12 Keion Brooks

Keion Brooks was born Aug. 7, 2000, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The 6-foot-7 forward emerged as one of the nation’s leading prospects, first starring at North Side High School before completing his prep career at La Lumiere School. As a senior, he averaged 20.1 points and 7.5 rebounds for a 30-1 team that rose to No. 1 in the national rankings and reached the GEICO High School Nationals. A consensus five-star recruit and Jordan Brand Classic participant, Brooks chose Kentucky over Indiana, Michigan State, Kansas and UCLA.

Brooks developed from an energetic reserve into one of Kentucky’s most experienced players during his three seasons in Lexington. He contributed to the Wildcats’ 25-6 SEC championship team as a freshman, became a team captain as a sophomore and started every game he played as a junior. Beyond the court, he represented student-athletes through the NABC Player Development Coalition, Kentucky’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice.

His defining Kentucky performance came on Jan. 29, 2022, when he scored a career-high 27 points and collected eight rebounds as the Wildcats overwhelmed No. 5 Kansas, 80-62, at Allen Fieldhouse. It was the highest-scoring performance by a Kentucky player in a road victory over an Associated Press top-five opponent since Fred Cowan scored 27 at LSU in 1980, earning Brooks SEC Player of the Week honors. He finished his junior season averaging a career-best 10.8 points while providing Kentucky with a dependable scorer, rebounder and veteran presence.
Brooks transferred to Washington following the 2021-22 season and became one of the Pac-12’s leading scorers, earning second-team all-conference honors in 2023 and first-team recognition in 2024. After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, he began his professional career with the Birmingham Squadron and later signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, making his NBA debut in February 2025. He continued his career in the NBA G League, carrying forward the versatility and steady improvement that marked his years at Kentucky.