The Toronto Raptors have re-signed center Khem Birch to a multi-year contract.
Birch, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, averaged career highs of 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 22.8 minutes in 67 games (22 starts) with Toronto and Orlando last season. He shot .497 (189-380) from the field and scored in double figures 18 times, which included six double-doubles.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Birch joined the Raptors as a free agent April 10, and averaged 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 19 games. He is averaging 5.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 17.7 minutes in 207 career games (47 starts) during four seasons with Orlando and Toronto. After going undrafted in 2014, Birch played with Sioux Falls of the NBA G League (2014-15) and overseas in Turkey (2015-16) and Greece (2016-17) prior to signing with the Magic as a free agent in the summer of 2017.
Birch played collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh (2011-12) and UNLV (2012-14) where he was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year back-to-back seasons. On the international stage, Birch represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. He was also a member of Canada’s U-18 National Team that captured a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.
