A former Lakers player is gaining recognition in international basketball.
During the 2022-23 season, the Lakers had an unusual journey. They started with a roster that was poorly constructed, relying heavily on aging guards. First-year head coach Darvin Ham had the difficult task of managing a lineup that included nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, former All-Defensive Team player Patrick Beverley, and ex-All-Rookie standout Kendrick Nunn—alongside stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, emerging talent Austin Reaves, and Dennis Schroder.
By the trade deadline, Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn had all been moved, along with floor-spacing center Thomas Bryant, who had been performing well. Beverley and Westbrook flourished with their hometown teams, the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Clippers, respectively.
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Nunn, also from Chicago like Beverley, was traded to the Washington Wizards. Despite expectations that he would thrive on a rebuilding team, he remained a bench player. After missing the entire 2021-22 season due to injury, Nunn played 39 games for the Lakers in 2022-23, averaging 6.7 points in 13.5 minutes per game. His shooting splits stood at .406/.325/.810. In 31 games with the Wizards, he improved his efficiency to .447/.392/.900 while posting 7.5 points, 1.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game.
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Since 2023, Nunn has been excelling with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. In his first season, he was named the Greek League’s Most Popular Player, earned spots on the All-Greek League and All-EuroLeague First Teams, and helped the team win both the Greek League and EuroLeague. He was also crowned Greek League Finals MVP. This season, he led Panathinaikos to a Greek Cup victory.
Teaming up with ex-Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel, Nunn has thrived in Greece. Now, he’s set for a pay raise. According to Legion Hoops, he has agreed to a new contract with Panathinaikos that will make him the highest-paid player in Europe.
As reported by Eurobasket, Nunn will earn $4.5 million per year under a deal that keeps him with Panathinaikos until 2028. The contract does not include an NBA opt-out clause, meaning he will not be able to return to the league for at least three more seasons.
Currently, Nunn is averaging 20.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game and is a strong contender for the EuroLeague MVP award.
In his NBA career, spanning 193 regular season games (113 starts), Nunn has averaged 12.1 points while shooting .451/.362/.876, along with 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.7 steals per game.
