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Kenyon Martin Jr., son of longtime NBA player, declares for draft

IMG Academy forward Kenyon Martin Jr. has declared for the 2020 NBA draft, his father, Kenyon Martin Sr., told ESPN.

Martin Jr., a 6-foot-7 wing, chose a year of the post-graduate school over a Vanderbilt scholarship to prepare for the draft.

In an Instagram post, he wrote that "There was a lot of hate and doubt about my journey but I feel I've done what was best for me and now is the time to take the next step which is to Declare for the 2020 NBA Draft. It has been a lifelong dream of mine and I will continue to work day by day to prove to myself and everyone that this is where I belong."

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First, I would like to thank god for blessing me with the ability to play the game that I love. I would like to thank my family for being here every step of the way. I would also like to thank the coaching staff, the weight trainers, my teammates, and everyone at IMG who helped me through that chapter of my life. I appreciate everyone who has supported me and my decisions is up to this point. There was a lot of hate and doubt about my journey but I feel I've done what was best for me and now is the time to take the next step which is to Declare for the 2020 NBA Draft. It has been a lifelong dream of mine and I will continue to work day by day to prove to myself and everyone that this is where I belong. THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS NOW LETS GET IT‼️

A post shared by KJ Martin (@kenyonmartinjr) on

Martin Jr. is regarded as a superior athlete who plays with tremendous energy. He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds for IMG this season after playing high school basketball at scholastic powerhouse Sierra Canyon in Southern California.

Kenyon Martin Sr. was the No. 1 overall pick to the Nets in 2000 out of Cincinnati. He played 15 seasons with five teams in the NBA, reaching the NBA Finals twice with the Nets and making an All-Star Game in 2004.