Background and career
Tarence Anthony Kinsey (born March 21, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He also played for several teams in Europe. He played college basketball for University of South Carolina.
Kinsey attended and played collegiately at the University of South Carolina where he helped lead the Gamecocks to two straight NIT championships; averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.6 steals and shooting 53% from the field in the NIT Tournament.
While a junior at the University of South Carolina, Kinsey was an essential player on the Gamecocks basketball team. As the team made it to the NIT (National Invitation Tournament), they reached the championship game against St. Joseph's University. With less than 6 seconds remaining on the clock, St. Joe's sharpshooter Pat Carroll hit a 3-pointer to tie the game up, 57–57. Kinsey got the inbounds pass for USC, dribbled up court, and fired a 3-pointer that hit nothing but net with 1.3 seconds left to win the NIT for South Carolina, 60–57.
Undrafted out of college, Kinsey played the 2006–07 NBA season for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 7.7 points in 48 games. He started 12 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Kinsey took part in the 2007 NBA Europe Live Tour in Spain. He started the 2007–08 NBA season for the Memphis Grizzlies and played in 11 games for Memphis this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in limited action.
After being released by the Grizzlies, Kinsey signed a contract to play in the TBL for the Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey. He averaged 9.2 points in 14 regular season games with Fenerbahce Ulker and helped the club to win the Beko Basketball League Finals (the final stage of the Turkish Basketball League playoffs). Kinsey posted averages of 8.8 points on .492 shooting and 2.8 rebounds in 12 Euroleague games helping Fenerbahçe Ülker reach the quarterfinals of 2007–08 Euroleague. Kinsey tied for team high in scoring with 12 points in the first game of the best of three game quarterfinal series against Montepaschi Siena.
On August 1, 2008, Kinsey signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the early part of the season, Kinsey usually only played during garbage time. After injuries to starting shooting guard Delonte West and top reserve Sasha Pavlović, Kinsey began playing more and even started a few games and played well until spraining his ankle in a game against Orlando. Kinsey returned following the All-Star game, and once again was the third-string shooting guard as West and Pavlović returned from injury.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
