Kenneth Kadji (born May 19, 1988) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player who is currently playing for KSA of the Elite Messieurs. He played college basketball for the University of Florida and University of Miami.

Kenny Kadji
Kadji in January 2009 with the Florida Gators
KSA
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueRoad to BAL
Elite Messieurs
Personal information
Born (1988-05-19) May 19, 1988 (age 36)
Suresnes, France
NationalityCameroonian
Listed height211 cm (6 ft 11 in)
Listed weight110 kg (243 lb)
Career information
High schoolIMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
College
NBA draft2013: undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2014Phantoms Braunschweig
2014Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2014–2015Aries Trikala
2015Dinamo Sassari
2015–2016Enel Brindisi
2016Dinamo Sassari
2016Lietuvos rytas
2016–2017Trabzonspor
2017–2019Tofaş
2019–2020Estudiantes
2020Türk Telekom
2020–2021Frutti Extra Bursaspor
2021–2022BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque
2022Hapoel Holon
2023Limoges CSP
2023–2024Al-Ahli Jeddah
2024–presentKSA
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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Kadji attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where in 2008, he was ranked fifth among centers by Rivals.com[1] and sixth by Scout.com.[2]

College career

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Kadji initially chose to play at Florida under coach Billy Donovan. He regularly came off the bench in his freshman year of 2008–09, averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, but his sophomore season was cut short by a back injury that required surgery.[3] After that season, Kadji transferred to Miami, where one of his brothers was attending;[3] he later said that he left Florida "for a fresh start", indicating that he had no problems with Florida's coaches.[4]

After sitting out the 2010–11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Kadji became a starter at Miami in 2011–12, averaging 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while being named third-team All-ACC. The following season, Kadji averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds[3] for a Hurricanes team that won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles, and was named second-team All-ACC.[3]

Professional career

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2013–14 season

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After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Kadji joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On September 30, 2013, he signed with the Cavaliers, but was later waived by the team on October 25.[5]

On December 6, 2013, Kadji signed a three-month contract with New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig of the Basketball Bundesliga.[6] On January 7, 2014, he parted ways with Phantoms after appearing in just five games.[7] On January 25, he was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League.[8] He spent the rest of the 2013–14 season with the Vipers, averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20 games.[9]

2014–15 season

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In July 2014, Kadji joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On August 19, 2014, he signed a one-year deal with Aries Trikala of the Greek Basket League.[10] On February 14, 2015, he left Trikala and signed with Dinamo Sassari of the Italian Serie A for the rest of the season.[11]

2015–16 season

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On July 11, 2015, Kadji signed with Enel Brindisi, also of the Serie A, for the 2015–16 season.[12] On February 1, 2016, he left Brindisi and returned to his former team Dinamo Sassari for the rest of the season.[13]

2016–17 season

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On July 23, 2016, Kadji signed with Lithuanian club Lietuvos rytas Vilnius.[14] On October 2, 2016, he parted ways with Lietuvos rytas after three games and signed with Turkish club Trabzonspor for the rest of the season.[15][16]

2017–18 & 2018–19 season

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On June 9, 2017, Kadji signed with Turkish club Tofaş for the 2017–18 season.[17]

2019–20 season

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On September 14, 2019, he has signed with Estudiantes of the Spanish Liga ACB.[18]

On February 29, 2020, he has signed with Türk Telekom of the Turkish Super League.[19]

2020–21 season

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On August 17, 2020, Kadji signed with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of the Turkish league.[20]

2021–22 season

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On July 21, 2021, he has signed with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the LNB Pro A.[21]

2022–23 season

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On July 23, 2022, he has signed with Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[22] On January 30, 2023, he signed with Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A.[23]

2023–24 season

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In September 2023, Kadji was signed by Al-Ahli Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.[24]

2024–25 season

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On September 21, 2024, Kadji signed a 6-month contract with Kadji Sports Academy (KSA) in Cameroon, after having been the owner and president of the club for the past years already.[25]

Personal

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Kadji is the owner and president of the Kadji Sports Academy (KSA) basketball team.[26] In September 2024, he joined the team as a player.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Kenny Kadji". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  2. ^ "Kenny Kadji". Scout.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Kenny Kadji Profile". hurricanesports.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Brockway, Kevin (March 3, 2012). "Forgotten faces of UF basketball's 2008 class". Gainesville.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  5. ^ "Cavaliers Waive Diop, Kadji, Taylor and Williams". NBA.com. October 25, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "New Yorker Phantoms sign Kenny Kadji". Sportando.com. December 6, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  7. ^ "New Yorker Phantoms, Kenny Kadji part ways". Sportando.com. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  8. ^ "RGV VIPERS ACQUIRE KENNY KADJI". NBA.com. January 25, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  9. ^ "Kenny Kadji D-League Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  10. ^ "Kenneth Kadji signs with Aries Trikala". Sportando.com. August 19, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  11. ^ "Kenny Kadji signs with Dinamo Sassari". Sportando.com. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Ingaggiato Kenny Kadji". newbasketbrindisi.it (in Italian). July 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  13. ^ "Dinamo Sassari announces Kenny Kadji". Sportando.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  14. ^ ""Lietuvos ryto" naujokas – galingas aukštaūgis iš Kamerūno". bc.lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). July 23, 2016. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  15. ^ "Oficialu: K.Kadji keliasi į Turkiją". Krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  16. ^ "Kenny Kadji parts ways with Lietuvos Rytas, inks with Trabzonspor". Sportando.com. October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  17. ^ "Tofas Bursa announce Kenny Kadji". Sportando.com. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Skerletic, Dario (September 14, 2019). "Kenny Kadji joins Movistar Estudiantes". Sportando. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Turk Telekom inks Kenny Kadji". Sportando. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  20. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (August 17, 2020). "Bursaspor officially signs Kenny Kadji". Sportando. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  21. ^ "Kenny Kadji S'engage Avec Le BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque !". bcmbasket.com (in French). July 21, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  22. ^ Skerletic, Dario (July 23, 2022). "Kenny Kadji joins Hapoel Holon". Sportando. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  23. ^ "Kenny Kadji en remplacement de Gavin Schilling". limogescsp.com (in French). January 30, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  24. ^ "Cameroon: Al Ahli inks Kenny Kadji". www.afrobasket.com. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  25. ^ a b @ksabasketball (September 21, 2024). "C'est avec Satisfaction et beaucoup d'émotions que nous souhaitons la bienvenue à l'international et président Kenneth Kadji qui a décidé de chausser les baskets avec son club Ksa basketball Champion du Cameroun 2024" – via Instagram.
  26. ^ Songolo, Ngijol (May 28, 2024). "Owning a Team While Playing Overseas: One Man's Quest to Elevate Cameroonian Basketball". The Diaspora Drop. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
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