Quick Facts
Biography
Khem Xavier Birch (born September 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
College career
In 2011–12, Birch played college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He then, in 2012, transferred to UNLV, where he played with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. As a junior, in the 2013–14 season, he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, which was the third highest in the Mountain West Conference, while also averaging 3.8 blocks per game, which was the second highest in the Mountain West Conference. During his college career, he averaged 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists in 25.4 minutes per game in 69 games.
In April 2014, he "declared" for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.
Professional career
Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014–2015)
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Birch joined the Washington Wizards for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On September 14, 2014, he signed with his first NBA team, the Miami Heat. However, he was later waived by the Heat on October 25, 2014. On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as an affiliate player. On February 4, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015 NBA D-League All-Star Game. In the 2014–15 NBD-D League season, he averaged 11.1 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, 1.8 blocks per game, and 0.7 steals per game, in 52 games played.
Uşak Sportif (2015–2016)
On June 30, 2015, he signed to play in Turkey, with Uşak Sportif of the Turkish Super League (BSL). The following month, he joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2015 Orlando Summer League and the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League. He went on to play with Uşak during the 2015–16 season, and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 32 games played in the Turkish Super League 2015–16 season.
Olympiacos (2016–2017)
On June 14, 2016, Birch signed to play in Greece, on a 2-year €1.1 million net income contract, with the defending Greek Basket League champions, Olympiacos. With Olympiacos, he averaged 15.7 minutes, 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game, in 33 games played in the Greek Basket League 2016–17 season. He also averaged 18.1 minutes, 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 37 games played in the EuroLeague 2016–17 season.
On July 10, 2017, Birch opted out of his contract with Olympiacos, in order to sign in the NBA.
Orlando Magic (2017–present)
On July 27, 2017, he signed with the Orlando Magic. On March 14, 2019, Birch recorded a double-double, tying his career-high with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and two steals in a 120–91 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Canadian national team
Birch was a member of the junior national teams of Canada. With Canada's Under-18 junior national team, he played at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, where he won a bronze medal. He is also a member of the senior men's Canadian national team. With Canada's senior national team, he played at the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Orlando | 42 | 0 | 13.8 | .540 | – | .689 | 4.3 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 4.2 |
| 2018–19 | Orlando | 50 | 1 | 12.9 | .603 | .000 | .699 | 3.8 | .8 | .4 | .6 | 4.8 |
| Career | 92 | 1 | 13.3 | .574 | .000 | .694 | 4.0 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 4.5 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Olympiacos | 37 | 21 | 18.1 | .624 | – | .643 | 5.6 | .3 | .5 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 10.8 |
| Career | 37 | 21 | 18.1 | .624 | – | .643 | 5.6 | .3 | .5 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 10.8 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 6 | 15.0 | .571 | – | .545 | 5.0 | .0 | .2 | 1.9 | 4.4 |
| 2012–13 | UNLV | 26 | 15 | 21.8 | .563 | – | .642 | 5.7 | .6 | .7 | 2.6 | 7.2 |
| 2013–14 | UNLV | 33 | 32 | 31.4 | .510 | – | .693 | 10.2 | 1.2 | .6 | 3.8 | 11.5 |
| Career | 69 | 53 | 25.4 | .531 | – | .668 | 7.8 | .8 | .6 | 3.1 | 8.9 | |
Personal life
Birch was born in Montreal on September 28, 1992, to Wendy Sparks and Dervincent Birch.