Kihei Clark

Clark was born in Tarzana, Los Angeles as the oldest son of Malik and Sharon Clark. His father is Chinese and African American and his mother is Filipino.[1][2][3] He was named after Kihei, Hawaii, the town where his father proposed to his wife.[4] Clark took part in soccer and martial arts until focusing on basketball at age eight.[3] He was inspired to start playing basketball by his father, who played the sport in college. He would often play with his childhood friend Cameron Boyce.[5] Clark grew up watching National Basketball Association (NBA) players Steve Nash and Chris Paul.[3] He played youth travel basketball for Kings Academy in the Conejo Valley where he was coached by Adam Mazarei, a future NBA assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.[6] In eighth grade, Clark attended the Buckley School, a K–12 private school in Sherman Oaks. At the time, school athletic director Byrd Newman-Milic said that Clark "could probably start for (the basketball team) right now."[7]

In his freshman season in 2014–15, Clark played basketball for the Buckley School, averaging 15.2 points and six assists per game.[2] He helped his team reach the CIF Southern Section Division 4A semifinals, scoring 16 points in a 69–51 loss to Campbell Hall School, and collected All-Liberty League honors.[2][8] For his sophomore year, Clark transferred to William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills.[9] In the 2015–16 season, he averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 assists, earning team most valuable player (MVP) and all-conference recognition. As a junior, Clark averaged 18.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game, winning team MVP, all-city, and all-conference accolades.[2][10] During the season, he surpassed the school record by recording 22 assists in a single game.[11] In the summer of 2017, Clark was named MVP of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Peach Jam after leading his Oakland Soldiers team to a title.[12] In his 2017–18 senior season, he averaged 19.4 points, 7.2 assists and 2.9 steals, shooting 41 percent on three-pointers.[2] Clark was a consensus three-star recruit.[13][14][15] He first verbally committed to play college basketball for UC Davis but decommitted in August 2017 because he felt that he could play at a higher level.[16] On October 2, 2017, he committed to Virginia after also considering Gonzaga and UCLA.[11]

Clark as a freshman in February 2019

On November 6, 2018, Clark made his debut for Virginia, recording four points and six assists, his eventual season-high mark, in a 73–42 win over Towson.[17] He scored a season-high 12 points on January 26, 2019, in an 82–55 victory over Notre Dame.[18] On March 29, in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, Clark posted 12 points and six assists, matching career-bests in both categories in a 53–49 win over 12th-seeded Oregon.[19] In an Elite Eight match-up versus third-seeded Purdue two days later, he made a 40-foot pass that allowed teammate Mamadi Diakite to make a buzzer-beating shot and force overtime.[16][20][21] Virginia won the game, 80–75, behind Clark's five assists.[22] On April 8, he recorded three points and four assists in 33 minutes to help his team win the national championship over third-seeded Texas Tech.[23] Through 38 games as a freshman, Clark made 20 starts, averaging 4.5 points and 2.6 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.[24]

Clark set a new career-high of 15 points on November 19, helping the Cavaliers defeat Vermont 61–55.[25] On February 26, 2020, Clark made a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in a 56–53 victory at Virginia Tech and finished with seven points, six rebounds and six assists.[26] He scored 18 points, including a three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining, on March 7 in a 57–54 win over Louisville.[27] At the conclusion of the regular season, Clark was selected to the Third Team All-ACC.[28]

On February 23, 2022, Clark made a new career-high in points in a loss to Duke with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting.[29] He also made his 500th assist in that game.[29] As a senior, Clark was named Honorable Mention All-ACC.[30]

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Clark signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on October 19, 2023,[31] but was waived two days later.[32]

His father Malik Clark played basketball for NCAA Division II program Hawaii–Hilo.[33] Later in his life, Malik began running a construction and trucking company.[3] Clark is of Filipino descent through his mother Sharon, whose family was from Ilocos and moved to Hawaii.[5] He has two brothers, Nalu and Shaka.[2]

• Virginia Cavaliers bio