Kyle O'Quinn
Kyle O'Quinn | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 26, 1990 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2012–2025 |
Kyle Brandon O'Quinn (born March 26, 1990) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. He competed at the collegiate level for the Norfolk State Spartans, where he played a key role in their significant victory against the #2-seeded Missouri Tigers during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In the 2012 NBA draft, he was chosen as the 49th overall pick in the second round by the Orlando Magic.
Early and personal life
O'Quinn was born and brought up in Queens, New York, particularly in the neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens. His mother, Regina O’Quinn, and his father, Tommie—who moved from Mississippi in 1963, worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and passed away in 2015—raised him. He also has an elder sister, Rasheena Moss, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in broadcast journalism from Hampton University.
While playing for the Knicks, O'Quinn earned additional income by entertaining at New York bar and bat mitzvahs, where he interacted with guests through dancing, signing autographs, and socializing.
High school career
O'Quinn spent his initial two years at Holy Cross High School, where he saw limited action on the junior varsity squad. He then transferred to Math, Science Research & Technology High School within the Campus Magnet Complex in Queens. Initially focused on football and nearly abandoning basketball during his junior year, he shifted gears by his senior year to average 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks per contest. Despite these stats, he received just one scholarship offer—from Norfolk State University. His senior season accolades included first-team All-Queens and third-team All-Public School Athletic League (PSAL) recognition.
College career
Although O'Quinn initially contemplated pursuing football despite holding a basketball scholarship from Norfolk State, he ultimately committed to basketball with aspirations of reaching the NBA. He completed his studies earning a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Across 129 games played at Norfolk State, he maintained averages of 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.19 blocks per game, while shooting .553 from the field. The university honored him by retiring his number 10 jersey on February 16, 2019.
Freshman season
In his first year at Norfolk State (2008–09), O'Quinn participated in all 31 contests with two starts, posting averages of 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was recognized twice as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) rookie of the week.
Sophomore season
During his sophomore campaign (2009–10), O'Quinn started in 29 out of 30 games, ranking third on his team with an average of 11.5 points per game and leading with 8.7 rebounds per game. He also averaged 1.7 blocks and led the MEAC with a field goal percentage of 54.9%. His performance earned him a spot on the All-MEAC Second Team and two MEAC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Junior season
In the 2010–11 season, O'Quinn posted averages of 16.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and an impressive 3.44 blocks per game—placing him fourth nationally in blocks and fifth in rebounds. He set single-season records for Norfolk State with totals of 110 blocks and 355 rebounds while leading the MEAC in both categories and ranking second in field goal percentage (.556). He became Norfolk State’s inaugural recipient of the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year award, collected four MEAC Player of the Week honors, and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Senior season
During his final collegiate year, O'Quinn posted averages of 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.69 blocks per contest. He led the MEAC with 20 double-doubles and ranked nationally among the top players in field goal percentage (.573), blocks, and rebounds. His outstanding performance earned him both the MEAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as the 2012 Lou Henson Award recognizing the premier mid-major player in the country.
Norfolk State entered the NCAA Tournament as a 15th seed and achieved a historic upset over second-seeded Missouri during their inaugural postseason appearance, with O'Quinn contributing an impressive 26 points and 14 rebounds. The team was subsequently eliminated by Florida in the following round.
After completing his senior season, O'Quinn excelled at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he averaged 11.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game, earning both Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team distinctions.
Orlando Magic (2012–2015)
O'Quinn was chosen with the 49th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. He inked his rookie contract on August 9, 2012. Throughout the 2012–13 season, he was recognized as the Hustle Player of the Year for his relentless effort, concluding the year with averages of 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds across 57 games.
In the 2013–14 campaign, O'Quinn led Orlando with an average of 1.3 blocks per game, placing him tied for 20th league-wide, while contributing 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. An ankle sprain delayed his start to the 2014–15 season; however, upon return, he started five games during a teammate’s injury absence and posted averages of 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.
New York Knicks (2015–2018)
On July 9, 2015, O'Quinn was involved in a sign-and-trade deal that brought him to the New York Knicks on a four-year contract worth $16 million, exchanged for cash considerations and draft rights. He made an impactful debut with eight points and eleven rebounds in a season-opening victory. On February 24, 2016, he achieved a season-best scoring output of 19 points coming off the bench.
Throughout the 2016–17 season, O'Quinn reached new personal bests with 20 points and 13 rebounds in December, followed by setting a career-high with sixteen rebounds later that month. In March 2017, he matched his highest scoring mark with a 23-point game. On November 25, 2017, filling in for an injured teammate as a starter, he recorded a double-double with twenty points and fifteen rebounds.
Indiana Pacers (2018–2019)
O'Quinn signed a one-year contract with the Indiana Pacers on July 9, 2018, opting out of his final year in New York for a $4.5 million deal that included a $200,000 salary increase.
Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)
On July 11, 2019, O'Quinn agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fenerbahçe (2021)
O'Quinn joined Fenerbahçe of Turkey’s Basketball Super League and EuroLeague on January 20, 2021, signing a one-year agreement. He parted ways with the club on June 17, 2021.
Paris Basketball (2021–2022)
On September 2, 2021, O'Quinn signed with Paris Basketball, competing in France’s LNB Pro A league.
Sichuan Blue Whales (2023)
O'Quinn signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association on September 24, 2023.
He officially announced his retirement from professional basketball on April 12, 2025.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 57 || 5 || 11.2 || .513 || .000 || .668 || 3.7 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 0.5 || 4.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 69 || 19 || 17.2 || .501 || .000 || .687 || 5.3 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 1.3 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 53 || 17 || 16.2 || .492 || .279 || .772 || 3.9 || 1.2 || 0.6 || 0.8 || 5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 65 || 1 || 16.2 || .476 || .227 || .767 || 3.8 || 1.1 || 0.3 || 0.8 || 4.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 79 || 8 || 15.6 || .521 || .118 || .771 || 5.6 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 1.3 || 6.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 77 || 10 || 18.0 || .582 || .235 || .772 || 6.1 || 2.1|| 0.5|| 1.3|| 7.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Indiana | 45||3||8.2|| .507|| .083|| .810||2.6||1.2||0.2||0.6||3.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia |29||2||10.8|| .494|| .259|| .550||4.0||1.8||0.2||0.8||3.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |472||65||14.2|| .517|| .218|| .740||4.6||1.4||0.4||1.0||5.4
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2019 | style="text-align:left;" | Indiana |1||0||1.6||||||||0.0||0.0||0.0||0.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2020 | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |1||0||5.7'|||||||1.0|||1.0|||0.0|||0.0|||0.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |2||0||3.6||||||||0.5||0.5||0.0||0.0
College
|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;" | Norfolk State |31||2||16.7|| .492|| .378|| .622||3.4||0.4||0.3||0.8||5.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;" | Norfolk State |30||29||28.3|| .549|| .239|| .527||8.7||0..9|||0..5|||1..7|||11..5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-