Former St. John’s basketball standout DJ Kennedy has opted out of the TBT because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Overseas Elite is set to take the floor this afternoon in the Round of 16 in The Basketball Tournament but they will be doing so without one of its best players.
DJ Kennedy posted a tweet on Wednesday that he would be not taking place in the TBT because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Red Storm standout was an inaugural member of Overseas Elite and won the Most Valuable Player Award in the first edition of the tournament and also led his team to four straight championships.
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Kennedy also won MVP in the 2018 tournament which was the last year Overseas Elite won the TBT Title after losing to Carmen’s Crew in the semifinals last season.
It wasn’t a easy decision, but I will not be playing in the TBT tournament this year. Covid 19 has effected so many teams in the TBT during this pandemic. Which can be risky. I want to continue to stay safe and healthy. It’s been a tough 4 months worldwide and I’m just trying to.
— Dj Kennedy (@bigplaydj1) July 8, 2020
Spend as much time with my family as possible all while continuing to work on my game. its still Overseas Elite for Life!....can’t wait to watch my guys bring home title number 5. I’ll be tuned in every game with full support behind my brothers OE is the family!
— Dj Kennedy (@bigplaydj1) July 8, 2020
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game during his time at St. John’s from 2007-2011.
After Kennedy left Queens, he spent some time with a handful of NBA franchises but never logged a minute in The Association and after winning the 2013 NBA D-League Championship, he opted for the overseas route and has been a star ever since.
Most recently DJ Kennedy Pınar Karşıyaka in the Turkish Basketball League.
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Despite not playing this season, Kennedy said he will still be watching his teammates and hoping they can win the winner-take-all $1 million prize.
The No. 2 seed Overseas Elite is now the highest remaining seed in the TBT after No. 1 seed Carmen’s Crew were upset by No. 16 seed House of ‘Paign on Wednesday afternoon.
Kennedy had some cryptic thoughts to share on Twitter after his rivals lost.
https://twitter.com/bigplaydj1/status/1280979375085797376?s=20
However, Overseas Elite will still have two former Johnnies on its team in Paris Horne and Justin Burrell when the the four-time champions face No. 15 seed Armored Athlete at 4:00pm EST on ESPN from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.