Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk
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Kelly Olynyk

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Kelly Olynyk

Kelly Tyler Olynyk (/ˈlɪnɪk/ oh-LIN-ik; born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the captain of the Canada men's national basketball team. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he earned All-American honors in 2013.

After forgoing his senior season, Olynyk was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft before being immediately traded to the Boston Celtics. He spent four seasons with the team, helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017. During the 2017 off-season, Olynyk signed with the Miami Heat, with whom he reached the 2020 NBA Finals. He was traded to the Houston Rockets in March 2021.

Olynyk signed with the Detroit Pistons during the 2021 off-season, and was traded to the Utah Jazz during the 2022 off-season. He spent two seasons with the team before being traded to the Toronto Raptors during the 2023–24 season, and then to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2024–25 season. Olynyk joined the Spurs during the 2025 off-season, with whom he reached the 2026 NBA Finals.

Olynyk was born on April 19, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, where he began playing basketball at an early age. Alongside future NBA player Cory Joseph, he played for the Scarborough Blues, a rep basketball team that rarely lost from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. One defeat came against rival Toronto 5-0, a rep team from the city's west end led by Stephen Curry. Olynyk moved with his family to Kamloops, British Columbia, when he was in seventh grade.

Olynyk did not attend a high school or prep school in the United States; instead, he stayed home at South Kamloops Secondary School. He gained exposure to U.S. competition and coaches by playing on provincial teams, competing in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and non-AAU tournaments in the U.S., and representing the Canadian junior national team. Olynyk developed as a point guard, continuing to play that position even after growing from 6'3" (1.90 m) to 6'10" (2.08 m) in grade 11. He was heavily recruited out of high school by programs likes Syracuse, Providence, and North Carolina State. Ultimately, he chose Gonzaga, in part so he could play closer to home.

Olynyk was named Basketball BC's Outstanding High School Player of the Year in his senior season, leading his South Kamloops Titans to a 36–2 record and a third-place finish at the BC AAA High School Boys' Basketball Championships.

Olynyk also played quarterback for the Titans and broke his arm during a playoff game in 2007.

Olynyk played college basketball at Gonzaga from 2009 to 2013. He was mostly a bench player for the Bulldogs in his freshman and sophomore years, averaging around 12 to 13 minutes per game. In order to improve his game and get stronger, Gonzaga and Olynyk agreed that he would redshirt his junior year (2011–12), meaning he would practice with the team, but not play.

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