Luke Kennard’s annual basketball camp ‘getting bigger and bigger’

After three seasons with the Detroit Pistons, nearly three seasons with Los Angeles Clippers and two-plus seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Franklin High School graduate and former Duke star Kennard, 29, has switched colors to his newest team. He signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Hawks earlier this month.

“I’m really excited,” Kennard said. “The team is great. I love the coach (Quin Snyder). It was definitely one of my top choices when I was a free agent this summer. Atlanta was definitely at the top of my list. It’s going to be a great opportunity. It’s a young team that can do a lot of good things. I’m excited to get there and meet a bunch of the guys. I’ve talked to a lot of them, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Kennard has returned to his home state for the basketball camp five times since 2018. He didn’t hold a camp in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and also missed 2022 because he got married that summer.

Prior to the first camp in 2018, after his rookie season in the NBA, he explained his motivation for giving back to the community.

“Growing up here, playing sports here, they were so good to me,” Kennard said then. “They allowed me to be who I am today. People around here are so supportive of me. I have the most supportive community, hometown in the entire NBA. Not only are the campers going to learn a lot of basketball skills and lessons from the coaches and me personally, they are going to learn life lessons I’ve experienced as a basketball player as well.”

The three-day camp has grown over the years. There were close to 150 kids in 2018. This year, there were approximately 350. There’s enough interest that they could push the number to as many as 500 kids in the future.

“It’s gotten bigger and bigger,” Kennard said. “It’s a lot. I think this is a good number, but that’s what we said last year, and we added more, so we’ll see.”

This year, for the second straight year, Kennard’s camp featured an event called “One Special Game.” According to a camp press release, it’s “a full-court game featuring children and young adults with special needs. The game embodies inclusion, joy, and the power of sport to uplift communities. It is one of the most anticipated moments of the camp, both for the participants and for Luke personally.”

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Speaking of his experience last year at the game, Kennard said, “It was incredible. I didn’t know what to expect, but for the campers, the parents, the families that were here watching, it was such a special moment. It’s definitely one of the things that we’re looking forward to doing each and every year. I know the kids that are involved in it enjoy it, and campers that are involved they love it, too.”

Last year was the first time Kennard had his son at the camp.

“He was very little, but now he’s running around,” Kennard said, “These kids are great with him. He’s definitely a fan favorite.”

Kennard, his wife Anna and Porter now call Springboro home in the offseason. They recently had a house built there.

“To be around family in the offseason is a good thing,” Kennard said. “Whenever I’m done playing — hopefully not for a while — it’ll always be a place to come back to."

Having Luke close to home in the offseason is a treat for his parents Mark and Jennifer, who were both at the camp Saturday. Mark said they see Luke play often during the season, but now they have an easier direct flight from Dayton to Atlanta.

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Mark said he’s proud Luke has added to his legacy with the annual camp.

“He loves his camp,” Mark said. “He looks forward to it every year, and I truly believe there’s not a pro athlete that has a camp like this. For three days and two nights, Luke’s here.”

When Kennard talks to kids at the camp, he tells them, “This is where I started. I started going to these local camps, and I met a lot of good friends at these camps.”

Kennard averaged 8.9 points in 65 games with the Grizzlies last season. He shot 43.3% from 3-point range. He has topped 40% in six of his eight seasons and is a career 43.8% shooter from behind the arc.

Looking back on his time in Memphis, Kennard said, “A lot of good things happened when I was there. Obviously, I had had my first kid, which I’ll never forget, and I played with some really incredible players and loved the staff there and the coaches. I grew a lot, for sure, when I was there, and it was an exciting time. I’m thankful for everything they did for me while I was there.”

Kennard was traded the first two times he switched teams. This was his first experience as a free agent.

“I was kind of excited to see what happened,” Kennard said. “But once free agency started, then it kind of hit me a little bit, ‘Alright, what’s about to happen? What’s going on?’ But I have a great support system, a great agency, and they definitely helped me.”