Dink Pate (born March 10, 2006) is an American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He became the youngest professional basketball player in U.S. history after joining the NBA G League Ignite.
| No. 1 – Capitanes de Ciudad de México | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 10, 2006 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | L. G. Pinkston (West Dallas, Texas) |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023–2024 | NBA G League Ignite |
| 2024–present | Capitanes de Ciudad de México |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school career
editA native of Dallas, Texas, Pate played primarily point guard at L. G. Pinkston High School in West Dallas. In his last season, he averaged 20.3 points and was the named the 2022–2023 District 13-4A Most Valuable Player. He was also named to the 2022–2023 University Interscholastic League Boys 4A All-Region Team and All-State Team.[1]
Wanting to focus full time on basketball, Pate graduated from Pinkston a year early and continued his education by enrolling in online classes created by the NBA G League at Arizona State.[1]
Recruiting
editRated as a five-star prospect by ESPN, Pate announced he would forgo playing college basketball and instead play professionally for NBA G League Ignite after reclassifying to the 2023 class.[2] He would have enrolled at Alabama or Arkansas had he not have joined Ignite.[1]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dink Pate SG |
Dallas, TX | West Dallas (TX) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | — | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 35 247Sports: 30 ESPN: 30 | ||||||
Sources:
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Professional career
editNBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)
editOn April 17, 2023, Pate signed a two-year contract with the NBA G League Ignite. By joining Ignite, he became the youngest known professional basketball player in U.S. history, surpassing Scoot Henderson by five weeks.[3] On February 27, 2024, Pate scored a career-high 16 points along with 9 assists against the Texas Legends.[4]
After the shutting down of the NBA G League Ignite on March 28, 2024, Pate was suggested to have had a waiver request to enter the 2024 NBA draft due to the team's closure and having turned 18 during the season, but he was denied entry to the draft that year.[5]
Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2024–present)
editOn July 3, 2024, Pate joined the Capitanes de Ciudad de México.[6]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
NBA G League
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | G League Ignite | 31 | 20 | 23.6 | .347 | .214 | .727 | 2.9 | 3.8 | .6 | .1 | 8.0 |
| Career | 31 | 20 | 23.6 | .347 | .214 | .727 | 2.9 | 3.8 | .6 | .1 | 8.0 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Recruit Dink Pate signs with NBA's G League Ignite program". ESPN.com. April 17, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Sam, Doric (April 17, 2023). "Dink Pate Picks G-League over Alabama, Arkansas; Youngest US-Born Pro Ever". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Texas High School Standout Dink Pate Signs With Ignite". NBA.com. April 17, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Ignite Opens Seven-Game Road Trip With Loss To Legends, 132-111". NBA.com. February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "A Look at Dink Pate, the Ignite Guard Attempting to Enter the 2024 Draft After G League Program's Dissolution". NBA Draft. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ "Dink Pate is signing with the G-League's Mexico City Capitanes". x.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.