If you are a fan of basketball, you might have heard of Kennedy Meeks and Jodie Meeks, two professional players who have made their mark in the sport. But are they related? Do they share a family bond or just a common surname? Here is what we know about the possible connection between these two athletes.
Who is Kennedy Meeks?
Kennedy Meeks is a 28-year-old American basketball player who last played for Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A, the top-tier league in France. He played college basketball for North Carolina, where he won the NCAA championship in 2017. He is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Meeks attended West Charlotte High School, where he averaged 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks as a senior. He was named to the McDonald’s All-America team in 2013. He was an honorable mention All-ACC performer in his sophomore year and broke Tyler Hansbrough’s school record for the most rebounds in an NCAA tournament in his senior year.
Meeks went undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft but joined the Toronto Raptors for the NBA Summer League. He then signed with the Raptors’ G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, where he averaged 12.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in his rookie season. He also won the G League championship with the team.
Meeks then moved to Japan, where he played for SeaHorses Mikawa and Levanga Hokkaido in the B.League. He averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his two seasons in Japan. He then signed with Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League, where he averaged 19.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
In January 2021, Meeks joined Changwon LG Sakers of the same league, where he averaged 20.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. In August 2021, he signed with Cholet Basket of France, where he averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds per game before leaving the team in December 2021.
Who is Jodie Meeks?
Jodie Meeks is a 35-year-old American basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League, the affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for Kentucky, where he was a consensus second-team All-American and a first-team All-SEC selection in 2009. He is a native of Nashville, Tennessee.
Meeks attended Norcross High School, where he led his team to its first state basketball championship in 2006. He averaged 23.6 points per game during the regular season and 28.3 points per game during the state playoffs. He was named the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year and the Atlanta Tipoff Club Metro Player of the Year.
Meeks played three seasons at Kentucky, where he became one of the best scorers in school history. He holds the Kentucky single-game scoring record with 54 points against Tennessee in 2009, as well as the single-game three-point record with 10 triples in the same game. He also scored a career-high 46 points against Appalachian State in 2008.
Meeks was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 41st overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. He played for seven NBA teams in his career: the Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards, and the Toronto Raptors. He won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019.
Meeks also played for Raptors 905 of the G League in early 2022 before joining Birmingham Squadron as an assistant coach later that year.
Are They Related?
According to our research, there is no evidence that Kennedy Meeks and Jodie Meeks are related by blood or marriage. They do not share any common ancestors or relatives that we could find. They also do not seem to have any personal or professional relationship beyond being fellow basketball players.
They do share some similarities, such as being from the same region (the Southeast), playing for college teams in neighboring states (North Carolina and Kentucky), and having brief stints with Raptors 905 (although not at the same time). However, these are not enough to establish a familial link between them.
Therefore, we can conclude that Kennedy Meeks and Jodie Meeks are not related to each other, at least not in any significant way. They are just two talented basketball players who happen to have the same last name..
