Former Franklin High School standout Luke Kennard, a guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, had the No. 10 jersey he wore for the Wildcats retired Tuesday night before the boys' basketball game against Springboro.
Kennard addressed the crowd at Franklin's packed gym, and started by thanking Springboro for its willingness to play what was supposed to be a home game on the road so that Kennard could attend the ceremony.
"I want to thank Springboro for moving the game here. I heard it was supposed to be at your guys' place, so thank you guys for making this happen," Kennard said.
Kennard also thanked his teammates for pushing him "ever since we were young kids."
"They made me better as a player," Kennard added. "They sacrificed a lot to get me better."
Kennard thanked his coaches - including Wildcats head coach Brian Bales, who shared anecdotes about Kennard before the two-time Ohio Mr. Basketball (in 2014 and 2015) spoke that included one about basketball shoes Kennard forgot to bring to a postseason tournament game at UD Arena.
"The community - Franklin, Ohio. Everywhere that I go, everybody knows where I'm from," Kennard said as he choked back tears. "The support that you guys have shown me since I was a little kid is incredible. I can't thank you guys enough for everything that you've done. I let everybody know where I'm from. We put the city on the map, that's for sure."
Kennard was again emotional as thanked his family last. "The things that they sacrificed for me is something that I can't even put into words. It's been an incredible journey to share with them. Growing up in such a small town - to be where I am today - we're proud of that."
Kennard again thanked the crowd, and finished by wishing the Wildcats good luck, and adding, "Go Bengals, too! Who Dey!"
Kennard, who had celebrated the Bengals' AFC Championship win to advance to Super Bowl LVI with a tweet, said he's going to try his best to attend the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, with the Clippers idle that day.
From the Clippers via Twitter:
Last week, Kennard said it would be "really cool" to participate in the 3-point contest at the NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland later this month.
Kennard was quoted in a story by LATimes.com's Broderick Turner:
“We’ll see, especially being back in Ohio. It would be a pretty cool thing to do, back home, friends and family, I know a lot would go. So, but we’ll see. It is what it is. Just focused on what we’ve got going on right now and just trying to get better with the guys.”
Earlier last week, Kennard helped the Clippers rally from a 66-36 halftime deficit, scoring 80 second-half points in an improbable 116-115 win. Kennard had 25 points off the bench on 8-of-13 from the field - including 5-of-8 from 3-point range - with eight rebounds and six assists. He scored seven points in the final nine seconds, including a go-ahead, four-point play with 1.9 seconds left.
Last March, Kennard scored 20 points in 18 minutes off the bench to help the Clippers rally past the Atlanta Hawks.
Kennard agreed in Dec. 2020 to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $64 million.
Kennard visited Franklin's basketball practice just days after he was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Clippers.
Kennard, 25, the Pistons' first-round pick out of Duke in 2017, is one of seven players from local high schools, the Cincinnati Bearcats or Xavier Musketeers on NBA rosters.
In Oct. 2019, Kennard's NBA season got off to a memorable start as he poured in a career-high 30 points off the bench to help the Pistons win their season-opener against the Pacers in Indianapolis.
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