Kinu Rochford, shot dead at Harlem tournament, became social worker after basketball career

Basketball standout Kinu Rochford, who was fatally shot during a Harlem neighborhood tournament, had a lengthy hoops career overseas before returning home to Brooklyn three years ago to pursue a career in social work.

After the 35-year-old victim’s basketball career started at James Madison High School he quickly went on to attend sports camps orchestrated by Lebron James, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony and Lance Stephenson, his family says.

“He was friends in his beginning years with Lebron James, James Harden. He played ball with Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Lance Stephenson. He got to meet all these guys and they gave him great encouragement,” Kinu’s aunt Melinda Rochford told the Daily News on Saturday.

“Wherever LeBron played and if he wanted (Kinu) to come with him, he would go,” the aunt added.

But Kinu played in nobody’s shadow.

“Kinu played ball because Kinu liked to play ball. He didn’t model himself after anyone except Kinu,” she said. “He would knock that ball out your hand in a heartbeat. He did his thing.”

Kinu, during his basketball career overseas, told Iceland media that his favorite player was Magic Johnson, calling himself a “point center,” someone who is always looking out for his teammates.

He was a standout at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J., for two seasons starting in 2011 after transferring from Globe Institute of Technology. Kinu played 53 games for the Knights and in his senior year he broke out as one of the best players in the Northeast Conference.

“Those who knew Kinu described him as a fierce competitor with a big heart who made many positive contributions to the FDU community,” Fairleigh Dickinson University Director of Athletics Jason Young said.

Kinu’s love for the game continued in Europe, embarking on a professional career in 2013 with Aris Leeuwarden in the Dutch Basketball League.

His career overseas would see him travel to the Netherlands, France, England, Switzerland, Iceland and Lithuania and playing for multiple teams. Kinu earned the nickname in Europe as “Little LeBron”, his aunt said, noting the 6-foot-7 baller’s strong defense, rebounding and competitive spirit.

Kinu, who played small forward and power forward positions, would eventually win a championship in the Lithuania National Basketball League in 2017 with the Sūduva-Mantinga team.

“I just approach it in the sense of doing whatever my team needs of me … being aggressive and just giving it my all. Just believing in team spirit and through the grace of God, fight through it.” Kinu said in an interview in 2019 when he was playing in Iceland. “I like the physicality.”

Kinu lead the Úrvalsdeild karla league in rebounding that season while playing for the team Þór Þorlákshöfn.

He also played in the British Basketball League before finishing his professional career with the Golden Eagle Ylli in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2021.

“He played ball in Europe for almost 20 years. The last three years he has been here,” his aunt said. “He is a good guy.”

Kinu returned home to Brooklyn where he became a social worker with Win, a nonprofit providing shelter and supportive housing for homeless families, while also playing in basketball tournaments in his spare time in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

“Kinu was a beloved friend, colleague, and father to a young son who dedicated his life to serving others,” Christine Quinn, the president and CEO of Win said in a statement. “He went above and beyond his duties as a Win coordinator, helping New Yorkers most in need find the path and will to build a brighter future. Kinu lived with purpose, and his passion for helping others reached far beyond his role at Win, especially through his work across the city with children. He was the kind of person who makes New York City great, and this loss is unfathomable.”

Kinu was an intake coordinator at Win in Brooklyn and was working toward becoming a housing coordinator for the organization, PIX11 reported.

Kinu’s love for hoops soon turned to a fight for survival as he was shot in the head during the Kingdome tournament at NYCHA’s King Towers on Lenox Ave. near W. 112th St. about 10:20 p.m. Friday.

The gunman shot Kinu as the two argued on the sidelines, a police source said.

“He just walked up on the court and shot him,” a close friend of Kinu, Joann Fitzgerald, 67 said after witnessing the shooting. “(Kinu) didn’t deserve it. He’s such a good player.”

Two wounded bystanders, a 28-year-old man shot in the shin and a 22-year-old woman blasted in the right forearm, are expected to recover.

“Once the shots (were heard), people was running,” Fitzgerald said. “They was trampling on top of each other.”

Medics rushed Kinu to Mount Sinai Morningside but he could not be saved. The two wounded survivors were taken to Harlem Hospital.

Kinu’s team, The Young Onez, plays in the tournament every year and opened the tournament Friday night.

“They won last year,” Fitzgerald said. “The team sticks together and they play really good.”

Kinu lived in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Video released online of the shooting’s aftermath showed police performing CPR on Kinu as he lay on his back on the court, wearing a white T-shirt and pink shorts.

“The bullet came directly toward him so it went through the side of his head and came out through the back. That’s what killed him,” Melinda said. “I tip my hat off to the cops because they were working on him to revive him.”

NYPD detectives believe Kinu was the gunman’s intended target. Kinu and his killer may have been arguing over a woman they both knew, a police source said.

Mayor Mamdani condemned the shooting on Saturday calling for the “senseless violence” to end.

“New Yorkers deserve to spend the summer watching and playing sports, attending community events, and enjoying our public spaces — places where families, friends and neighbors joyfully gather, not where people are at risk of becoming victims to gun violence,” Mamdani said on X. “We are working closely with our community partners to provide services to those affected and the entire community.”

No arrests have been made.

“I wish we could get him back,” the victim’s aunt said. “I hope that the person who is responsible for this will get what they deserve.”