Ryan Kalkbrenner was a standout at the University of Creighton. Playing five years for the University, his evolution into a hybrid stretch big and rim protector made many take notice of his NBA potential.
That’s why Kalkbrenner is considered by many to be picked in the 2025 NBA Draft. While Kalkbrenner isn’t expected to be selected in the lottery, he could be chosen as early as the late first round. Here’s everything to know about the parents of the Creighton star.
Get to Know Ryan Kalkbrenner’s Parents
Ryan is the son of Kraig and Lynn Kalkbrenner. Not much is known about Kraig’s basketball background, but Lynn played for St. Louis during her playing days, per Ryan’s Creighton profile.
It is also evident how close Ryan is to his parents and family. Per his Creighton profile, he chose to play basketball there “because of the family atmosphere.” Creighton is located in Nebraska, which isn’t far from where he grew up in Florissant, Missouri.
Even though little is known about their background, Kraig has talked about his son’s success at the collegiate level. In a March 23 interview with Hurrdat Sports, Kraspokeked about how proud he is of Ryan and how he couldn’t believe how far he’s come as a player.
“Crazy to think that you start off the bench freshman year, and had not a couple of people transferred out, who knows what would have happened then? Yeah, so he gets the opportunity to start his sophomore year and just blossom from there,” Kraig said.
Kraig also admitted he didn’t think Ryan would get this far, but is happy nonetheless to see him reach the level he has.
“You have faith in your kid. You wanna believe in them, but to win an NCAA tournament game every year in his career, that’s what I call spoiled when it comes to basketball. There’s a lot of kids that would love to have that in their back pocket,” Kraig said.
Kraig admitted that Ryan initially thought his future in sports would be in tennis, but he laughingly admitted that it didn’t work out.
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Lynn has her own X account on which she shares content related to Ryan’s accomplishments with Creighton or the achievements of some of his Creighton teammates. It’s not confirmed if it’s her, but Ryan himself follows this account.
It’s abundantly clear that Kraig and Lynn are proud of their son and involved in his life.
