Alfonzo McKinnie

Alfonzo McKinnie (born September 17, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Dinamo Sassari of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Eastern Illinois University and University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.

Alfonzo McKinnie

McKinnie with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019
No. 28 – Dinamo Sassari
Position	Small forward
League	LBA
Personal information
Born	(1992-09-17) September 17, 1992 (age 31) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	Curie (Chicago, Illinois) Marshall (Chicago, Illinois)
College	Eastern Illinois (2010–2012) Green Bay (2013–2015)
NBA draft	2015: undrafted
Playing career	2015–present
Career history
2015–2016	East Side Pirates
2016	Rayos de Hermosillo
2016–2017	Windy City Bulls
2017–2018	Toronto Raptors
2017–2018	→Raptors 905
2018–2019	Golden State Warriors
2019–2020	Cleveland Cavaliers
2020–2021	Los Angeles Lakers
2021	Capitanes de Ciudad de México
2021–2022	Chicago Bulls
2022–2023	Capitanes de Ciudad de México
2023–present	Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's 3x3 basketball Representing the  United States World Cup 2016 China Team

Early life and high school career

McKinnie grew up on Chicago's West Side.^[1] Growing up just in East Garfield Park only about 15 minutes from the United Center, he describes himself as an enthusiastic supporter of the Chicago Bulls in youth.^[1] McKinnie played his first two years of high school basketball at Chicago's Curie Metropolitan High School.^[2] He played his final high school season as a starter at Marshall Metropolitan High School, during which he earned All-Red West Conference honors averaging 11.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.^[2]

College career

McKinnie was not a big scorer and lightly recruited during his one year at Marshall HS. He got a chance to play at Eastern Illinois. As a sophomore he averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.^[3] After his second year, he transferred to Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he tore his meniscus at the end of his redshirt season. Later, he tore his meniscus again and had it removed.^[4] He finished his college career averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 96 games.^[3]

Professional career

East Side Pirates (2015–2016)

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, McKinnie started his career with the East Side Pirates^[5] in Luxembourg's semi-professional second division, where he became the go-to scorer, averaging 26 points per game.^[6]

Rayos de Hermosillo (2016)

On May 21, 2016, he signed with the Mexican team Rayos de Hermosillo.^[7] An old friend, former North Dakota forward Emmanuel Little, suggested he join the CIBACOPA. McKinnie became a strong player on the squad. He helped lead the Rayos to the regular-season title and the final series before falling four games to two against the Náuticos de Mazatlán.^[8]

Windy City Bulls (2016–2017)

In September 2016, McKinnie paid 175 dollars for a tryout with the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League.^[6] On October 30, 2016, he made Bulls’ G-League roster.^[9] He played well for the Bulls in 2016.^[10]

Toronto Raptors (2017–2018)

On July 9, 2017, McKinnie signed with the Toronto Raptors.^[11] He made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, playing in a single minute in their 117–100 win over the Chicago Bulls. During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to Raptors 905, Toronto's NBA G League affiliate.^[12] On July 17, 2018, the Raptors waived McKinnie.^[13]

Golden State Warriors (2018–2019)

McKinnie signed with the Golden State Warriors for the 2018–19 season. He ultimately earned a spot on the team’s opening night roster.^[14] He recorded his career first double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, both career highs) in 27 minutes off the bench on October 29 against the Chicago Bulls.^[15] McKinnie averaged 4.7 points a game for the season while playing 72 games. The Warriors advanced to the 2019 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games. On October 18, 2019, the Warriors waived McKinnie.^[16]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2020)

On October 21, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed McKinnie off waivers.^[17] On January 6, 2020, he was waived by the Cavaliers.^[18] On January 9, the Cavaliers signed him to a 10-day contract.^[19] On January 23, McKinnie was re-signed to a second 10-day contract.^[20] On February 8, 2020, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they had signed McKinnie to a multi-year contract.^[21]

Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)

On November 22, 2020, McKinnie, along with Jordan Bell, was traded to the Lakers in exchange for JaVale McGee.^[22] On August 4, 2021, he was waived by the Lakers.^[23]

Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2021)

On October 25, 2021, McKinnie signed with the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League.^[24] In 10 games, he averaged 24.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.^[25]

Chicago Bulls (2021–2022)

On December 10, 2021, McKinnie signed a 10-day contract with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, due to numerous players on the team testing positive for COVID-19.^[25] On December 20, he signed a second 10-day contract.^[26] McKinnie described the move to the Chicago Bulls as "the biggest dream coming true".^[27] On December 26, McKinnie was signed for the rest of the season.^[28] On February 19, 2022, he was waived.^[29]

Return to Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2022–2023)

On November 4, 2022, McKinnie was named to the opening night roster for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México.^[30]

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari (2023–present)

On September 21, 2023, McKinnie signed with Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari of the Lega Basket Serie A.^[31]

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

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017–18	Toronto	14	0	3.8	.533	.333	.667	.5	.1	.1	.1	1.5
2018–19	Golden State	72	5	13.9	.487	.356	.563	3.4	.4	.3	.2	4.7
2019–20	Cleveland	40	1	14.8	.427	.215	.710	2.8	.4	.6	.2	4.6
2020–21	L.A. Lakers	39	0	6.6	.516	.410	.556	1.4	.2	.2	.0	3.1
2021–22	Chicago	17	3	12.1	.393	.333	.250	1.9	.3	.1	.2	3.5
Career		182	9	11.6	.467	.326	.583	2.5	.3	.3	.1	4.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019	Golden State	22	1	10.7	.441	.313	.400	2.3	.2	.1	.0	3.0
2021	L.A. Lakers	2	0	6.0	.000	.000	—	.5	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		24	1	10.3	.419	.294	.400	2.1	.2	.1	.0	2.8

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Eastern Illinois	25	5	11.8	.545	–	.531	3.6	.2	.5	.2	3.6
2011–12	Eastern Illinois	29	28	23.8	.567	–	.722	7.0	.4	.6	.8	10.2
2013–14	Green Bay	9	0	12.8	.429	.462	.833	2.8	.2	.3	.4	4.6
2014–15	Green Bay	33	20	21.6	.453	.328	.508	5.3	.2	.5	.5	8.0
Career		96	53	18.9	.506	.351	.622	5.2	.2	.5	.5	7.2

Source:^[32]

Personal life

He is the son of Elisa Bryant and Alfonzo McKinnie, Sr.^[2] In 2018, during his first stop in Chicago with the Warriors, he signed papers to buy his mother a house, and introduced his parents at the Warriors team dinner after he helped Golden State blow out the Bulls.

He was previously engaged to Johanna Leia.

References

1. "McKinnie making most of 'dream come true' with Bulls". RSN. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
2. "Alfonzo McKinnie Bio". eiupanthers.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
3. "NCAA Season Stats – Per Game". RealGM.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
4. "Chicago Native Alfonzo McKinnie Shines For Windy City Bulls". NBA.com. December 27, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
5. "East Side adds McKinnie to their roster". eurobasket.com. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
6. "How Alfonzo McKinnie Became A D-League All-Star". ridiculousupside.com. March 28, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
7. "Hermosillo inks Alfonzo McKinnie, ex East Side". eurobasket.com. May 21, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
8. Gomez, Eric (December 7, 2017). "Americans call the Mexican basketball league home". ESPN. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
9. "Windy City Bulls Select Four Players in 2016 D-League Draft to Complete Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 30, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
10. "Alfonzo McKinnie takes 'unique journey' to roster spot with Warriors". October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
11. "Raptors Sign Malcolm Miller and Alfonzo McKinnie". NBA.com. July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
12. "2017–2018 Raptors 905 Transactions History". RealGM.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
13. "Raptors Waive Alfonzo McKinnie". NBA.com. July 17, 2018.
14. Letourneau, Connor (October 14, 2018). "Alfonzo McKinnie takes 'unique journey' to roster spot with Warriors". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
15. "GAME RECAP: Warriors 149, Bulls 124". NBA.com. October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
16. "Warriors Waive McKinnie, Cunningham and Zeisloft". NBA.com. October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
17. "Cavaliers Claim Alfonzo McKinnie off Waivers". NBA.com. October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
18. "Cavaliers Sign Levi Randolph; Waive McKinnie, Cook". NBA.com. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
19. "Cavs Sign Alfonzo McKinnie To 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
20. "Cavs Sign Alfonzo McKinnie To Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
21. "Cavaliers Sign Alfonzo McKinnie to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
22. "Lakers Acquire Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie". NBA.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
23. "Lakers Waive Alfonzo McKinnie". NBA.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
24. CAPITANES [@CapitanesCDMX] (October 25, 2021). "💎 • Una absoluta joya esta tarjeta. Un jugador con mucha experiencia a nivel @NBAMEX: 🃏 • ALFONZO MCKINNIE 🌎 • EEUU 🇺🇸 🏀 • SF Bienvenido a CAPITANES, @_Alvo_‼️ #AlfonzoEsCapitán 💙💛" (Tweet). Retrieved October 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
25. "BULLS SIGN ALFONZO MCKINNIE TO 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
26. Chicago Bulls [@chicagobulls] (December 20, 2021). "We have signed Alfonzo McKinnie to a second 10-day contract" (Tweet). Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Twitter.
27. Johnson, K.C. (December 21, 2021). "McKinnie making most of 'dream come true' with Bulls". NBCSports.com. from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
28. "BULLS RELEASE ALIZE JOHNSON, SIGN ALFONZO MCKINNIE". NBA.com. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
29. "BULLS RELEASE MCKINNIE; SIGN THOMPSON". NBA. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
30. "Capitanes de Ciudad de México roster 2022-23". NBA.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
31. "Mckinnie è un nuovo gigante". DinamoBasket.com (in Italian). September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
32. "Alfonzo McKinnie Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved May 23, 2019.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com   and Basketball-Reference.com
• Green Bay Phoenix bio
• Eastern Illinois Panthers bio
• Alfonzo McKinnie at FIBA 3x3
• Alfonzo McKinnie at Eurobasket.com