TORONTO – Kyshawn George danced and bobbed as he moved around the visitors locker-room at Scotiabank Arena as Sexyy Red’s “Get It Sexyy” blasted from a nearby portable speaker.
He may have had just five points, six rebounds and three assists on Saturday night, but his Wizards had fended off the Toronto Raptors for a 118-117 victory, just the 13th win in Washington’s season. It was just the third time all season the Wizards had won consecutive games, but George saw it as another example of how consistent a team needs to be to string together wins in the NBA.
“Obviously, our record doesn’t show it, but we’re trying to build habits,” said George, sitting in front of his locker. “I think it’s just about, I’m focused on, building these habits that’ll allow success in the future.”
George was selected 24th overall by the New York Knicks in the NBA Draft this past summer.
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However, he was immediately traded to Washington for the 26th and 51st overall picks in the same draft. He signed with the Wizards within the month.
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That made him one of five rookies on Washington’s roster as the team leans into a rebuilding season.
George was averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 26.9 minutes per game heading into Saturday in Toronto. He has started in 26 of his 56 games in his rookie campaign.
He said he’s already learned a great deal from head coach Brian Keefe.
“The discipline and the habits you have to build every single day, no matter if you win, lose, win by 30, lose by 30, you have a 40-point game or have a doughnut,” said George. “Doesn’t matter.
“You’ve got to come back the next day and keep working the right way.”
Playing in Toronto was a bit of a homecoming for George.
His father Deon George was born and raised in Montreal but played professionally in the Swiss league, so Kyshawn — pronounced kee-shawn — was born in Aigle, Switzerland. The younger George went to high school in France and then played a year of U.S. college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes.
The six-foot-eight George averaged 7.6 points, three rebounds, 2.2 assists over 31 games for the Hurricanes last season. He started as a backup swingman but was promoted to a starter due to injuries.
Most of his extended family lives in the Montreal area but one uncle lives in Toronto and came to watch his nephew play.
“It felt good, obviously, to have a great crowd,” said George, who is fluent in English and French. “It’s nice to see that Canada has a basketball culture.”
It’s a culture he wouldn’t mind having a greater part of.
Although George has played for Switzerland’s under-16 national team, he said that “hopefully” he could some day play for Canada.
The Raptors host the Wizards again on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2025.