“I think a lot of that is a testament to my dad. He always insisted that I play the point guard growing up, because you never know what’s going to happen with those skills. They are always huge,” said Kelly Olynyk back in 2014 when discussing the development of his strong passing and ball-handling. As fans, we see the players dominate on the court, have both good and bad moments in front of thousands of NBA fans, without giving too deep thought into who and what helped them get to that point. If we know less about their parents, the less we know about their family background and roots.

With Kelly Olynyk set to start a new journey with the San Antonio Spurs, now is a good time as any to know more background information about the 34-year-old Centre/Power Forward.

Where is Kelly Olynyk from, and what is Kelly Olynyk’s Nationality?

Kelly Olynyk was born back on April 19th, 1991, in Toronto. This makes his Nationality Canadian. Both of the NBA player’s parents, Ken Olynyk and Arlene Olynyk, are also from Canada.

Olynyk never pursued his high school or even prep school studies in the USA. Instead, he attended the South Kamloops Secondary School located in British Columbia, Canada. Despite that, he exposed himself to U.S. competition and coaches by playing on provincial teams. Olynyk went on to compete at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and non-AAU tournaments in the USA, along with representing the Canadian junior national team.

When the time came for him to go to college, Olynyk received offers from several big-name colleges like Syracuse, Providence, and North Carolina State. In the end, the player chose Gonzaga.

Olynyk played for the Gonzaga Bulldogs between 2009 and 2013, but chose to redshirt his junior year (2011–12) so that he could improve. In 3 seasons, he played in a total of 101 games, started in only 32, and averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. On the shooting front, he averaged 3.3-5.6 (59.4%) field goals, 0.2-0.7 (33.3%) 3-pointers, and 2.0-2.8 (70.9%) free throws.

Opting to redshirt his season paid off. After all, in his final collegiate season, Olynyk averaged 17.8 points through 6.7-10.7 (62.9%) field goals, 0.3-0.9 (30.0%) 3-pointers, and 4.1-5.3 (77.6%) free throws.

What is Kelly Olynyk’s ethnicity?

While Kelly Olynyk’s parents are Canadian, according to reports, their family roots also extend to Ukraine. CBC Kids listed Kelly Olynyk amongst the top ‘Ukrainian Canadian’ athletes. Therefore, the new Spurs player’s ethnicity, and that of his parents, is ‘Ukrainian-Canadian’.

According to a 2013 report by ‘Revelstoke Review’ reporter Aaron Orlando, Kelly Olynyk’s ancestors arrived in Revelstoke in 1911, after first arriving in Canada in 1905 from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Just like some of the other Ukrainian families who escaped in search of a new life, they settled to live and farm on the now-flooded flats along the Columbia River south of Revelstoke.

Sports were in the family blood. After all, Kelly’s father, Ken Olynyk, himself played basketball at a college level, devoting the 1973-74 season to Simon Fraser University. Eventually, he became the head coach of the University of Toronto men’s basketball team for about 13 seasons, after which he became the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Thompson Rivers University. Despite basketball running in the blood, never would the Revelstoke residents never would have thought that a member of their community would go on to play in the NBA!

Is Kelly Olynyk Christian?

Kelly Olynyk’s religion is something that hasn’t been mentioned in his NBA player bio or on Wikipedia. However, according to CA Knowledge.in, he is listed as a ‘Christian’. Neither the player nor his parents have chosen to publicly discuss their religious beliefs.

The San Antonio Spurs will now be the 9th team for whom Kelly Olynyk plays. With stars like Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul leading the offensive effort, one hopes that Olynyk gets the chance to also make a memorable mark with the team during the 2025-26 season.