Corey Kispert

Corey James Kispert was born in March of 1999 in Edmonds, Washington, just north of Seattle. He is the son of former college athletes Craig (basketball) and Deri (volleyball) Kispert. Corey attended King's High School in Shoreline, Washington. As a junior at King's, Kispert averaged 23.9 points and 2.3 steals per game, led the team to a state title and was named MVP of the state championship tournament. At the end of his junior season, he committed to Gonzaga University. Kispert finished his high school education with a 3.96 grade-point average. Kispert would stay at Gonzaga for a full four years. In his first year as a Bulldog, Kispert played in 35 games and averaged 19.4 minutes per game, with seven starts. Kispert would then start 101 of his next 102 games for Gonzaga. As a sophomore, he earned Academic All-West Coast Conference honors. During his junior season, the forward hit 2.4 threes per game. He also earned WCC First Team and Academic All-WCC Team honors and was a Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award finalist, Kispert's college stats peaked as a senior, when he generated 18.6 points, 2.8 three-pointers and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. He was then named All-WCC First Team, WCC Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. He also led Gonzaga to the 2021 NCAA Tournament National Championship game, where the Bulldogs lost to Baylor. Kispert was also named the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year. In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards selected Kispert with the 15th overall pick.