Last Updated on October 5, 2026 by Candida Lucia
Kevin Huerter comes from one of the more athletic families in professional basketball. Born on August 27, 1998, in Albany, New York, and raised in Clifton Park, Huerter grew up surrounded by basketball with his parents, Tom and Erin Huerter, his older brother Thomas Jr., and his younger sisters Meghan and Jillian.
Basketball runs throughout the Huerter family. Kevin’s father played Division I basketball at Siena, his brother followed him to Siena before transferring to Catholic University, and both of Kevin’s sisters went on to play college basketball. Huerter has also kept much of his romantic life relatively private, although more recent reports identify Payton Long as his girlfriend. Here is what is publicly known about Kevin Huerter’s girlfriend, children, parents and siblings.
Who Is Kevin Huerter’s Girlfriend?
Kevin Huerter is currently linked to Payton Long. Recent reporting in 2026 identified Long as Huerter’s girlfriend and documented her accompanying him during the major career changes that took him from Chicago to Detroit.
The relationship appears to have become publicly visible around late 2024 or early 2025. Long has shared glimpses of her life with Huerter on social media, including attending his games and dealing with the unusual lifestyle that comes with NBA trades and relocations.
Payton was also publicly photographed alongside Huerter at Saratoga Race Course in July 2026, providing further evidence that the two remained together later that year.
Who Is Payton Long?
Payton Long is reportedly a registered nurse who studied nursing at Arizona State University. She grew up in California and has maintained her own professional career while supporting Huerter during his NBA journey.
Unlike Kevin, Long is not a professional athlete or major public figure. Most information about their relationship has emerged through her social-media appearances and occasional media coverage rather than detailed interviews from Huerter himself.
The pair appear to prefer keeping many details of their relationship private despite becoming more visible publicly during 2025 and 2026.
Did Kevin Huerter Date Elsa Shafer?
Yes. Kevin Huerter was previously publicly linked to Elsa Shafer. Older biographies frequently identify Shafer as Huerter’s longtime girlfriend, which is why her name still appears in many online articles about his personal life.
However, those profiles are now outdated. More recent reports identify Payton Long as Huerter’s girlfriend, indicating that his relationship with Shafer ended before his relationship with Long became public.
Because older websites continue to repeat outdated relationship information, it is important to distinguish Huerter’s former relationship with Shafer from his more recent relationship with Long.
Is Kevin Huerter Married?
Kevin Huerter is not publicly known to be married. There has been no reliable announcement of a marriage, wedding or wife.
As of now, Payton Long is publicly identified as Huerter’s girlfriend rather than his wife.
Does Kevin Huerter Have Children?
There are no publicly confirmed reports that Kevin Huerter has children. Neither his official NBA biography nor reliable recent coverage identifies him as the father of a son or daughter.
Although Huerter has been in public relationships, he has not announced becoming a father.
As of now, Kevin Huerter has no publicly known children.
Who Are Kevin Huerter’s Parents?
Kevin Huerter’s parents are Tom Huerter and Erin Huerter. They raised Kevin and his three siblings in Clifton Park, New York, and created a family environment in which basketball became an important part of everyday life.
Tom and Erin have four children: Thomas Jr., Kevin, Meghan and Jillian. All four eventually played basketball at the college level, making the Huerter family particularly unusual even among professional sports families.
Kevin Huerter’s Father: Tom Huerter
Thomas “Tom” Huerter had a successful basketball career of his own before his son reached the NBA.
Tom played for Siena College from 1987 to 1991. He was part of the Siena team that made the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1989 and produced one of the tournament’s memorable upsets by defeating third-seeded Stanford 80-78 in the opening round.
His basketball influence continued long after his playing career ended. Tom became involved with Siena basketball as a television and radio analyst, which meant Kevin and his older brother spent significant amounts of time around the program when they were young.
Kevin and Thomas Jr. even worked as ball boys at Siena games, exposing them to college basketball years before either became a college player.
Tom also coached his children’s basketball and baseball teams. As Kevin became more serious about basketball, his father helped teach him shooting mechanics and other aspects of the game.
Kevin later explained that his father even created a private basketball training area inside his business warehouse. The family installed a half court with a wooden floor and basket, giving Kevin and his brother somewhere to practice for long periods.
That unusual training environment became an important part of Kevin’s development into one of the NBA’s respected three-point shooters.
What Does Kevin Huerter’s Father Do?
In addition to his basketball background, Tom Huerter is a businessman. He founded Huersch Marketing Group in 2002.
The company developed from a print and fulfillment business into a broader technology and marketing company. Kevin has previously discussed practicing basketball inside his father’s business facility when he was growing up.
Tom’s combination of basketball knowledge, coaching and business experience made him one of the biggest influences on Kevin’s development.
Kevin Huerter’s Mother: Erin Huerter
Erin Huerter is Kevin Huerter’s mother. Although she has maintained a much lower public profile than her husband and NBA-star son, official Maryland, NBA and college biographies consistently identify Erin as Kevin’s mother.
She and Tom raised their four children in Clifton Park, where sports became a central part of family life.
Erin has frequently supported her children from behind the scenes as all four pursued college basketball careers. While Tom’s playing and coaching history naturally receives more attention in basketball coverage, Erin has been an important part of the close family environment repeatedly described by the Huerter siblings.
Her children have generally spoken about their family as a tight-knit group that frequently attended one another’s games and supported each other’s athletic careers.
Does Kevin Huerter Have Siblings?
Yes. Kevin Huerter has three siblings: an older brother named Thomas Huerter Jr. and two younger sisters named Meghan Huerter and Jillian Huerter.
Remarkably, all four Huerter siblings played college basketball.
Kevin Huerter’s Brother: Thomas Huerter Jr.
Thomas Huerter Jr. is Kevin’s older brother and was one of his earliest basketball influences.
The brothers grew up playing together, with Kevin frequently competing against older players while following Thomas’s teams. Their father coached them, and both spent time as ball boys around the Siena basketball program.
Thomas became a standout at Shenendehowa High School. During the 2014-15 season, he helped the school finish with a perfect 25-0 record and win its first New York Class AA state championship in 28 years.
Kevin was also on that championship team, meaning the brothers shared one of the most important moments in their high-school basketball careers.
Thomas later followed their father to Siena College, where he played Division I basketball for three seasons.
He eventually transferred to Catholic University of America for his final college season while pursuing graduate studies.
Kevin has credited both his father and Thomas with helping him develop as a shooter. The brothers spent countless hours practicing together while growing up.
Kevin Huerter’s Sister: Meghan Huerter
Meghan Huerter is one of Kevin’s two younger sisters and also became a successful basketball player.
At Shenendehowa High School, Meghan developed into an accomplished scorer and three-point shooter. She finished her high-school career with more than 1,000 points and became the school’s career leader in made three-pointers.
Meghan began her college basketball career at Providence College, competing in the Big East.
She later transferred closer to home to play for the University at Albany. Meghan explained that family was one of the reasons she wanted to play closer to Clifton Park.
Her college career continued the remarkable basketball tradition established by her father and older brothers.
Kevin Huerter’s Sister: Jillian Huerter
Jillian Huerter is the youngest of the four Huerter siblings.
Growing up as the youngest child meant she spent much of her childhood watching Thomas, Kevin and Meghan play basketball. Jillian later said seeing all three older siblings compete at the college level inspired her to follow the same path.
Like Kevin and Meghan, Jillian attended Shenendehowa before continuing her development at the Kent School.
She signed with Rutgers University and played in the Big Ten, the same conference in which Kevin had competed for Maryland.
Jillian later transferred to Fairfield University. She became an important contributor for Fairfield and continued the family’s streak of having every sibling play college basketball.
Jillian has openly credited her father with having an enormous influence on her basketball development, explaining that Tom coached her throughout much of her youth career and spent countless hours helping her practice.
The Huerter Family’s Remarkable Basketball Tradition
Few NBA players come from families with as much college basketball experience as Kevin Huerter.
Tom Huerter started the family tradition by playing Division I basketball at Siena. His oldest son, Thomas Jr., later played for the same program before finishing his career at Catholic University.
Kevin became the family’s biggest basketball star, playing two seasons at Maryland before becoming the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Meghan followed by playing at Providence and Albany, while Jillian competed for Rutgers before transferring to Fairfield.
The shared experience created a highly competitive environment in the family. Basketball was present in the driveway, inside Tom’s business warehouse, at AAU tournaments and during the many games the siblings attended together.
Kevin has said his father’s coaching and the competition with his brother helped develop skills that later became essential to his NBA career.
How Kevin Huerter’s Family Influenced His Career
Kevin Huerter’s basketball education started well before he arrived at Maryland.
As a child, he spent time around Siena basketball while his father worked as a broadcaster. He and Thomas Jr. were ball boys and regularly watched college players prepare and compete.
At home, Kevin was constantly challenged by his older brother. Because Thomas was older, Kevin frequently played against stronger and more experienced competition.
His father also coached him in basketball and baseball while teaching him the fundamentals of shooting.
The warehouse basketball court became particularly important. Kevin could practice at almost any time, repeatedly working on catching passes, setting his feet and releasing shots quickly.
Those repetitions helped build the shooting ability that eventually made him an elite college prospect.
After starring at Shenendehowa, Huerter chose Maryland and became one of the Big Ten’s best shooters. He declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2018.
Kevin Huerter’s NBA Career and Family Support
Huerter began his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks and developed into an important part of the team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
He was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2022 and became an important outside shooter as Sacramento returned to the NBA playoffs.
Huerter later joined the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2026.
Detroit subsequently kept him in the organization, signing Huerter to a new three-year contract in July 2026.
Throughout those moves, Huerter has remained strongly connected to his family in upstate New York. Their shared basketball background has given his parents and siblings an unusually detailed understanding of the challenges involved in his professional career.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kevin Huerter’s Family
Who is Kevin Huerter’s girlfriend?
Recent 2026 reports identify Payton Long as Kevin Huerter’s girlfriend. Their relationship appears to have become publicly visible around late 2024 or early 2025.
Who is Payton Long?
Payton Long is reportedly a registered nurse and the current girlfriend of NBA player Kevin Huerter. She attended Arizona State University and has publicly supported Huerter during his recent NBA career moves.
Did Kevin Huerter date Elsa Shafer?
Yes. Elsa Shafer was previously identified as Kevin Huerter’s girlfriend in older reports. More recent reporting indicates that relationship ended and Huerter is now with Payton Long.
Is Kevin Huerter married?
No marriage has been publicly confirmed for Kevin Huerter. As of now, he does not have a publicly known wife.
Does Kevin Huerter have children?
There are no publicly confirmed reports that Kevin Huerter has children.
Who are Kevin Huerter’s parents?
Kevin Huerter’s parents are Tom Huerter and Erin Huerter.
Who is Kevin Huerter’s father?
Kevin Huerter’s father is Tom Huerter, a former Siena College basketball player who helped the Saints reach their first NCAA Tournament in 1989. He later coached his children and became a businessman and Siena basketball broadcaster.
Who is Kevin Huerter’s mother?
Kevin Huerter’s mother is Erin Huerter. She and Tom raised Kevin and his three siblings in Clifton Park, New York.
How many siblings does Kevin Huerter have?
Kevin Huerter has three siblings: older brother Thomas Jr. and younger sisters Meghan and Jillian.
Who is Kevin Huerter’s brother?
Kevin Huerter’s brother is Thomas Huerter Jr. He played college basketball at Siena before transferring to Catholic University.
Who are Kevin Huerter’s sisters?
Kevin Huerter’s sisters are Meghan and Jillian Huerter. Meghan played college basketball at Providence and Albany, while Jillian played at Rutgers before transferring to Fairfield.
Did all of Kevin Huerter’s siblings play college basketball?
Yes. Kevin, Thomas Jr., Meghan and Jillian Huerter all played college basketball, while their father Tom also played Division I basketball at Siena.
Candida Lucia is a sports journalist and NBA writer specializing in tactical game analysis, player development, and league coverage. With an eye for on-court execution and team dynamics, she delivers detailed breakdowns of strategy, roster updates, and key performance trends. Passionate about bringing readers closer to the game, Candida offers engaging insights on every aspect of the NBA season, from regular-season battles to the Finals.
