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Rob Dillingham

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Robert Deon Potasi Dillingham (born January 4, 2005) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a five-star recruit who previously played professionally for the Cold Hearts in Overtime Elite during what would have been his senior year in high school. Dillingham became a guard for Kentucky during the 2023–24 season.[1]

Rob Dillingham
Dillingham with Kentucky in 2023
No. 4 – Minnesota Timberwolves
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2005-01-04) January 4, 2005 (age 19)
Hickory, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeKentucky (2023–2024)
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Cold Hearts
2024–presentMinnesota Timberwolves
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2021 Mexico Team

Early life and high school career

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Dillingham was born and raised in Hickory, North Carolina.[2] His father Donald is African American and mother Valaaulia "Lia" Tailele is originally from Samoa.[3] Rob played basketball for Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina.[4][5] Dillingham emerged as one of the top players in his class by his sophomore season.[6] As a sophomore, he averaged 21.2 points, 4.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, leading his team to a 29–3 record and a non-association state title. He was named Charlotte Observer Player of the Year.[7] For his junior year, he transferred to Donda Academy, Kanye West's school in Simi Valley, California. For his senior year, he transferred to Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Georgia.

Recruiting

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Dillingham was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by 247Sports.[8] On December 1, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for NC State over offers from Memphis, LSU, Kansas and Kentucky. He became the second-highest-ranked recruit in program history, behind Dennis Smith Jr. On March 19, 2022, Dillingham announced his decommitment from NC State and reopened his recruitment.[9] On June 24, 2022, Dillingham committed to Kentucky over offers from Louisville, Auburn, and USC. He became Kentucky's second commit in the 2023 recruiting class.[10] and went on to average 15.2 points per game.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rob Dillingham
PG 		Hickory, NC Donda Academy (CA) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 24, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 15  247Sports: 21  ESPN: 15
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  • "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 28, 2023.

Professional career

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Cold Hearts (2022–2023)

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On November 3, 2022, Dillingham left Donda Academy after multiple controversies surrounding its founder, Kanye West, and signed with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league for late-high-school- and early-college-level players.[11] He joined the Overtime Cold Hearts, one of the six teams in the league.[12] Dillingham made his OTE debut for the Cold Hearts on November 11, recording six points, three rebounds and three steals in a 92–84 loss to the YNG Dreamerz.[12][13]

NBA

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After spending one season with the University of Kentucky, Dillingham declared his entry into the 2024 NBA draft and received a green room invite.[14]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2024–present)

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On June 26, 2024, Dillingham was selected with the eighth overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2024 NBA draft; however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a 2030 protected first-round pick swap and an unprotected first-round pick in 2031.[15][16] On July 8, he signed with the Timberwolves.[17]

National team career

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Dillingham led the United States to a gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He was named most valuable player after averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game.[18] He posted a team-record 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 90–75 win against Argentina in the final.[19]

Personal life

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Dillingham is the son of Valaaulia Tailele and Donald Dillingham. He has two siblings, Pai Tailele and Denzel Dillingham.[20]

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

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Kentucky 32 1 23.3 .475 .444 .796 2.9 3.9 1.0 .1 15.2

References

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  1. ^ Tucker, Kyle. "So Kentucky might really be back, huh?". The Athletic. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Byerly, Justin. (November 30, 2021). Dillingham Set to Commit, Possible Wolfpack Lock. HoopSeen. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Cyphers, Luke (December 16, 2022). "Kanye West Donda Debacle Divides a Kentucky Hoops Signee's Family". Sportico: The Business of Sports. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Jordan, Jason (August 25, 2020). "Robert Dillingham's Star is on the Rise". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Siner, Jeff (December 21, 2020). "Combine Academy's Robert Dillingham is more than a scorer". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  6. ^ O'Brien, Patrick (August 26, 2020). "2023 Robert Dillingham is already becoming one of the hottest prospects in his class with college programs". Phenom Hoop Report. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Wertz, Langston Jr. (May 12, 2021). "All-Observer boys basketball: Combine's Robert Dillingham is player of the year". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Fowler, Chapel (June 29, 2021). "Can an unofficial visit keep UNC basketball in the lead for five-star point guard Robert Dillingham?". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Brandon (March 19, 2022). "Five-star guard Robert Dillingham decommits from NC State". Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Holton, Brooks (June 25, 2022). "Robert Dillingham, top point guard recruit in 2023 class, commits to Kentucky basketball". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kentucky Recruit Robert Dillingham Leaving Donda Academy for Overtime Elite". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "After becoming the first Overtime Elite player to sign with Kentucky, Rob Dillingham makes OTE debut". Zags Blog. November 13, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "YNG Dreamerz Stay Perfect with Win Over Cold Hearts". Overtime Elite. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Kirschenbaum, Alex (June 14, 2024). "Several More Players Invited To Green Room For 2024 Draft". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "2024 NBA Draft: Every pick and reported trade". NBA.com. October 10, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "San Antonio Spurs Draft Rob Dillingham No. 8 Overall at 2024 NBA Draft". SI.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  17. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr". NBA.com. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  18. ^ "USA's Dillingham wins U16 MVP, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA. August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Divens, Jordan (August 29, 2021). "High school basketball: Robert Dillingham's 31-point outburst leads USA U16 National Team to seventh consecutive gold". MaxPreps. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  20. ^ "Rob Dillingham". UK Athletics. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
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