Former Duke Basketball Star Ryan Kelly Still Smiling Overseas

Including the somewhat obscure yet meaningful distinction of being the last player to ever sub in for the now-late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, former four-year Duke basketball player and 2010 national champion Ryan Kelly has already enjoyed a memorable career on the hardwood. And judging by his stats in Japan in recent years, the 34-year-old's playing days sure appear far from over.

In what is Kelly's second season with the Fukui Blowinds and eighth overall campaign in the Japan Professional Basketball League, the 6-foot-11 forward out of Ravenscroft High School in Raleigh, N.C., is averaging 15.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

Former Duke captain Ryan Kelly spent six seasons with Sun Rockers Shibuya and now suits up for the Fukui Blowinds with ex-Kansas star Perry Ellis in Japan.

Below are some highlights from his Shibuya seasons in Tokyo.

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He's shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from three, and a career-high 92.1 percent at the charity stripe, doing so for a Fukui squad that boasts a 16-10 record and sits sixth in the 14-deep B2 Division standings. Not only does his free throw percentage stack up at No. 5 in the league, but he also boasts the fifth-most makes at the foul line.

Last season, then nine years removed from his final game in what was a four-year stay in the NBA, Kelly tallied 16.8 points per outing. That wasn't quite his highest season scoring average in Japan — 22.4 for the 2019-20 Sun Rockers Shibuya —, but it marked a five-point jump from the previous year.

Ryan Kelly was a freshman on the 2009-10 Duke basketball national title squad and a teammate to current Blue Devil head coach and then-senior Jon Scheyer.

As a senior under Hall of Fame head coach and eventual five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski, Kelly helped power a veteran bunch of 2012-13 Blue Devils to a 30-win season that ended in the Elite Eight. He averaged 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks that go-round, serving as a formidable stretch-four while shooting an impressive 42.2 percent beyond the arc on 3.6 attempts per game.

Duke basketball forward Ryan Kelly — Feb, 8, 2012; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly (34) shoots as North Carolina Tar Heels forward John Henson (31) defends late in the second half. The Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 85-84 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Arguably Kelly's most incredible performance came in his return from a foot injury. In his first game back to action after being sidelined for almost two months, Kelly poured in a career-high 36 points and shot 7-for-9 from deep during an early March 79-76 home victory over the Miami Hurricanes.

Kelly and the Blowinds next host the Yokohoma Excellence on Saturday.

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