By Chad Klassen

Olynyk reflects on returning to Kamloops, first season in Miami

Aug 2, 2018 | 12:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kelly Olynyk always likes to come back to his roots in Kamloops. It’s his mental break from the NBA, even though he’s still involved in the game, returning for his very own Olynyk Klynyk, which is entering its sixth year.

Olynyk is trying to grow the game locally, while giving the kids a taste of what it’s like to go up against NBA players, playing with the participants.

“It’s fun. Just messing around with kids. They love that kind of stuff to really see and feel what kind of level it is to be out there and play with NBA players,” said the Miami Heat forward. “It’s different. Kids like that. They don’t get an opportunity everywhere, so to give them that opportunity here. That’s probably what they look forward to most every single day.”

Olynyk says the camp has grown from 40 kids when it started in 2013 to now where there are more than 110 taking part, and it could double he says if there was more space.

Olynyk recently finished his fifth season in the NBA and first with the Heat, playing the most number of games he’s ever played (76), only missing six this season. He also scored the most points he has in a single-season, averaging 9.9 points per game.

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“I thought it went alright. It went pretty well,” Olynyk said on his first season in Miami. “I think there’s a lot of grow on, lots to still improve on, but you know I love the way the coaching staff thinks and their trajectory for me and hopefully giving me the most opportunities possible to be successful.”

Olynyk has played his whole career in the Eastern Conference, going up against LeBron James more than a few times, including twice in the playoffs in Boston.

He says LeBron going to the L.A. Lakers doesn’t necessarily make winning a championship easier.

“I guess it helps in some retrospect, but you’ve got to beat everyone,” he said. “We didn’t lost to LeBron last year, so we’ve to got to keep growing and keep building.”

As for those famous locks, Olynyk cut it for charity in Boston earlier this summer, but he’s not sure what he wants to do with the hair going forward.

“It was a lot shorter. I cut it in May, so it’s been 3.5 months or whatever. It was shorter, but people said they like it, so maybe I’ll get a trim here before I leave.”

by Chad Klassen

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Olynyk reflects on returning to Kamloops, first season in Miami

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