Kel'el Ware
American basketball player (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kel'el Ware (/kəˈlɛl wɛər/ kə-LELL wair;[1] born April 20, 2004) is an American basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers.
| No. 7 – Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | April 20, 2004 | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Arkansas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | |||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2024: 1st round, 15th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2024–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | →Sioux Falls Skyforce | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Early life and high school career
Kel’el Ware was born on April 20, 2004, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended North Little Rock High School from 2018 to 2022.[2] As a junior, he averaged 16.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. As a senior, Ware averaged 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game.[3] He also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoop Summit and the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[4][5][6]
Recruiting
Ware was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services.[7] On August 9, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Oregon over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Memphis, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.[8] Ware was also offered a two-year contract for $900,000 from Overtime Elite, but he declined the offer and maintained his commitment to Oregon.[9]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kel'el Ware C |
North Little Rock, AR | North Little Rock (AR) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 9, 2021 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: (93) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 7 247Sports: 7 ESPN: 8 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
Ware entered his freshman season at Oregon as the Ducks' second center.[10] He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[11] After averaging 26 minutes played, 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the first nine games of the season, Ware saw a decline in playing time due to what Oregon's coaching staff believed to be an inconsistent work ethic.[12] He ultimately averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the season. At the end of the season, Ware entered the NCAA transfer portal.[13]
Ware ultimately transferred to Indiana.[14] He started at center in the Hoosiers' season-opener against Florida Gulf Coast and recorded the first double-double of his college career with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals as Indiana won 69–63.[15] Ware set a new career high with 22 points scored while also grabbing 12 rebounds on November 16, 2023, in a 89–80 victory over Wright State.[16] He re-set his career high in scoring with 28 points in a 89–76 win over Harvard.[17] After the season, Ware declared for the 2024 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[18]
Professional career
Ware was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA draft[19] and on July 2, 2024, he signed with the Heat.[20]
Ware was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January 2025.[21]
On November 11, 2025, Ware put up a career-high 20 rebounds in a 140–138 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[22] On December 21, Ware put up a career-high 28 points, along with 19 rebounds, in a 132–125 loss to the New York Knicks.[23]
On March 5, 2026, Ware put up 16 points,11 rebounds, a career-high seven blocks, and five steals in a 126–110 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He became the first player to put up a 10-10-5-5 game in Heat franchise history and the first to do so off the bench in NBA history.[24][25]
National team career
Ware played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[26] He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks as the United States won the gold medal.[27]
Personal life
Career statistics
| 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 |