Former Illini Kendrick Nunn signing with Golden State Warriors

Former Illinois guard Kendrick Nunn plans on signing with the Golden State Warriors after going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Nunn’s “Oakland to Oakland” tweet signifies his path from Oakland University, the school he finished his college career off at after being dismissed from Illinois in 2016, to Oakland, California, home of Warriors, who have won three NBA Finals championships in the past four years.

Nunn was dismissed from Illinois in May 2016 after pleading guilty to a single count of misdemeanor battery. The original charge stemmed from an incident in March 2016, when he struck a woman in his apartment. Nunn received 18 months of court supervision and 100 hours of community service as part of the plea agreement.

Nunn averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 42.8 percent from the field during the 2015-16 season. After sitting the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Nunn landed at Oakland where he was named Horizon League Player of the Year and scored 25.9 points per game.

What could have been if Nunn was able to stay on the team and play his senior season with Malcolm Hill, a year that Illinois came close to a NCAA Tournament berth (darn you, Rutgers)? Nobody will ever know.

But it seems like Nunn has been able to turn it around in his life, and he’ll have an opportunity to make it in the NBA now with an excellent franchise and some of the best players in the world.

From an excellent article by 247’s Jeremy Werner last summer:

“I’ve grown up as a man and became a man since then,” Kendrick Nunn said. “I do things differently, take every day differently. I’m more of a student every day and learning and ready to go.”

We wish you the best, Kendrick, and can’t wait to see what happens at the next level.