Rashard Kelly

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Rashard Kelly

| image = Rashard Kelly (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Kelly in 2020

| number = 1

| position = Small forward / power forward

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lbs = 227

| league = B.League

| team = Aomori Wat's

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|8|22}}

| birth_place = Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.

| high_school =

Chancellor
(Fredericksburg, Virginia)
Bishop O'Connell
(Arlington, Virginia)
Massanutten Military Academy
(Woodstock, Virginia)
Hargrave Military Academy
(Chatham, Virginia)

| college = Wichita State (2014–2018)

| draft_year = 2018

| career_start = 2018

| years1 = 2018–2019

| team1 = Parma

| years2 = 2019–2020

| team2 = Aquila Basket Trento

| years3 = 2020–2021

| team3 = Gaziantep

| years4 = 2021–2022

| team4 = JDA Dijon

| years5 = 2022–2023

| team5 = Tasmania JackJumpers

| years6 = 2023

| team6 = BC Wolves

| years7 = 2023

| team7 = Prometey

| years8 = 2023–2024

| team8 = ADA Blois

| years9 = 2024–present

| team9 = Aomori Wat's

| highlights =

VTB United League All-Star (2019)

}}

Rashard DaeQuan Kelly (born August 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for ADA Blois of the Betclic Élite. He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers.

High school career

Kelly began playing basketball at age four and grew up playing against older competition. Following his freshman season at Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, he transferred upon his mother's advice to Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, due to its superior basketball program and academics. As a senior, Kelly played for Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia, before completing a postgraduate year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia to gain more recruiting attention. He played for D.C. Assault on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.{{cite web |last1=Suellentrop |first1=Paul |title=Tough love helped push Rashard Kelly to Wichita State |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article4782990.html |website=The Wichita Eagle |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=December 21, 2014}}

College career

Kelly played college basketball for Wichita State for four years. As a junior, he was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Bench Team.{{cite web |last1=Suellentrop |first1=Paul |title=Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown grow into Wichita State’s big dogs on defense |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article138987748.html |website=The Wichita Eagle |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=March 16, 2017}} Kelly averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.{{cite news |last1=Page |first1=Fletcher |title=No. 2 seed Kentucky-No. 10 seed Wichita State |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2017/03/18/no-2-seed-kentucky-no-10-seed-wichita-state-storylines-game-info-projected-starters/99303926/ |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |work=The Courier-Journal |date=March 18, 2017}} As a senior, Kelly averaged 5.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, grabbing a school-record 104 offensive rebounds.{{cite web |last1=Polakoff |first1=Elliott |title=Rashard Kelly ready to join Parma Basket |url=https://www.ksn.com/sports/shockers/rashard-kelly-ready-to-join-parma-basket/1321238049/ |website=KSN-TV |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=July 24, 2018}} He became the sixth player in program history to win at least 100 career games.{{cite web |title=Kelly leaving his mark at Wichita State |url=https://www.kwch.com/content/sports/Kelly-leaving-his-mark-at-Wichita-State-469645143.html |website=KWCH-DT |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=January 16, 2018}}

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Kelly signed with Russian club Parma of the VTB United League. He played in the 2019 VTB United League All-Star Game.{{cite web |title=Final All-Star Game Rosters |url=https://www.vtb-league.com/en/news/final-all-star-game-rosters/ |publisher=VTB United League |accessdate=August 30, 2020}} In 26 appearances, Kelly averaged 11 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

On July 11, 2019, Kelly signed a one-year deal with Aquila Basket Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroCup.{{cite web |title=Trento adds inside presence with Kelly |url=https://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/news/i/9sl7cgsq4quphm9v/trento-adds-inside-presence-with-kelly |publisher=EuroCup Basketball |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=July 11, 2019}}{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Kelly averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block per game in LBA play. In March 2020, he returned to the United States amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |last1=Eldridge |first1=Taylor |title=Former Shocker relives the 'tough decision' to flee Italy amid coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article241673561.html |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |work=The Wichita Eagle |date=April 1, 2020}}

On July 22, 2020, Kelly signed with Gaziantep Basketbol of the Turkish Basketball Super League.{{cite web |last1=Maggi |first1=Alessandro |title=Rashard Kelly signs with Gaziantep |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/rashard-kelly-signs-with-gaziantep/ |publisher=Sportando |accessdate=August 30, 2020 |date=July 22, 2020}} Kelly averaged 11.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

On July 16, 2021, Kelly signed with JDA Dijon Basket of the LNB Pro A.{{cite web |title=Rashard Kelly (ex Gaziantep) signs at Dijon |url=https://www.eurobasket.com/Turkey/news/694737/Rashard-Kelly-(ex-Gaziantep)-signs-at-Dijon |website=Eurobasket |access-date=July 16, 2021 |date=July 16, 2021}}

On June 21, 2022, Kelly signed with the Tasmania JackJumpers in Australia for the 2022–23 NBL season.{{cite web |title=Tasmania Lock in Import Rashard Kelly |url=https://nbl.com.au/news/tasmania-lock-in-import-rashard-kelly |website=NBL.com.au |access-date=June 21, 2022 |date=June 21, 2022}}

On March 1, 2023, Kelly signed with BC Wolves of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).{{cite web|title=BC Wolves signs an American forward|url=https://bcwolves.com/en/news/Wolves-signs-an-american-forward-218|website=bcwolves.com|date=March 1, 2023|access-date=March 1, 2023}} He parted ways with the club on July 30, 2023.

On December 16, 2023, he signed with ADA Blois of the Betclic Élite.{{Cite web|url=https://sportando.basketball/en/ada-blois-signs-rashard-kelly-part-ways-with-robert-woodard-ii/|title=ADA Blois signs Rashard Kelly, part ways with Robert Woodard II|last=|first=|date=December 16, 2023|website=|publisher=Sportando|language=En|access-date=December 16, 2023}}

On July 31, 2024, Kelly signed with Aomori Wat's of the B.League.{{Cite web|url=https://aomori-wats.jp/news/detail/id=17341|title=【お知らせ】ラシャード・ケリー選手りそなグループ Bリーグ 2024-25シーズン選手契約合意について|publisher=Aomori Wat's|language=Ja|date=July 31, 2024|access-date=August 19, 2024}}