Dink Pate, a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, will reclassify into the 2023 recruiting class and sign a contract with the G League Ignite, he told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- The 6-foot-8 point guard held offers from 37 Division I programs.
- Pate, 17, is the youngest American-born professional basketball player ever. He won’t be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2025.
- Pate will sign a two-year deal with the Ignite and make his debut during the 2023 NBA Summer League.
Backstory
Pate played last season at L.G. Pinkston High in Dallas, where he averaged 20.3 points per game. He ranked as a top-25 prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports, and a top-70 prospect per the 247Sports Composite.
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“My entire life I’ve always loved the NBA game. By the time I got to middle school, I knew for sure I wanted to be a pro,” Pate said. “I never really thought of an opportunity like this back then, but whenever the opportunity presented itself, and the talks started to happen from the G League, it was a no-brainer. I felt this was the best decision overall for my basketball future.”
Pate also considered the collegiate route, telling The Athletic that his final schools were Arkansas and Alabama.
“My top schools coming down to the end were Alabama, Arkansas, Memphis, Auburn, TCU and Georgetown before coach (Patrick) Ewing left. The top two were most definitely Alabama and Arkansas, so it for sure would’ve been out of those two schools, just based on my relationship with coach Nate Oats and coach Eric Musselman. So basically, I was either going to be Roll Tide or Woo Pig.”
Future outlook
Throughout his high school career, Pate has been compared to Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Pistons guard Cade Cunningham in the way he operates in the pick-and-roll as a distributor or scorer. NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and Memphis coach Penny Hardaway even compared him to a younger version of themselves, Pate said.
In love with the game… 🫶🏾🖤💛
🎥: @zaysotuff pic.twitter.com/Dtd8VyVWib
— “DINK” Pate (@IAMTHESHOOTER1) February 10, 2023
“I honestly don’t model my game after anyone. I just play the game how I play based off of natural instincts,” Pate said. “My favorite player always growing up has been Kevin Durant. I think I get my determination to score in different ways like him. I also love Kobe and the way he played. That Mamba mentality is different.
“I feel like Kobe whenever I wear his shoes. It just puts me in another mindset. The players I’ve been compared to the most have been Paul George, Gilgeous-Alexander, McGrady and Hardaway. I think I have a little bit of every one of them in my game. Although I wasn’t born when Penny was in his prime, I’ve watched a lot of highlights of him, and he’s my favorite all time of the big guards.”
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Pate is a lead guard with great length, feel for the game and the ability to score at all three levels. During his junior campaign, he put up multiple triple-doubles and continued to display his playmaking skills. The Dallas native has a chance to hear his name called early in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“There are many goals I want to accomplish. The main reason I chose to go this route is because by reclassifying up, I have two years to work towards those goals instead of one. My overall development as a player and maturity as a professional and how I approach each day on and off the court are just a few goals,” Pate said. “The ultimate personal goal I hope to gain from this is by proving to the NBA that I’m the best prospect in the 2025 draft, and I confidently believe I’m the No. 1 overall pick for the 2025 NBA Draft.”
(Photo of Dink Pate: Trey Productions)
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