ kə-LELL wair;[1] born April 20, 2004) is an American basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, on assignment from the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers.

Early life and high school career

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Ware grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas and attended North Little Rock High School.[2] As a junior, he averaged 16.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. As a senior, Ware averaged 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game.[3] He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoop Summit and the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[4][5][6]

Recruiting

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Ware was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services.[7] On August 9, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Oregon over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Memphis, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.[8] Ware was also offered a two-year contract for $900,000 from Overtime Elite, but he declined offer and maintained his commitment to Oregon.[9]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kel'el Ware
C 		North Little Rock, AR North Little Rock (AR) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 9, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 7  247Sports: 7  ESPN: 8
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Oregon 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  • "2022 Oregon Ducks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.

College career

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Ware entered his freshman season at Oregon as the Ducks' second center.[10] He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[11] After averaging 26 minutes played, 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the first nine games of the season, Ware saw a decline in playing time due to what Oregon's coaching staff believed to be an inconsistent work ethic.[12] He ultimately averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the season. At the end of the season, Ware entered the NCAA transfer portal.[13]

Ware ultimately transferred to Indiana.[14] He started at center in the Hoosiers' season-opener against Florida Gulf Coast and recorded the first double-double of his college career with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals as Indiana won 69–63.[15] Ware set a new career high with 22 points scored while also grabbing 12 rebounds on November 16, 2023, in a 89–80 victory over Wright State.[16] He re-set his career high in scoring with 28 points in a 89–76 win over Harvard.[17] After the season, Ware declared for the 2024 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[18]

Professional career

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Miami Heat / Sioux Falls Skyforce (2024–present)

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Ware was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA draft[19] and on July 2, 2024, he signed with the Heat.[20]

Ware made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 116–97 loss to the Orlando Magic.[21]

National team career

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Ware played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[22] He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks as the United States won the gold medal.[23]

Personal life

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Ware is the son of Tamika and Cedrick Spaight. He has two brothers, Javarus Ware and Kashis Spaight and two sisters, Dyamyn Ware and Jazzmyn Spaight.[24]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Oregon 35 4 15.8 .457 .273 .712 4.1 .5 .4 1.3 6.6
2023–24 Indiana 30 30 32.2 .586 .425 .634 9.9 1.5 .6 1.9 15.9
Career 65 34 23.3 .538 .337 .660 6.7 1.0 .5 1.6 10.9

References

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  1. ^ "Meet Indiana's New 7-Foot BEAST Kel'el Ware!". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Davenport, Richard (May 7, 2021). "THE RECRUITING GUY: Ware keeps motor running on high". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Davenport, Richard (January 26, 2022). "UA signees, Ware get all-star invite". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Streng, Nik (April 7, 2022). "Future Oregon Duck Kel'el Ware to play in Nike Hoop Summit". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. ^ Taylor, Erick (March 29, 2022). "Arkansas connections galore at McDonald's game". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  6. ^ Metzker, Graham (June 2, 2022). "Oregon Signee Kel'el Ware Named Finalist for USA Basketball U18 National Team". SI.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  7. ^ Nemec, Andrew (January 19, 2022). "Updated rankings: Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks center signee, becomes consensus 5-star basketball prospect". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Hansen, Chris (August 9, 2021). "Oregon Ducks land another 5-star recruit as 7–0 center Kel'el Ware commits". The Register Guard. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Nemec, Andrew (September 1, 2021). "Kel'el Ware, Oregon Ducks 5-star center pledge, declines $900,000 offer from Overtime Elite, remains committed: Report". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Prehm, Matt (November 9, 2022). "Dana Altman sees talent but also lots of room for improvement in newcomers Kel'el Ware, Keeshawn Barthelemy". 247Sports. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 2, 2022). "Newcomer Impact Rankings: Which men's college basketball freshmen, transfers will lead teams in 2022–23?". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Crepea, James (March 27, 2023). "Oregon men's basketball center Kel'el Ware to enter transfer portal". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 27, 2023). "Oregon's Kel'el Ware, former top-10 recruit, to enter portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  14. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2023). "Oregon center Kel'el Ware transferring to Indiana". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  15. ^ "Indiana basketball beats FGCU thanks to Kel'el Ware, Gabe Cupps debuts". Indianapolis Star. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  16. ^ "Kel'el Ware came to IU with point to prove. He's playing like it, and Hoosiers need it". Indianapolis Star. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Career games for Ware and Mgbako lead Indiana past Harvard 89-76". ESPN. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Indiana basketball sophomore Kel'el Ware declares for 2024 NBA draft". Indianapolis Star. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Weinberger, Zachary (June 26, 2024). "Why the Heat is the 'perfect place' for Kel'el Ware". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  20. ^ "HEAT SIGN KEL'EL WARE". NBA.com. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  21. ^ "Orlando Magic at Miami Heat Box Score, October 23, 2024". Basketball-Reference.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  22. ^ Crepea, James (June 3, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware to play for USA Basketball's U18 men's national team". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  23. ^ Crepea, James (June 13, 2022). "Oregon signee Kel'el Ware, USA Basketball's U18 men's national team win gold at Americas Championship". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  24. ^ "Kel'el Ware - Men's Basketball". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
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