Koby Brea Bio
Koby Brea (born November 6, 2002) is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Dayton Flyers and the Kentucky Wildcats, building a reputation as one of the most accurate long-range shooters in the college game. Brea was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 41st pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft before being traded to Phoenix.
Early Life and Background
Koby Brea was born on November 6, 2002, in New York City, and grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. His parents are both from the Dominican Republic, and he was raised in a household that kept close ties to his family’s heritage. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Brea developed his basketball foundation in New York City’s competitive playground and school circuits.
As a freshman, Brea attended Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan, where he was cut from the basketball team. The setback pushed him to transfer to Monsignor Scanlan High School, where he spent his sophomore year playing for the junior varsity squad. He eventually broke into the varsity lineup as a junior, averaging 18 points and five rebounds per game, and took another leap as a senior by averaging 20.8 points and 7.8 rebounds while serving as team captain. His senior production earned him second-team All-New York honors and helped him secure a college commitment.
Path to Basketball
Brea’s high school rise at Monsignor Scanlan turned him into a priority recruit in the New York area, and he committed to play college basketball for the Dayton Flyers. Before arriving in Dayton, he represented the Dominican Republic at the 2019 FIBA U17 Centrobasket tournament, where he averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. That international experience gave him an early look at structured high-level competition and reinforced his shooting-first identity.
Koby Brea Career
Early Career (2020–2023)
Brea joined the Dayton Flyers in 2020–21 and averaged 2.9 points per game as a freshman in a limited bench role. In his second season, he emerged as one of the Atlantic 10 Conference’s most dangerous reserve shooters, averaging 8.1 points while making 42.3 percent of his three-point attempts and earning Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year honors. The postseason brought a difficult discovery: Brea learned he had stress fractures in both legs and opted against surgery, causing him to miss the start of the 2022–23 campaign.
He returned in 2022–23 and averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 rebounds across 28 games, though his three-point percentage dipped to 37.0 percent as he played through pain. After the season, Brea underwent surgery that required metal rods to be inserted into his legs, and he spent several weeks in a wheelchair during recovery. The ordeal tested his resilience but also set the stage for a healthy senior year at Dayton.
Dayton Flyers Breakthrough (2023–2024)
Healthy again in 2023–24, Brea appeared in all 33 games and averaged 11.1 points per game for the Flyers. He finished the season as the national leader in three-point percentage at 49.8 percent, a mark that reaffirmed his standing as an elite shooter. Dayton advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with Brea playing a central supporting role, and he was named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year for the second time, joining a short list of players who have won the award twice.
Kentucky Wildcats Era (2024–2025)
Following his award-winning senior year, Brea transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats for his final college season in 2024–25. He averaged 11.6 points per game and led the Southeastern Conference in three-point shooting at 43.5 percent, providing Kentucky with a steady perimeter weapon. His production in the SEC helped validate his decision to leave Dayton and positioned him as a credible NBA prospect.
Phoenix Suns Era (2025–Present)
Brea was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 41st pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the draft rights to the 52nd pick, Alex Toohey, and the 59th pick, Jahmai Mashack. The trade was made official on July 6, 2025, and Brea joined Phoenix on a two-way contract that also assigns him to the Valley Suns, the franchise’s NBA G League affiliate.
Driving Style and Strengths
Brea’s game is built around elite perimeter shooting, footwork, and the ability to space the floor as a movement shooter. He thrives when given a clear catch-and-shoot rhythm, and his career three-point numbers at Dayton and Kentucky reflect consistent efficiency against varied defensive schemes. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches and around 216 pounds, he has the size to play the wing while remaining quick enough to run off screens at the next level.
Notable Events and Milestones
Brea’s defining college milestone came in 2023–24, when he led the nation in three-point percentage and earned his second Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year award. His selection as the 41st pick in the 2025 NBA draft and subsequent trade to Phoenix marked his transition to professional basketball, while his earlier stint with the Dominican U17 national team highlighted his international foundation.
Koby Brea Career Wins
Koby Brea’s most celebrated individual wins came in college, where he was twice named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year, in 2022 and 2024, becoming one of only two players in conference history to earn the award twice. He also led the country in three-point percentage in 2023–24 and led the Southeastern Conference in three-point shooting during his lone season at Kentucky in 2024–25.
Dayton Flyers Highlights
At Dayton, Brea went from a lightly used freshman to a nationally respected shooter over four seasons. His 49.8 percent three-point shooting in 2023–24 was the highest in college basketball that year, and his 42.3 percent mark as a sophomore helped establish him as one of the top long-range threats in the Atlantic 10. He helped the Flyers reach the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Other Wins and Performances
On the international stage, Brea was a member of the Dominican Republic U17 national team that competed in the 2019 U17 Centrobasket tournament. He has not yet recorded verified professional wins in the NBA or G League, with his rookie season underway.
Koby Brea Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Brea’s parents are both from the Dominican Republic, and he was raised in Washington Heights, New York, within a tight-knit Dominican-American community. His family moved with him through the New York City high school basketball scene as he bounced between Norman Thomas and Monsignor Scanlan, supporting his eventual commitment to the Dayton Flyers.
Personal Life
Brea keeps his personal life largely private and focuses publicly on his basketball career. Public records and verified sources do not list a spouse or children, and he has not publicly shared details about a long-term partner.
2025 Season Performance
Koby Brea’s 2025 calendar has been defined by transition rather than a full NBA statistical season. After finishing his college career at Kentucky, he entered the 2025 NBA draft, was selected 41st overall by the Golden State Warriors, and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a deal made official on July 6, 2025. As a two-way player, his workload will be split between the Phoenix Suns and the Valley Suns of the NBA G League, with the organization evaluating whether his perimeter shooting can translate against professional defenders.
Brea’s early professional development will be closely tied to his shooting efficiency and his ability to defend at the next level. Phoenix’s staff is expected to give him meaningful G League reps with the Valley Suns to refine his off-ball movement and on-ball defense, while keeping him available as a depth option in the NBA rotation. His two-way contract reflects the franchise’s view of him as a high-upside shooter who needs time to adjust to the speed and physicality of professional basketball.
Looking ahead, Brea’s path to a standard NBA contract runs through consistent three-point production and steady defensive growth. If he can carry his college-level shooting accuracy into the G League and eventually into spot NBA minutes, he has a clear route to a larger role in Phoenix’s rotation. The 2025–26 campaign will serve as the first real test of whether his elite college shooting profile can hold up at the professional level.