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Kenneth Dwayne “KJ” Simpson Jr. (born August 8, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Early life and high school career

Simpson grew up in Panorama City, Los Angeles and attended Chaminade College Preparatory School.[1] He was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to playing college basketball for Arizona.[2] After Arizona head coach Sean Miller was fired, Simpson requested and was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent and reopened his recruitment.[3] He ultimately signed to play at Colorado.[4]

College career

Simpson was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman team during his first season playing for the Colorado Buffaloes after averaging 7.4 points per game and also leading the team in total assists and steals.[5] He was named second-team All-Pac-12 after averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore.[6]

As a junior, Simpson was named to the first-team All-Pac-12, averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game and shooting 43% from three-point range this season.[7] In the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament against No. 7 Florida, Simpson hit a game-winning jumper with less than two seconds left to secure a 102–100 victory.[8]

Professional career

On June 27, 2024, Simpson was selected with the 42nd overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024 NBA draft.[9] On July 7, Simpson signed a two-way contract with the Hornets.[10] He made 36 appearances (including 15 starts) for Charlotte during his rookie campaign, recording averages of 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.[11]

Simpson made 14 appearances (including two starts) for the Hornets during the 2025–26 NBA season, averaging 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.[12] On February 6, 2026, he was waived by the Hornets.[13]

On February 19, 2026, Simpson signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.[14]

Career statistics

Legend
  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

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Charlotte 36 15 23.4 .346 .254 .820 3.0 3.1 .9 .2 7.8
2025–26 Charlotte 14 2 15.9 .348 .308 .625 2.1 2.5 1.1 .0 6.0
Denver 6 0 5.7 .300 .000 .500 1.3 1.3 .2 .0 1.2
Career 56 17 19.6 .345 .265 .820 2.6 2.8 .9 .1 6.7

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Colorado 32 1 21.3 .377 .254 .770 2.5 2.7 .8 .1 7.4
2022–23 Colorado 29 28 31.8 .396 .276 .817 4.3 3.8 1.5 .2 15.9
2023–24 Colorado 37 37 35.1 .475 .434 .876 5.8 4.9 1.6 .1 19.7
Career 98 66 29.6 .429 .347 .834 4.3 3.9 1.3 .1 14.6

References

  1. ^ Fattal, Tarek (November 11, 2020). “Signing Day: Chaminade’s KJ Simpson, Keith Higgins accomplish childhood dream together”. Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (August 15, 2020). “Four-star guard K.J. Simpson commits to Arizona Wildcats”. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (April 19, 2021). “Arizona signee KJ Simpson to look elsewhere after receiving release from letter-of-intent”. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ^ “Four-Star Recruit K.J. Simpson Gives Commitment To CU Buffs”. CBS News Colorado. April 28, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Rooney, Pat (October 24, 2022). “CU Buffs’ Tristan da Silva, KJ Simpson earn Pac-12 MBB preseason all-conference honors”. The Denver Post. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Sarles, Jesse (October 26, 2023). “4 basketball players in Colorado make CBS Sports list of nation’s best men’s college hoopers”. CBS News Colorado. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  7. ^ camellis (March 12, 2024). “Colorado’s KJ Simpson named to first team All Pac-12”. ralphiereport.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Owens, Jason (March 22, 2024). “March Madness: No. 10 Colorado holds for 102–100 thriller over Florida on late KJ Simpson game winner”. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Williams, Cameron (June 27, 2024). “KJ Simpson’s undersized, not undermotivated”. The Charlotte Post. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  10. ^ “Charlotte Hornets Sign KJ Simpson To Two-Way Contract”. NBA.com. July 7, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  11. ^ “K.J. Simpson 2024-25 Stats per Game”. espn.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  12. ^ “K.J. Simpson 2025-26 Stats per Game”. espn.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  13. ^ “Hornets Waive KJ Simpson”. hornets.com. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  14. ^ “NUGGETS SIGN KJ SIMPSON TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT”. nuggets.com. Retrieved February 19, 2026.