When I´m at Frankfurt airport ready to commence a new journey home to Boston to visit family, I´m always on the lookout. I don´t travel every week, but usually once or twice a year and my fortune with seeing basketball players at the airport have been pretty good in the last years. I saw ex Giessen player Jestin Lewis some years ago as well as the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg team led then by John Patrick and just last year bumped into ex easyCredit BBL champion Ivan Pavic of Bamberg. Heck I even saw well known German dance floor group Masterboy at the airport. I don´t know what it is, but I just have luck bumping into people who are public figures. It wasn´t any different once again recently as I was on another trip home when I was waiting to board and saw a guy lounging around who looked like a player. My suspicions was heightened a bit more when I saw he was carrying a bag with the G-League logo. I approached him and asked him who he was. He told me Kahlil Dukes (182-G-1995, college: Niagara). The name rang a bell and he actually had balled in Germany for the Hamburg Towers some time ago and was on his way home to Hartford from Hungary back for the summer. I wasn´t sure if I had ever interviewed him before, but when I later checked my files, I actually had not. We rapped for some minutes and wished each other a good flight. We were actually on the same flight to Boston. We took a selfie and were on our way. He later contacted me about needing a change on his eurobasket.com profile and I was happy to help him. I then decided why not interview him. He definitely has a special story to tell. He is a guy that has played for 10 organizations in countries like Hungary, Russia, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Bulgaria, and France. He is a genuine basketball globetrotter that has seen it all including ice on the beard and eyebrows. “It’s been a journey and the journey has been an experience to say the least. But I have had ups and downs. I have played in some small cities and in some big cities. I can say some basic things in four different languages now. So I am grateful for the opportunity I have every year to travel the world for free and make money doing what I love to do”, said Kahlil Dukes.
The 30 year old 182cm guard who saw many great guys in the Pac 12 from the bench like Kyle Anderson, Joe Young, Zach Lavine, Norman Pow, TJ McConnell, Stanley Johnson, Jordan Adams, and Dillon Brooks and lists guys like Nate Mason, Matt Morgan, Eric Neal, Isaiah Washington, and Justin Robinson as the toughest players he ever faced in the NCAA began his basketball career at Capital Prep Magnet School averaging 23.9ppg, 3.9apg, 3.0spg; and finished his four-year career with 2,228 points to become the 17th player in Connecticut high school history to score more than 2,000 points. He then played at the University of Southern California from 2013-2015 amassing 37 games, but never averaged more than 2,7ppg in a season. “It was tough sitting on the bench and not getting an opportunity. I worked all my childhood to play high level college basketball and then I got there and didn’t get much of a chance to show what I could do. The coach that recruited me was fired before I got to campus. It was difficult trying to impress the new coach. But I tried my best and showed I belonged and I worked very hard. Looking back on it, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me because I learned how mentally strong I was and how deep my love for the game was in those 2 years. And I knew that with an opportunity, I could be special”, stressed Kahlil Dukes.
A big highlight in his second season was scoring 18 points in 29 minutes against Arizona State? It was a tough loss, but he proved that he could produce when given minutes. “This was my opportunity. Two guys were suspended and one of our starting guards was injured so it gave me an opportunity to show I could play well in big minutes. I was playing so well that the coach was drawing up out of time out plays for me to score – and I was executing them. We were leading the whole game also, on the road against an ASU team that beat Arizona that year. They started making some big shots down the stretch and we went cold and ended up losing. But I’ll never forget that night. It showed me I belonged and it taught me a lot about hard work and trusting a journey”, remembered Kahlil Dukes. He then finished at Niagara and finally got a chance. In his first season averaged 15.5ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.1apg, FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 92.1% and in his second season exploded averaging 20.8ppg, 2.1rpg, 3.3apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 41.5%, FT: 91.0% “Transferring to Niagara was the best decision I ever made. My redshirt season actually made the adjustment a lot easier for me. Ended up being MAAC Player of the Year and an Associate Press All-American Honorable Mention in the end so all I can say is I’m grateful for all the ups and downs throughout my collegiate career. You asked earlier about going from one team to the other and performing better, showing resilience. I think a lot of that stems from my college career and the experiences I had during that 5-year journey going from USC to Niagara. Like I said before, usage and responsibility per possession makes all the difference – for me at least”, stated Kahlil Dukes. In his 2 seasons he played 65 games and scored in double figures in 59 games. He scored 20 points or more 30 times. He will never forget his incredible 37 point explosion against Monmouth where he went 11/17 from the field and 10/10 from the free throw line. “It was a college career-high night for me. I always tried to be at my best against Monmouth especially because I respected them as powerhouses in the MAAC conference. They had just had a back to back conference player of the year (Justin Robinson) and their coach (Coach Rice) played at UNC for Roy Williams. So they were highly respected in the league so I wanted their respect more than anyone else’s – and I got it”, smiled Kahlil Dukes. He didn´t get a chance at USC, but head coach Chris Casey gave him an opportunity to shine for 2 years at Niagara. “Casey was vital in my development as a collegiate player. He gave me the opportunity to be me. Him and Marc Rybczyk believed in me, gave me a lot of confidence and put a lot of trust into me and my abilities as a player. This belief in me meant a lot to me and it gave me another reason to be at my best night in and night out. Having this responsibility prepared me as a pro. The work ethic also. I always had it but at Niagara, Rybczyk was the one who trained me and pushed me to train like a pro, how to be efficient throughout a season and how to break down and manage a season into a successful season. Without both Casey and Rybczyk, I would not be the pro I am today”, warned Kahlil Dukes. At Niagara he picked up achievements like All-MAAC Co-Player of the Year -2018, All-MAAC First Team -2018, NABC Division I All-District 1 First Team -2018, and All-ECAC Division I Second Team -2018. He will never forget teammate Matt Scott with whom he had his 1-1 battles with in practice. “Matt is one of my best friends. We beat each other many times when competing in practice. We understood each other’s greatness and we knew that together we could be special. And we were. You can fact check this, but I believe we were the highest scoring backcourt duo in the nation during our senior year preseason. We easily were the highest scoring duo in the MAAC. If he did not suffer an injury right before the MAAC tournament, Casey and I still believe we would have won the MAAC that year and went dancing. Still proud of him though and all he was able to accomplish as a 4 year college player at Niagara and as a pro. He’s actually an assistant coach now under Casey at Fairfield University. I’m really proud of him and happy for him. I love him to death”, warned Kahlil Dukes.
The Hartford native who lists JULIAN JACOBS, JAY JAY CHANDLER, MATT SCOTT, ERIC LOCKETT and TIMOTHY SOARES as his 5 best teammates of all-time began his professional career in Russia with You played your rookie season with BC Irkut Irkutsk (Russia-Superleague 1) averaging 22.5ppg, 3.1rpg, 4.1apg, 2FGP: 44.6%, 3FGP: 37.2%, FT: 84.9%, in Jan.’19 moved to Universitet-Yugra Surgut (Russia-Superleague 1) playing 22 games averaging 25.8ppg, 4.1rpg, Assists-1 (6.4apg), FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT-1 (90.9%).He demonstrated that he could excel with 2 different organizations and somehow overcome the tough winter. “Russia was fun. One of my favorite seasons for sure. I remember being there and feeling like Russia was nothing like I expected. The people were really funny and had a great sense of humor. They were all very kind to me and open. My diet was terrible but I was still young then so it didn’t affect my play much. The winter cold in Russia is definitely on another level than Connecticut but it was a dope experience nonetheless. Ice on the beard and eyebrows is something most Americans only see in movies. So it was crazy to actually see in person. But I enjoyed myself and I played at a high level. I was trying to prove myself in Europe and I think I was able to do that”, added Kahlil Dukes. In his second pro season, he had to suffer growing pains as his stay in Germany with the Hamburg Towers was short. He enjoyed players coach Mike Taylor, but didn´t see eye to eye with GM Marvin Willoughby. “Hamburg was my least favorite season. I dealt with a lot of things on and off the court in my 3 months there and it really scared me mentally. It’s a long story but it was also my first time being cut from a team in my life. So it was tough. And I honestly try not to think about that season too much. But I kept working. Once I got to Poland I was ready to bounce back. I played well before Covid ended the Polish season. Kobe Bryant also died that season. It was just overall a really dark time for me. But I got through it”, stated Kahlil Dukes. He battled long time NBA player Greg Monroé who had a 18/10/5 game as he got a real taste of what a Eurolegaue team like FC Bayern Munich is all about. “I honestly don’t remember much from that game other than I got ripped in the back court, I had a cut on my nose that they made me come out of the game for, I did not make a field goal, and we lost by 50 or something crazy like that. But playing against a Euroleague team for the first time was cool”, remembered Kahlil Dukes. He finished strong in Poland with Legia Warszawa (Poland-EBL) averaging 17.1ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 39.2%, 3PT: 43.7%, FT: 80.0%. One strength of his overseas trek has been being able to perform well again after a tough start elsewhere. “I think I have always been resilient but I think I’m also a very strong minded, tenacious and determined person. Even if the teams I left kept me, I would have ended the season better than I started. I’m a marathon runner, not a sprinter. I’m also my biggest critic. It’s my job to play well. If I don’t play well, then I’m criticizing myself and locking myself in the gym day in and day out until I start to play better consistently – simple as that”, stressed Kahlil Dukes.
The scoring guard who lists MICHAEL JORDAN, KOBE BRYANT, LEBRON JAMES, MAGIC JOHNSON and WILT CHAMBERLAIN on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore then played the next 3 seasons in the Turkish second division TBL and belonged to the top players in the league. In 2020-2021 he played with Samsun BSB Anakent (Turkey-TBL) averaging 18.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.2apg, FGP: 46.2%, 3PT: 38.4%, FT-6 (90.3%). He played an incredible playoffs, but lost a tough series to Yalova. “Samsunspor was my best year as a pro. That team was special. We lost 3 key guys (2 starters) to season-ending injuries during the playoffs. Going into the finals against Yalova, we were confident but were not as strong as we were all season. We won Game 1 but we dropped Game 2 and after that Yalova took the momentum and closed the series at home. I played Game 1 and 4 very well but not Game 2 and 3. Yalova guarded me well as a team and I had a difficult time adjusting. I had to watch a lot of film to be better in Game 4 because it was win or go home. I played well, just wasn’t enough. I was guaranteed a lot of money if we won that series too, money that I still haven’t signed for as a 7 year pro in 2025. So I would be making a lot more today as well. So all of that is tough and in a way, that series hurt my career not just financially but competitively because I would have also played super league Turkey (BSL) the following year. But I guess it wasn’t in the cards for me at the time”, remembered Kahlil Dukes. In the 2021-2022 season he split time with Balkan Botevgrad (Bulgaria-NBL) averaging 11.2ppg, 1.7rpg, 4.8apg, FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 41.8%, FT: 73.3% and in in Feb.’22 moved to Balikesir Buyuksehir Belediyespor (Turkey-TBL) averaging 19.8ppg, 2.4rpg, 8.4apg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 43.7%, FT: 78.1%. “Bulgaria was challenging. I learned a lot from a Serbian coach there about tactics and just being gutsy enough to take control of a game. I was playing with multiple foreigners so they did not need me to score 20 points a game. This was a new role for me but it allowed me to develop other parts of my game. I struggled adjusting for a bit but I had some good games. I eventually got Covid and had to be quarantined. While I was out sick, they signed a replacement for me, and so I ended up back in Turkey”, commented Kahlil Dukes. In the 2022-2023 season he had his second tour of duty with Balikesir Buyuksehir Belediyespor (Turkey-TBL) averaging 17.0ppg, 3.0rpg, Assists-5 (5.6apg), FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 88.1%. Once again he showed that he deserved to get an opportunity in the first division in Turkey, but didn´t get one. “I have not felt the same motivation to win a title in Turkey since the Samsunspor title run. I’m always motivated to play at a high level and show I’m one of the best players in the league. But winning a title takes a team willing to do whatever it takes from a day to day and week to week basis. I did not feel that again in Turkey after Samsunspor. But I played well and still made the playoffs with Balikesir. It’s not tough to get great stats in Turkey if you put the work in, can score and can play well out of pick and roll. Those are my greatest attributes so Turkey is very comfortable for me. Whether or not my team has a chance at a title is something I worry about during the course of the season. My main focus is usually just playing well, being efficient and staying healthy. When I am able to do that, I usually put my team in a great situation to win”, expressed Kahlil Dukes.
The ex Niagara scoring guard who lists Michael Jordan as his GOAT split the2023-2024 season with Entente Orleans 45 (France-ProB) averaging 11.9ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.6apg, 2FGP: 55.9%, 3FGP: 37.1%, FT: 61.9%, in Feb.’24 moved to Esenler Erokspor (Turkey-TBL) averaging 20.1ppg, 3.5rpg, 4.5apg, FGP: 53.1%, 3PT: 43.5%, FT: 88.9%. It was the fifth time in his career that he played for more than 1 team in a season. He showed again that he had no difficulty adjusting to new places. “I think adjustability is the toughest part about playing for multiple teams in one season. You have to adjust to a new culture, new teammates, new playbook, new coaches, new city, new apartment, new expectations, new everything. And you are going into a situation that’s much different, whereas a bad team may have signed you to help them stay in the league or a good team may have signed you to help them stay at the top. Depending on where you’re coming from, the situation could be the complete opposite where you’re going. You have to deal with that and also to deal with the emotions of your break up with the team you started the season with. Depending on what happened or why you were released, you may experience depression, joy, lack of confidence or vengeance, or maybe all of those at once. And then you have to go out and play at a high level. So it’s definitely tough. But like you said, I have done it five times now so I have some experience with it now and my ways of dealing with my emotions and adjusting myself accordingly not only to feel well mentally and spiritually, but to play well also”, warned Kahlil Dukes. He began well in France but in 2024 had a rough phase and then had to go, but in Turkey exploded. Is his game suited better for Turkey? “I don’t think it’s about my game, I think it’s more about how I’m used. I think people on the outside looking in see stats and think I’m better in 2nd division Turkey or in “lower divisions”. But the truth is, I can be special wherever I am if I’m used at a high rate. Turkey 2nd division has a two-foreigner rule, so I am a lot more responsible possession by possession, meaning whether we win or lose is based solely on my performance. So in a situation like that, I’m going to have greater stats of course. In France, Bulgaria, and Hungary I played in top divisions and/or had more foreigners. The style of play was more systematic so I’m less responsible per possession. Playing with 4-7 guys who can get double-figures a game is a lot different than playing with 4-7 guys who need me to get 18-25 points a game to win. The minutes and usage is different, type of shots taken are different, shots per game different, etc. You may rotate in and out of a game when you play with a great team in a top league, and you may not come out of the game when you play in a lower league because the team is minus when you are out of the game. It’s a lot of different variables. I think personnel and the way a player is used is not talked about enough when comparing stats in Europe and I wish people looked at seasons as a whole with all the important factors that go into it instead of just looking at the numbers – but it is what it is. I feel like I am more impactful individually in situations where I have to be more responsible per possession than I am in situations where the ball is moving side to side more and I may or may not get it back. Can I play in that system? Yes. I have proven it. And I can adjust and be efficient anywhere you put me in Europe”, stated Kahlil Dukes.
The ex USC guard who feels that If Eddie Murphy Likes one of his own movies, then Dukes loves it played the 2024-2025 season with Atomeromu SE Paks (Hungary-A Division) averaging 10.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.7apg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 81.5%. He played 9 playoff games and played an exciting series against Sopron KC winning game 5 87-85. “The Sopron series was fun. They were a tough opponent because they play so well at home and in Hungary you travel back and forth throughout the series. They matched up pretty well with us to in moments throughout the series but ultimately we took care of business. They fought hard though and it was not easy”, said Kahlil Dukes. He then lost a tough semi-final series against Szolnok. I´m sure he will never forget game 2 where he had 21 points and 6 turnovers. “I think I won’t forget this entire series in general. It was tough. I missed the first 13 games of the season with an injury so I fought my way back to be at my best during this playoff run. And in this semi-final series I was at my best. Game 2 was cool but I averaged 15.7ppg, 6.7apg, 1.0rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 64% (18/28) 3FGP: 60%, (?) FT 67% (?) in the first 3 games of this series. I started Game 4 with back-to-back 3’s and then I injured my groin a few possessions later. If I don’t get hurt, I feel like we would have won that series because we planned to win that night and close at home. So that was a tough way to end the season but sometimes it’s just not your time. And judging by the way Szolnok later swept Falco in the finals, it was in fact their time. I congratulate them. They are well coached, they played very well together, they executed and made adjustments well throughout the series and their depth played a major role for them”, remembered Kahlil Dukes. Where he will embark for his 8th season is still unknown, but one thing is for sure, his hunger for that first pro chip gets bigger each season. “I reached my first finals in Turkey with Samsunspor and came up short. Some season-ending injuries to very key players were too difficult to overcome. This season, I planned to be back in a finals situation in Hungary but this time I was the only one who suffered a season-ending injury in Game 4 of the semi-finals. So it’s been more of a luck thing than actually being beaten in my opinion, but I respect all champions because it’s not easy to win and I hope to be back in a situation where I can accomplish gold. I have three bronze medals (a league bronze in Turkey, a cup bronze in Hungary and a league bronze in Hungary) now in my 7-year career. So I guess something is better than nothing. Small wins mean something, for sure. I just have to keep going and hopefully I can stay healthy”, stressed Kahlil Dukes.
German Hoops 