K. J. Simpson

Kenneth Dwayne "KJ" Simpson Jr. (born August 8, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Early life and high school career Simpson grew up in Panorama City, Los Angeles and attended Chaminade College Preparatory School. He was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to playing college basketball for Arizona. After Arizona head coach Sean Miller was fired, Simpson requested and was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent and reopened his recruitment. He ultimately signed to play at Colorado.

College career Simpson was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman team during his first season playing for the Colorado Buffaloes after averaging 7.4 points per game and also leading the team in total assists and steals. He was named second-team All-Pac-12 after averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore.

As a junior, Simpson was named to the first-team All-Pac-12, averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game and shooting 43% from three-point range this season. In the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament against No. 7 Florida, Simpson hit a game-winning jumper with less than two seconds left to secure a 102–100 victory.

Professional career On June 27, 2024, Simpson was selected with the 42nd overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024 NBA draft. On July 7, Simpson signed a two-way contract with the Hornets. He made 36 appearances (including 15 starts) for Charlotte during his rookie campaign, recording averages of 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.

Simpson made 14 appearances (including two starts) for the Hornets during the 2025–26 NBA season, averaging 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. On February 6, 2026, he was waived by the Hornets.

On February 19, 2026, Simpson signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.

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NBA

College