Rashard Kelly knew from a young age that he would become a professional basketball player.
Kelly, who was born in Fredericksburg and attended Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania, often dominated the older players he encountered at community courts and excelled in the youth Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) leagues where he played as a youngster.
Now set to begin his seventh pro season — this time for Japan’s Aomori Wat’s franchise — the globetrotting Kelly credited his mother, Tammy Kelly, for the many sacrifices she made to set his well-traveled career in motion.
“My mom was a huge influence, always making things happen for me,” said Kelly, 29. “She supported me in every way she could and rarely missed a game I played in.”
Following his freshman year at Chancellor, Kelly was recruited to play basketball at Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, a Catholic college preparatory school in Arlington that competes in the elite Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC).
After completing his sophomore and junior years at Bishop O’Connell, Kelly played his senior year at Massanutten Military Academy, where he excelled on the court. The academy retired his jersey shortly after his graduation, and he’s since been invited back to speak to the program’s players on multiple occasions.
Initially a Boston College commit, Kelly changed his mind, fearing limited playing time as a freshman. Instead, he began his post-high school basketball career in 2013 at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.
Hargrave provided Kelly with the college recruiting attention and playing time he sought. Just one year removed from high school, Kelly started playing NCAA Division-I basketball for Wichita State University in Kansas from 2014-18.
“I made the top seven rotation right away and was playing a lot of minutes,” he recalled.
In fact, Kelly didn’t miss a game over his four-year career with the Shockers and was named the program’s sixth man of the Year and most improved player as a junior. Witchita State, which competes in the American Athletic Conference, made the NCAA Tournament in all four of Kelly’s seasons.
After going undrafted by the NBA, Kelly began his professional basketball career overseas, starting in Russia with team Parma. During his time in Russia, Kelly led the league in rebounds and made the all-star game as a rookie. His second pro season was cut short due to the pandemic in 2019-20 when he was playing in Italy.
In his third season, Kelly played for Gaziantep in Turkey. Nenad Markovic, Kelly’s coach in Turkey, later brought him to France, where he played in his fourth season against NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who played for a franchise majority-owned by San Antonio Spurs’ four-time NBA champion Tony Parker.
Lithuania, Australia, Ukraine, and France have all been stops along Kelly’s professional basketball journey. His current team competes in Japan’s “B” league. According to Kelly, retired NBA Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki recently spent time at his team’s games and practices in Australia.
“My basketball career has given me the opportunity to see the world and experience many cultures,” said Kelly, who added that he’s considered living overseas permanently. “Although I spend most of my time in the gym working out, I enjoy touring the countries where I play. People pay thousands of dollars to tour spots overseas, but I get the luxury of seeing it every day.”
In the summer of 2023, Kelly had NBA tryouts with the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was offered a G-League spot with the Cavaliers but chose to decline the offer. Giovanni Funciello, Kelly’s current sports agent, assists him with his basketball endeavors.
“At this point in my career, I’m where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “I’ve made mistakes with some of my basketball business decisions, but I’m making a decent living.”
