In a family full of athletes, which includes both parents playing collegiate sports, one brother who is in the NBA, and another who also plays basketball in the SEC, South Carolina fifth-year senior transfer Kobe Knox knows how to compete.
“There’s a lot of competitiveness with us, every day,” said Knox, who transferred after starting his career at Grand Canyon and spending the last two years at South Florida. “All of my brothers and my younger sister play basketball, so we push each other to be the best version of ourselves, and we don’t let anybody settle for less. Seeing my older brother (Kevin) playing in the NBA pushes me, my younger brother (Karter), and my younger sister (Ashley) to get to that level.
“We’re competitive in everything, and we were really physical around the house. Last time we played together, it was me, Kevin, and Karter, and there was a lot of trash talking going on.”
Kevin II was the SEC Freshman of the Year at Kentucky in 2018 and left after one season for the NBA, where he’s played the last eight years, most recently with the Golden State Warriors. Karter is a sophomore at Arkansas, so they may want to inform the game officials about some friendly brotherly banter when the Gamecocks and Razorbacks square off this season.
“We’ve been talking about it,” Knox said with a smile. “It’s going to be real! We’re both going to get after it. He doesn’t want to lose, and I definitely don’t want to lose. Whomever loses won’t hear the last of it.”
While his father, Kevin, won a football national championship at Florida State and later played in the NFL, Knox was named after NBA legend Kobe Bryant, so there was never a doubt that basketball was in his future.
“I watched (Kobe Bryant) play a lot,” said Knox, whose mother, Michelle, played volleyball at Florida State. “My favorite player of all time is LeBron James though. Kobe is definitely up there as my second. I loved his work ethic.”
After averaging 10.8 points and 3.1 rebounds last year at South Florida, Knox is enjoying his new home in Columbia and looks forward to proving himself to Gamecock fans.
“I feel the love from this city and the fans,” said Knox who is pursuing a master’s degree after earning his undergraduate degree in communications at South Florida. “It’s a tight-knit community. That and this coaching staff are the reasons I wanted to come here. I thrive on defense, and that pushes me to be the best version of myself. I want to stay efficient on offense and make smart decisions. It’s my last year of playing in college, so I wanted to maximize what I can do.”
