Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Michael Anthony Edward Kidd-Gilchrist Jr. (né Gilchrist; born September 26, 1993) is an American former professional basketball player. Kidd-Gilchrist was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2012 NBA draft. He played for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 2011 to 2012.

Kidd-Gilchrist was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Somerdale, New Jersey. He was raised by his mother, Cindy Richardson, and his stepfather, Vincent Richardson, after Kidd-Gilchrist's father died before Michael's third birthday. While attending basketball powerhouse St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey (where he played with Kyrie Irving), he was considered one of the best basketball players in the United States. He was ranked as the #3 player by ESPN.com, and Rivals.com; while Scout.com ranked him as the #1 player at his position. In July 2010, Gilchrist, along with future Kentucky teammate Marquis Teague, were a part of the gold medal-winning team in the FIBA U-17 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Gilchrist's senior year at St. Patrick High School was a pivotal storyline in the HBO documentary Prayer for a Perfect Season.

Kidd-Gilchrist committed to attend the University of Kentucky on April 14, 2010.

In the first game of the 2011–12 season and his career as a Wildcat, Kidd-Gilchrist was a starter and scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting against Marist. In his second game against 11th-ranked Kansas, he scored 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a 75–65 victory at Madison Square Garden. In a rivalry game against 5th-ranked North Carolina at Rupp Arena, Kidd-Gilchrist led Kentucky in scoring with 17 points and had 11 rebounds, giving him his first double-double as a Wildcat. Against 4th-ranked Louisville, he turned in his most dominating performance of the season with 24 points and 19 rebounds, shooting a career-high 13 free throws and having his first zero-turnover game at Kentucky. This was enough to lead Kentucky to a 69–62 victory in Lexington.

In April 2012, Kidd-Gilchrist declared for the 2012 NBA draft. On June 28, he was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. On July 7, 2012, the Bobcats signed Kidd-Gilchrist to a rookie scale contract.

On November 10, 2012, in just his fifth NBA game, Kidd-Gilchrist had 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 101–97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, marking Charlotte's first-ever win over Dallas in the franchise's nine-year history, ending a 16-game losing streak against the Mavericks. He had a second 25-point, 12-rebound effort on December 19, 2012, against the Phoenix Suns. He became only the second player in NBA history to post two games with at least 25 points and at least 12 rebounds before his 20th birthday and became just the fourth player in 20 years to record two such games in the first 25 games of his career. On April 5, 2013, he had a season-high 14 rebounds against the Miami Heat. On May 14, 2013, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

In 2013–14, Kidd-Gilchrist missed 19 games mid-season due to injury. He scored a season-high 16 points three times, all in November, and had a season-high 12 rebounds twice during the second half of the season.

Over the 2014 offseason, Kidd-Gilchrist worked with Hornets' assistant coach Mark Price to help re-develop his jump shot.