Wikipedia

Donte DiVincenzo

Donte DiVincenzo (/ˈdɒnteɪ ˌdiːvɪnˈtʃɛnzoʊ/ DON-tay DEE-vin-CHEN-zoh;[1] born January 31, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, where he won national championships in 2016 and 2018, being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP) in 2018. Selected with the 17th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018 NBA draft, DiVincenzo won his first championship with the Bucks in 2021, before being traded to the Sacramento Kings the following season. He has since played for the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks, and holds the Knicks franchise records for single-game and single-season three-point shots made. He also holds the NBA record for most three point shots made in a playoff game 7 (9).

Donte DiVincenzo
DiVincenzo in 2021
No. 0 – Minnesota Timberwolves
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-01-31) January 31, 1997 (age 27)
Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolSalesianum (Wilmington, Delaware)
CollegeVillanova (2015–2018)
NBA draft2018: 1st round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2022Milwaukee Bucks
2018→Wisconsin Herd
2022Sacramento Kings
2022–2023Golden State Warriors
2023–2024New York Knicks
2024–presentMinnesota Timberwolves
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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DiVincenzo was born in Newark, Delaware, to parents John F. and Kathie DiVincenzo. He has a brother, John, and a sister, Allison.[2] Growing up, DiVincenzo played soccer before switching to basketball in high school.[3] He attended the Salesianum School, where he led the team to back-to-back state championships. As a junior, he averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and played basketball in the Nike EYBL for Team Final. DiVincenzo averaged 22.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior. He was named Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association's Boys' Basketball Player of the Year in 2015.[4]

College career

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DiVincenzo with Villanova in 2017

DiVincenzo appeared in nine games during his true freshman year[5] for Villanova before sitting out with a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. The following season, in his redshirt freshman season, DiVincenzo averaged 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He registered 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists in a 70–57 victory against St. John's on January 14, 2017. On March 9, DiVincenzo had a season-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and four assists in a 108–67 rematch win over St. John's. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 76–56 victory over Mount St. Mary's in the first round. DiVincenzo was named to the Big East All-Freshman team and the Philadelphia Big Five Rookie of the Year.[4]

In his redshirt sophomore season, DiVincenzo had a then career-high 30 points in an 86–75 win over Butler on February 10, 2018.[6] At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named Big East Sixth Man of the Year.[7] In the Elite Eight of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, DiVincenzo had 12 points and eight rebounds in a 71–59 win over Texas Tech.[8] DiVincenzo was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player following their championship win over Michigan, in which he scored a career-high 31 points (including five three-point baskets) and recorded five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. In addition, he scored the most points in an NCAA Final Four game for a player coming off the bench.[9]

DiVincenzo was dubbed the "Big Ragu" by sportscaster Gus Johnson following his last-second tip in a game on January 29, 2017, which gave Villanova the win against the University of Virginia. The nickname was given to him ostensibly due to his Italian heritage and his red hair. When Johnson came up with the nickname, he was probably referring to another "Big Ragu", a character named Carmine Ragusa on the 1970s–80s sitcom Laverne & Shirley, who was also Italian.[10][11][12] On April 19, 2018, DiVincenzo announced he would declare for the 2018 NBA draft without hiring an agent, thereby leaving open the possibility of a return to Villanova. On May 29, 2018, DiVincenzo announced he would remain in the draft and hire an agent, forgoing his final two years of eligibility at Villanova.[13]

Professional career

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Milwaukee Bucks (2018–2022)

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On June 21, 2018, DiVincenzo was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018 NBA draft, the second of four Villanova players drafted that year.[14][15] On July 10, 2018, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that they had signed DiVincenzo.[16] He missed most of his rookie season with a foot injury. He scored a career-high 17 points in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in early November during his second season.[17]

On December 16, 2019, DiVincenzo scored 5 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, recorded 9 assists, and recorded 3 steals in a 120–116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[18] On January 16, 2020, DiVincenzo scored 19 points and recorded 3 rebounds in a 128–123 win against the Boston Celtics.[19] That same season, he would record the 3rd highest defensive rating of any player in the league (teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo being 1st).[20]

On May 4, 2021, DiVincenzo scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 124–118 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[21] He ultimately received a championship ring as he was part of the 2021 team that won the NBA Finals, but did not play in any games after the first round of the playoffs due to a severe left ankle injury suffered against the Miami Heat.[22] His injury was viewed as a hindrance to Milwaukee's ability to find postseason success, as they had not expected to play role players P. J. Tucker and Pat Connaughton so frequently.[23][24]

On December 25, 2021, DiVincenzo made his return to the court after being out for six months, where he logged 3 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time during a 117–113 win over the Boston Celtics.[25] On January 22, 2022, DiVincenzo scored a season high 20 points in a 133–127 win over the Sacramento Kings.[26]

Sacramento Kings (2022)

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On February 10, 2022, DiVincenzo was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a four-team trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Bucks.[27] On February 12, DiVincenzo scored 7 points and recorded 5 assists in 19 minutes of playing time in his Kings debut, a 123–110 win over the Washington Wizards.[28]

Golden State Warriors (2022–2023)

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On July 8, 2022, DiVincenzo signed with the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $9.3M deal, with a player option on the second year.[29][30] On January 27, 2023, DiVincenzo scored 12 points and recorded 11 assists during a 129–117 win over the Toronto Raptors.[31] On March 11, DiVincenzo scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during a 125–120 overtime victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.[32] He averaged 9.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 72 regular-season games (starting in half of those games). He shot a career-high 39.7% from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per game.[33]

In June 2023, he turned down a $4.7 million player option for the second season and opted for free agency.[33]

New York Knicks (2023–2024)

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DiVincenzo with the Knicks

On July 8, 2023, DiVincenzo signed with the New York Knicks.[34] He agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the Knicks. He joined Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.[33] On March 25, 2024, DiVincenzo scored a career-high 40 points in a 124–99 victory over the Detroit Pistons. During this game, he also scored 11 three-pointers, setting a new Knicks franchise record for three-pointers in a single game.[35] He finished the season with a franchise single-season record 283 three point shots made.[36]

On April 22, 2024, DiVincenzo put up 19 points, including the game-winning three-pointer, in the Knicks' 104–101 victory in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.[37][38] In the second round against the Indiana Pacers, DiVincenzo set an NBA record for most three point shots made in a playoff game 7 (9).[39] The Knicks were eliminated in seven games despite a 39-point performance from DiVincenzo in a 130–109 Game 7 loss.[40]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2024–present)

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On October 2, 2024, DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, Julius Randle, and one lottery protected first–round pick were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team trade with the Charlotte Hornets in which Charlotte received via sign and trade DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., Duane Washington Jr., three second-round picks and draft compensation. The Knicks ended up acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and the draft rights to James Nnaji.[41]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Milwaukee 27 0 15.2 .403 .265 .750 2.4 1.1 .5 .2 4.9
2019–20 Milwaukee 66 24 23.0 .455 .336 .733 4.8 2.3 1.3 .3 9.2
2020–21† Milwaukee 66 66 27.5 .420 .379 .718 5.8 3.1 1.1 .2 10.4
2021–22 Milwaukee 17 0 20.1 .331 .284 .852 3.5 1.7 .6 .2 7.2
Sacramento 25 1 26.6 .362 .368 .839 4.4 3.6 1.5 .2 10.3
2022–23 Golden State 72 36 26.3 .435 .397 .817 4.5 3.5 1.3 .1 9.4
2023–24 New York 81 63 29.1 .443 .401 .754 3.7 2.7 1.3 .4 15.5
Career 354 190 25.4 .428 .376 .771 4.4 2.8 1.2 .3 10.6

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020 Milwaukee 10 1 16.5 .451 .333 .650 3.2 1.2 .7 .3 6.6
2021† Milwaukee 3 3 23.3 .188 .167 — 6.3 2.7 1.0 .3 2.7
2023 Golden State 13 1 18.1 .375 .341 .667 3.0 2.8 .8 .2 5.5
2024 New York 13 13 35.8 .419 .425 .867 4.0 2.6 1.2 .9 17.8
Career 39 18 24.0 .404 .377 .758 3.6 2.3 .9 .5 9.6

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Villanova 9 1 8.2 .286 .176 — 1.8 .4 .4 .0 1.7
2016–17 Villanova 36 1 25.5 .466 .365 .699 3.8 1.7 .9 .3 8.8
2017–18 Villanova 40 10 29.3 .481 .401 .710 4.8 3.5 1.1 .2 13.4
Career 85 12 25.4 .469 .378 .705 4.0 2.4 .9 .2 10.2

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Donte DiVincenzo - Men's Basketball". Villanova University. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Schonbrun, Zach (March 23, 2018). "Donte DiVincenzo and Trevon Duval Give Delaware Hoops a Moment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "10 Donte DiVincenzo". Villanova Wildcats. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Donte DiVincenzo". Sports Reference – College Basketball. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson lead Villanova past Butler". ESPN. Associated Press. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Juliano, Joe (March 5, 2018). "Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo wins Big East Sixth Man award". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  8. ^ Smallwood, John (March 26, 2018). "Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo and Eric Paschall more than spectators for this Final Four team". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  9. ^ "Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo named Most Outstanding Player" . espn.com. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  10. ^ Kercheval, Ben. "Who is Donte DiVincenzo? All you need to know about Villanova's 'Big Ragu'". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "What you need to Know about Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo". SI.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "This is how Donte DiVincenzo got the nickname 'The Big Ragu'". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  13. ^ "DiVincenzo stays in 2018 NBA draft, foregoes NCAA eligibility". SI.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Select Donte DiVincenzo with 17th Pick in 2018 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 21, 2018. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Donte DiVincenzo". NBA.com. July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "Bucks' DiVincenzo thriving with regular minutes". Fox Sports. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  18. ^ "Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks Box Score, December 16, 2019". Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks Box Score, January 16, 2020". Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Donte DiVincenzo Stats". Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks Box Score, May 4, 2021". Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "Bucks' Donte DiVincenzo out for remainder of NBA playoffs with tendon injury in left foot, per report". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "Bucks' Donte DiVincenzo (Foot) to miss rest of playoffs". NBA.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  24. ^ "Bucks' Donte DiVincenzo Undergoes Successful Surgery on Ankle Injury". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  25. ^ "Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Dec 25, 2021 Game Summary". NBA. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  26. ^ "Bucks 133, Kings 127: Hot shooting and DiVincenzo's breakout help Milwaukee hold on". Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  27. ^ "Kings Acquire Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles in Four-Team Deal". NBA. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  28. ^ "DiVincenzo happy he's finally on Kings, calls it 'meant to be'". Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  29. ^ "Warriors Sign Free Agent Guard Donte DiVincenzo". NBA.com. July 8, 2022. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  30. ^ "2022 NBA free agency: Warriors to sign Donte DiVincenzo to two-year, $9.3 million deal, per report". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  31. ^ "Kerr: Fearless DiVincenzo becoming Dubs fan favorite". Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  32. ^ "Donte DiVincenzo takes pride in win over former team Milwaukee Bucks". Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c "Knicks to add DiVincenzo on 4-year, $50M deal". ESPN.com. July 2, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  34. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (July 8, 2023). "Knicks sign Donte DiVincenzo" (Tweet). Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Blinn, Michael (March 26, 2024). "Donte DiVincenzo sets Knicks' single-game 3-point record". New York Post. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  36. ^ Arnold, Christian (April 17, 2024). "Knicks' Donte DiVincenzo ineligible for NBA awards due to league caveats". New York Post. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  37. ^ DiGiovanni, Sam (April 22, 2024). "76ers vs. Knicks Game 2 breakdown: NY steals win in unreal late sequence". ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  38. ^ Valdez, Joshua (April 22, 2024). "Knicks sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo's reaction to unreal win vs 76ers will give fans goosebumps". ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  39. ^ Frimpong, Fiifi (May 19, 2024). "Knicks' Donte DiVincenzo's 9 made threes most ever in Game 7 history". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Selbe, Nick (May 19, 2024). "Pacers Beat Knicks in Game 7, Advance to Eastern Conference Finals". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  41. ^ Nardinger, Taylor (October 2, 2024). "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Forward Keita Bates-Diop, Guard Donte DiVincenzo and Forward Julius Randle from New York Knicks". NBA.com. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
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