Kenyon Martin Jr.

KJ Martin
Born	Kenyon Lee Martin Jr. (2001-01-06) January 6, 2001 Southern California, United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2020–present
Known for	Playing for Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Ningbo Rockets

Kenyon Lee "KJ" Martin Jr. (born January 6, 2001) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for the Ningbo Rockets in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He is the son of former NBA player Kenyon Martin and was raised in southern California. Martin played high school basketball at Chaminade College Prep and Sierra Canyon, followed by a postgraduate year at IMG Academy. Selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in November 2020, where he spent three seasons. During the 2023 off-season, Martin was involved in trades that sent him first to the Los Angeles Clippers, then to the Philadelphia 76ers after just two games; in February 2025, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons and immediately moved to Utah.

High school career

Martin began his high school journey at Oaks Christian School as a freshman but did not participate in basketball that year. After a brief period of homeschooling, he enrolled at Chaminade College Prep, where he started playing basketball during his sophomore year.

As a three-star recruit from Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, Martin played alongside teammates such as Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cassius Stanley. He averaged 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while helping his team secure consecutive California Open Division titles.

Originally committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt, Martin chose instead to pursue a postgraduate year at IMG Academy. There, he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game and gained recognition for his athleticism and enhanced shooting ability. On March 24, 2020, he officially declared for the 2020 NBA draft.

2020-21

Martin was picked 52nd overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA draft on November 18, 2020. Within a week, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations and a future second-round draft pick. He signed a four-year deal with Houston on November 30 and was assigned to their G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

He made his NBA debut on January 8, 2021, delivering a perfect shooting performance with seven points against the Orlando Magic. On May 8, Martin achieved a season-best 27 points in a matchup against the Utah Jazz and recorded several games with double-digit rebounds.

2021-22

During this season, Martin took part in 79 out of 82 games and started twice. His highest scoring output was 20 points on March 2, 2022, versus the Utah Jazz, while he also twice collected 11 rebounds in individual games.

2022-23

Before the season began, Martin requested a trade seeking increased playing opportunities but ultimately became a regular starter following Eric Gordon’s trade in February. He appeared in all 82 games that season, starting 49 times, and posted career-best averages of 12.7 points per game, a .572 field goal percentage, 5.5 rebounds per game, and logged an average of 28 minutes on the court.

On November 25, 2022, Martin recorded 21 points along with a personal best of 15 rebounds during a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. He surpassed his scoring record again on March 22, 2023, putting up 31 points versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Additionally, Martin competed in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend in February 2023.

Los Angeles Clippers (2023)

On July 8, 2023, the Rockets sent Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for two second-round draft selections scheduled for future years.

Philadelphia 76ers (2023–2025)

The Philadelphia 76ers obtained Martin, along with Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, and Robert Covington, from the Clippers on November 1, 2023. In return, the Clippers received James Harden, P. J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev. Additionally, the Clippers transferred a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and cash considerations to Philadelphia. They also provided a pick swap and cash to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Martin extended his contract with the Sixers on July 15, 2024.

Utah Jazz (2025)

On February 6, 2025, Martin was traded alongside two future second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons, who then immediately included him in a five-team transaction that sent him to the Utah Jazz. This multi-team trade also involved Jimmy Butler moving to the Warriors. During his time with Utah, Martin participated in 19 games, starting nine, and averaged 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists before being released on September 23.

Ningbo Rockets (2025–present)

Martin signed with the Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association on November 15, 2025.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 45 || 8 || 23.7 || .509 || .365 || .714 || 5.4 || 1.1 || .7 || .9 || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 79 || 2 || 21.0 || .533 || .357 || .634 || 3.8 || 1.3 || .4 || .5 || 8.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 82 || 49 || 28.0 || .569 || .315 || .680 || 5.5 || 1.5 || .5 || .4 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 2 || 0 || 15.7 || .400 || .200 || .500 || 1.5 || .5 || 1.0 || .5 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 58 || 2 || 12.3 || .544 || .304 || .538 || 2.2 || .9 || .3 || .2 || 3.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 24 || 7 || 20.0 || .616 || .381 || .828 || 3.0 || .8 || .5 || .7 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 19 || 9 || 22.7 || .490 || .189 || .722 || 2.8 || 1.5 || .3 || .3||6.3 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |309||77||21.6||.545||.329||.673||4.0||1.2||.5||.5||8.6

Personal life

Martin is the son of Heather Martin and Kenyon Martin, who was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA draft and enjoyed a fifteen-year career in the NBA.