Kobe Bufkin
Bufkin with Michigan in 2021
No. 4 – Atlanta Hawks
PositionShooting guard / point guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-09-21) September 21, 2003
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolGrand Rapids Christian
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)
CollegeMichigan (2021–2023)
NBA draft2023: 1st round, 15th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentAtlanta Hawks
2023–2024→College Park Skyhawks
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Kobe Bufkin (born September 21, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines.

High school career

Bufkin played basketball for Grand Rapids Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1][2] He joined the varsity team as a freshman.[3] As a sophomore, Bufkin averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, helping his team achieve a 16–6 record. In his junior season, he averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, leading his team to a 20–2 record.[4] As a senior, he averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game in five games, before missing most of the season with a fractured left wrist.[5] Bufkin was named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.[6]

Recruiting

A consensus four-star recruit, Bufkin committed to playing college basketball for Michigan over offers from LSU, DePaul, Michigan State and Ohio State.[7] He was drawn to Michigan by assistant coach Saddi Washington.[8] Along with Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabaté, he was part of a recruiting class that was the top-ranked class in the nation for the 2021–22 Michigan Wolverines.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kobe Bufkin
SG		 Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids Christian (MI) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 10, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 51  247Sports: 44  ESPN: 40
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  • "2021 Michigan Wolverines Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

College career

As a freshman, Bufkin averaged three points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 10.6 minutes per game.[10] On December 20, 2021, he earned co-Big Ten freshman of the week honors for his first double digit scoring effort on December 18 against Southern Utah.[11][12][13]

He picked up a lot of minutes as a sophomore following the 2022 departures of Eli Brooks, DeVante' Jones and Frankie Collins.[10] He posted a then-career-high 22 points in back-to-back games against Lipscomb (December 17)[14] and North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational (December 21).[15] On February 2, 2023, Bufkin contributed 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, for his first career double-double as well as a career-high eight assists against Northwestern.[16] On February 26, Bufkin led Michigan with a career-high 28 points in an 87–79 overtime victory over Wisconsin.[17][18] Following the regular season, he earned All-Big Ten third-team recognition from the media and honorable mention recognition from the coaches.[19][20]

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2023–present)

The Atlanta Hawks selected Bufkin with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[21][22][23]

On July 3, 2023, Bufkin signed a rookie-scale contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[24]

Personal life

Kobe Bufkin is the son of Mike Bufkin and Kimberly Camp.[25][26] Bufkin's parents were fans of the Michigan men's basketball team since the Fab Five era, and named his brothers after Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas.[27][28]

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

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Michigan 28010.6.380.222.7731.1.3.4.13.0
2022–23 Michigan 333334.0.482.355.8494.52.91.3.714.0
Career 613323.3.463.325.8333.01.7.9.49.0

References

  1. ↑ Lacett, Mike (January 21, 2020). "Grand Rapids Christian star hoping to be the next famous Kobe". WZZM. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ DeCamp, Scott (December 28, 2019). "Michigan State recruiting target Kobe Bufkin puts game on full display". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. ↑ Raffel, John (December 21, 2018). "Grand Rapids Christian sophomore Kobe Bufkin gaining notice for his all-around play". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ Kahn, Andrew (July 10, 2020). "Kobe Bufkin, guard from Grand Rapids, commits to Michigan basketball". MLive. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ Spencer, Jamal (March 18, 2021). "Bufkin hopes to return to the court during the playoffs". WZZM. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ Wells, Seth (February 23, 2021). "GR Christian's Kobe Bufkin named a McDonald's All-American". WOOD-TV. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hawkins, James (July 10, 2020). "'Really good upside': Grand Rapids standout Kobe Bufkin commits to Michigan's 2021 class". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ Sang, Orion (July 12, 2020). "How did Michigan basketball land Kobe Bufkin? John Beilein holdover had a big hand in it". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ Sang, Orion (November 11, 2020). "Meet Juwan Howard's No. 1-ranked Michigan basketball recruiting class for 2021". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Zuniga, Alejandro (October 20, 2022). "Teammates reveal the most impressive player on the Michigan men's basketball team". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska Receive Weekly Men's Basketball Awards". bigten.org. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Dickinson double-double paces Michigan's 87–50 romp". ESPN. Associated Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  13. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (December 18, 2021). "First-Half Runs Pace Michigan in Win Over Southern Utah". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (December 17, 2022). "Michigan Survives Late Scare from Lipscomb Behind Bufkin's Career-High 22 Points". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (December 21, 2022). "Michigan Drops Jumpman Invitational Matchup Against North Carolina". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (February 2, 2023). "Bufkin Notches First Career Double-Double in Win at Northwestern". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  17. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (February 26, 2023). "Dickinson's Buzzer-Beater Forces OT in U-M Win Over Wisconsin". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Bufkin, Dickinson lead Michigan past Wisconsin 87–79 in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  19. ↑ Wywrot, Tom (March 7, 2023). "Dickinson, Bufkin, Howard Earn Big Ten Postseason Honors". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ "2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced: Purdue's Zach Edey named Big Ten Player of the Year". BigTen.org. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ Garcia, Tony (June 22, 2023). "Michigan basketball's Kobe Bufkin picked No. 15 by Atlanta Hawks in NBA draft 2023". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  22. ↑ Kahn, Andrew (June 22, 2023). "Michigan's Kobe Bufkin picked 15th in NBA draft". MLive.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Rookie Guard Kobe Bufkin". NBA.com. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  24. ↑ Kahn, Andrew (July 5, 2023). "Michigan's Jett Howard, Kobe Bufkin sign NBA rookie contracts". MLive.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  25. ↑ Goldwasser, Max (March 16, 2022). "Kobe Bufkin's mom excited for his first college b-ball tournament appearance". WXMI. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ Wierda, Marlee (March 25, 2022). "Flight makes Bufkin's dad late to Michigan Sweet 16 game". WOOD-TV. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  27. ↑ Kahn, Andrew (July 15, 2020). "How Michigan basketball landed in-state star Kobe Bufkin and why he chose U-M". MLive.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  28. ↑ Goldwasser, Max (November 14, 2021). "'Dream come true': Kobe Bufkin's mom reflects on his basketball debut with Wolverines". WXMI. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
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