What is Deja Kelly's ethnicity? All we know about the UNC guard
Deja Kelly is a point guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball team. She is one of the top women's players in the ACC and had a strong season this year for the Tar Heels, averaging 16.3 points per game.
This success has made people ask about her ethnicity, where she went to high school and her family.
What is Deja Kelly's ethnicity, and where did she go to high school?
Kelly's parents are Theresa Nunn and Darren Kelly, both African American.
Kelly grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where her basketball dream started. She was originally trained by her mother and started playing varsity basketball at Lady Bird Johnson High School in San Antonio.
She scored 19 points per game on average in her first year and was named Newcomer of the Year. She improved these numbers in her second year, averaging 27.7 points per game and 7.6 rebounds.
However, Deja Kelly then transferred to Duncanville High School to further her dream of playing basketball professionally. Duncanville is a bigger school than Lady Bird Johnson, so performing well there gave her more visibility to recruiters.
Her strong form continued, as she averaged 23.5 points per game in her final year where she helped the team become state champions. The young prospect was also recognized as an All-American.
The string of strong performances made Kelly a target for recruiters, and she initially committed to Texas, her father's alma mater, when she was in seventh grade. But after receiving offers from the likes of Duke and Minnesota, Deja Kelly decided to commit to North Carolina.
Who are Deja Kelly's Parents?
Both of Deja Kelly's parents played college basketball. Her mother Theresa, who single-handedly raised her, played for Valley City State University, an NAIA program from North Dakota.
In contrast to her mother, Deja's father Darren played for one of college sports' biggest programs.
Darren Kelly played for the Texas Longhorns between 1999-2001, and like his daughter, he also played guard. With the Longhorns, Kelly averaged 12 points and two assists a game. They made it to the NCAA Tournament twice while Kelly was in Austin but failed to progress any further than the second round.
Both Theresa and Darren passed their basketball talent down to Deja, who has been able to become a strong part of the Tar Heels program. However, she will not be able to win the NCAA Tournament this season, as the Tar Heels lost to the number one-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks 88-41.