Khem Birch

Khem Xavier Birch (born September 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

Khem Birch
No. 24 – Orlando Magic
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1992-09-28) September 28, 1992
Montreal, Quebec
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2014 / Undrafted
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2015Sioux Falls Skyforce
2015–2016Uşak Sportif
2016–2017Olympiacos
2017–presentOrlando Magic
2017–2018→Lakeland Magic
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

College career

In 2011–12, Birch played college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He then, in 2012, transferred to UNLV, where he played with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. As a junior, in the 2013–14 season, he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, which was the third highest in the Mountain West Conference, while also averaging 3.8 blocks per game,[1] which was the second highest in the Mountain West Conference.[2] During his college career, he averaged 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists in 25.4 minutes per game in 69 games.[3]

In April 2014, he entered the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.[4][5]

Professional career

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014–2015)

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Birch joined the Washington Wizards for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On September 14, 2014, he signed with his first NBA team, the Miami Heat.[6] However, he was later waived by the Heat on October 25, 2014.[7] On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as an affiliate player.[8] On February 4, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015 NBA D-League All-Star Game.[9] In the 2014–15 NBD-D League season, he averaged 11.1 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, 1.8 blocks per game, and 0.7 steals per game, in 52 games played.[10]

Uşak Sportif (2015–2016)

On June 30, 2015, he signed to play in Turkey, with Uşak Sportif of the Turkish Super League (BSL).[11] The following month, he joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2015 Orlando Summer League[12] and the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League.[13] He went on to play with Uşak during the 2015–16 season, and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 32 games played in the Turkish Super League 2015–16 season.[14]

Olympiacos (2016–2017)

On June 14, 2016, Birch signed to play in Greece, on a 2-year €1.1 million net income contract,[15] with the defending Greek Basket League champions, Olympiacos.[16] With Olympiacos, he averaged 15.7 minutes, 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game, in 33 games played in the Greek Basket League 2016–17 season.[17] He also averaged 18.1 minutes, 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 37 games played in the EuroLeague 2016–17 season.[18]

On July 10, 2017, Birch opted out of his contract with Olympiacos, in order to sign in the NBA.[19]

Orlando Magic (2017–present)

On July 27, 2017, he signed with the Orlando Magic.[20] On March 14, 2019, Birch recorded a double-double, tying his career-high with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and two steals in a 120–91 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[21]

Canadian national team

Birch was a member of the junior national teams of Canada. With Canada's Under-18 junior national team, he played at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, where he won a bronze medal.[22] He is also a member of the senior men's Canadian national team. With Canada's senior national team, he played at the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Orlando 42013.8.540–.6894.3.8.4.54.2
2018–19 Orlando 50112.9.603.000.6993.8.8.4.64.8
Career 92113.3.574.000.6944.0.8.4.54.5

EuroLeague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2016–17 Olympiacos 372118.1.624–.6435.6.3.51.07.310.8
Career 372118.1.624–.6435.6.3.51.07.310.8

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Pittsburgh 10615.0.571–.5455.0.0.21.94.4
2012–13 UNLV 261521.8.563–.6425.7.6.72.67.2
2013–14 UNLV 333231.4.510–.69310.21.2.63.811.5
Career 695325.4.531–.6687.8.8.63.18.9

Personal life

Birch was born in Montreal on September 28, 1992, to Wendy Sparks and Dervincent Birch. Since 2018 he is married to Elina Zoitakis, from Greece, and they have a daughter, Ariadne Sofia, born in January 2019 [23]

References
  1. Khem Birch Per Game.
  2. Khem Birch Stats.
  3. "Khem Birch Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  4. "UNLV junior forward Khem Birch to enter 2014 NBA Draft". NBCSports.com. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  5. "Khem Birch Impressing in NBA Workouts". Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  6. HEAT Signs Khem Birch.
  7. HEAT Waive Birch, Drew, Johnson and Jones.
  8. Skyforce Announces Full Training Camp Roster.
  9. "Thirteen NBA Veterans Headline Rosters for NBA Development League All-Star Game Presented by Kumho Tire". NBA.com. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. Olympiacos tab Khem Birch - Jun 15, 2016.
  11. "Khem Birch is a newcomer at Usak". Eurobasket.com. June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  12. BROOKLYN NETS ANNOUNCE SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER AND SCHEDULE.
  13. New Orleans Pelicans Summer League Player Profiles: Khem Birch.
  14. Olympiacos tab Khem Birch.
  15. Khem Birch signed with Olympiacos.
  16. Olympiacos bulks up with Birch.
  17. ΜΠΙΡΤΣ Κεμ | STOIXIMAN.GR Basket League 2016–17 (in Greek).
  18. BIRCH, KHEM EuroLeague 2016-17 STATISTICS.
  19. "Khem Birch signing with the Orlando Magic | Eurohoops". Eurohoops. 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  20. "Magic Sign Khem Birch". NBA.com. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  21. "Magic center Khem Birch raised his game in 2018-19". OrlandoSentinel.com. June 10, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  22. Khem BIRCH (CAN) participated in 2 FIBA / FIBA Zones events.
  23. "2013-14 Men's Basketball Roster: Khem Birch". UNLV Rebels. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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