Justin Kier (born May 30, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Heroes Den Bosch of the BNXT League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. He also played for the George Mason Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs.
 Kier with Arizona in 2021 | |
| No. 1 – Heroes Den Bosch | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | BNXT League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 30, 1998 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Spotswood (Penn Laird, Virginia) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | Austin Spurs |
| 2024–present | Heroes Den Bosch |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editKier attended Spotswood High School. In his career, he scored 1700 points for Spotswood and earned Valley District Player of the Year honors.[1] He committed to George Mason over scholarship offers from Coastal Carolina, UNC Greensboro, Radford and Fairfield.[2]
College career
editKier made an immediate impact at George Mason as a freshman, averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[2] He averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as a sophomore.[3] On December 3, 2018, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 72–67 loss to Vermont.[4] As a junior, Kier averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field.[5] He was named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10 as well as the Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player.[6] He suffered a stress fracture in the offseason that caused him to miss the first six games of his senior season. Kier missed a game with an unrelated injury in December 2019. On January 15, 2020, he reinjured his stress fracture which caused him to miss the remainder of the season.[7] In nine games, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.[8]
On April 8, 2020, Kier decided to enter the transfer portal after being granted a fifth season of eligibility.[6] He announced he was transferring to Georgia on April 26 and will be eligible immediately as a graduate transfer.[5] Kier chose the Bulldogs over offers from Minnesota and NC State.[8] He averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field. Kier transferred to Arizona Wildcats for his final season of eligibility.[9] Kier led his team to the Sweet 16 in the 2022 March Madnes, where they lost to the Houston Cougars 72–60.
Professional career
editAustin Spurs (2022–2024)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Kier joined the Austin Spurs on October 24, 2022.[10]
Heroes Den Bosch (2024–present)
editOn July 18, 2024, Kier signed with Heroes Den Bosch of the BNXT League.[11]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | George Mason | 33 | 29 | 27.7 | .428 | .386 | .744 | 4.5 | 1.1 | .6 | .2 | 5.8 |
| 2017–18 | George Mason | 33 | 32 | 33.2 | .451 | .174 | .784 | 4.6 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .1 | 11.0 |
| 2018–19 | George Mason | 33 | 31 | 34.8 | .471 | .371 | .769 | 6.5 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .3 | 14.5 |
| 2019–20 | George Mason | 9 | 2 | 22.6 | .464 | .458 | .846 | 3.6 | 1.3 | .7 | .2 | 9.6 |
| 2020–21 | Georgia | 25 | 25 | 31.0 | .394 | .366 | .750 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 1.7 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 2021–22 | Arizona | 36 | 6 | 20.1 | .444 | .358 | .830 | 3.1 | 2.3 | .6 | .0 | 6.9 |
| Career | 169 | 125 | 28.8 | .444 | .351 | .781 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .2 | 9.5 | |
Personal life
editAt the age of seven, Kier's mother Keley suffered a heart attack while driving a car, crashed into a tree and is now paralyzed, blind and cannot speak. Kier was in the automobile with her but was not injured, escaping through a window. As a consequence of the accident and with his father not in his life, Kier and his older brother, Rasheed, came into the custody of their grandmother, Evelyn.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Flum, Alex (April 26, 2020). "Former Spotswood star Justin Kier transferring to Georgia". WHSV. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Goff, Steven (December 28, 2017). "A small town in Virginia embraced a child. Now it cheers his rise in college basketball". Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Sang, Orion (April 21, 2020). "Grad transfer Justin Kier includes Michigan basketball in final list of suitors". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Duncan, Lamb each score 19 as Vermont holds off George Mason". ESPN. Associated Press. December 3, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Wilson, Brent (April 26, 2020). "Former George Mason guard, Justin Kier commits to Georgia Basketball". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Byrum, Tyler (April 8, 2020). "George Mason grad transfer Justin Kier enters transfer portal, could return to Patriots". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Byrum, Tyler (January 15, 2020). "George Mason loses senior Justin Kier to another foot injury". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Page, Fletcher (April 26, 2020). "George Mason transfer Justin Kier commits to UGA". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Scheer, Jason (May 26, 2021). "Former Georgia guard Justin Kier headed to Arizona". 247 Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Austin Spurs Announce 2022–23 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "Justin Kier nieuwe point-guard Heroes Den Bosch". HeroesDenBosch.com (in Dutch). July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Cristodero, Damian (February 16, 2020). "For senior, 'some light coming into a dark place'". George Mason University. Retrieved April 27, 2020.