Damien Wilkins facts for kids
Wilkins with the 76ers in March 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Born | January 11, 1980 Washington, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| High school | Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Florida) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2004 / Undrafted | ||||||||||
| Pro career | 2004–2018 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| 2004–2009 | Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder | ||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Beijing Ducks | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Indios de Mayagüez | ||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Iowa Energy | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Indios de Mayagüez | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Guaros de Lara | ||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Greensboro Swarm | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Brujos de Guayama | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Greensboro Swarm | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Medals
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Damien Lamont Wilkins (born January 11, 1980) is an American who used to play professional basketball. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for ten seasons. After his playing career, he became a basketball executive. He is now the General Manager and Head of Basketball at Overtime Elite. Damien comes from a famous basketball family. His dad, Gerald Wilkins, played in the NBA for 13 years. His uncle, Dominique Wilkins, is a nine-time NBA All-Star and is in the Hall of Fame.
Contents
College Career
After finishing high school at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, Damien Wilkins went to North Carolina State University. He had a good start to his college basketball career there.
After two years, he thought about joining the NBA draft in 2001. But he decided to wait and moved to the University of Georgia instead. He played two solid seasons there. When the 2004 NBA draft happened, no team chose him.
Professional Career
Even though he wasn't drafted, Damien worked very hard. He trained a lot and improved his skills. This helped him play well in the summer league and preseason games for the Seattle SuperSonics. Because of his hard work, he earned a spot on the team.
Towards the end of his first year, he got a chance to play more. On March 24, 2005, he scored 21 points in a game against Portland. He started seven games that season because other players were injured. He also showed his talent in the 2005 NBA Playoffs. In one playoff game, he scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and made five steals.
In 2005, another team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, wanted to sign him. But the SuperSonics matched their offer, so Damien stayed with Seattle. In the 2007 season, two key players left the SuperSonics. This meant Damien became a starter for the team. On November 16, 2007, he had an amazing game against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
On July 27, 2009, Damien was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He later signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2010 but was released before the season started.
He then signed with the Atlanta Hawks in December 2010. He played for them for a month and then signed another contract with them in January 2011 for the rest of that season.
During the 2011–12 season, Damien played for the Detroit Pistons. In September 2012, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers. He briefly rejoined the Atlanta Hawks in 2013 but was waived again.
In December 2013, Damien went to China to play for the Beijing Ducks. He then played for the Indios de Mayagüez in Puerto Rico in 2014. Later that year, he was chosen by the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League draft. He was even named an NBA D-League All-Star in 2015. He returned to Indios de Mayagüez in April 2015.
In October 2015, he signed with the Charlotte Hornets but was waived shortly after. He then joined Guaros de Lara in Venezuela. In 2016, he played for the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA Development League. In April 2017, he played for Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico.
On August 15, 2017, Damien Wilkins signed with the Indiana Pacers. This brought him back to the NBA after a few years. He played for the Pacers until January 2018. After that, he returned to the Greensboro Swarm to finish his playing career.
National Team Career
Damien Wilkins also played for the United States men's national basketball team. He represented the U.S. at the 2015 Pan American Games. His team won a bronze medal there, which is a great achievement!
NBA Career Statistics
These tables show Damien Wilkins' statistics from his time playing in the NBA.
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Seattle | 29 | 7 | 17.9 | .435 | .271 | .618 | 2.3 | .9 | .8 | .3 | 6.3 |
| 2005–06 | Seattle | 82* | 12 | 18.6 | .444 | .250 | .840 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .9 | .1 | 6.5 |
| 2006–07 | Seattle | 82* | 31 | 24.8 | .435 | .410 | .882 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .2 | 8.8 |
| 2007–08 | Seattle | 76 | 31 | 24.3 | .403 | .323 | .736 | 3.2 | 2.0 | .8 | .3 | 9.2 |
| 2008–09 | Oklahoma City | 41 | 14 | 15.5 | .362 | .375 | .804 | 1.7 | .9 | .5 | .2 | 5.3 |
| 2009–10 | Minnesota | 80 | 31 | 19.8 | .433 | .295 | .798 | 3.1 | 1.7 | .8 | .3 | 5.6 |
| 2010–11 | Atlanta | 52 | 0 | 13.0 | .504 | .200 | .714 | 1.7 | .8 | .5 | .2 | 3.5 |
| 2011–12 | Detroit | 60 | 2 | 15.4 | .394 | .304 | .630 | 1.7 | .7 | .5 | .2 | 3.2 |
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia | 61 | 21 | 18.0 | .459 | .333 | .743 | 1.7 | 1.5 | .6 | .3 | 6.4 |
| 2017–18 | Indiana | 19 | 1 | 8.0 | .333 | .222 | .750 | .8 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Career | 582 | 150 | 18.9 | .426 | .327 | .783 | 2.3 | 1.4 | .7 | .2 | 6.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Seattle | 7 | 0 | 19.4 | .444 | .273 | .444 | 2.6 | .4 | 1.4 | .1 | 5.6 |
| 2011 | Atlanta | 8 | 0 | 4.9 | .538 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .1 | .3 | .3 | 1.8 |
| Career | 15 | 0 | 11.7 | .469 | .231 | .444 | 1.7 | .3 | .8 | .2 | 3.5 | |
Personal Life
Damien Wilkins is part of a very well-known basketball family. His father, Gerald Wilkins, played in the NBA for 13 years. His uncle, Dominique Wilkins, is a famous NBA All-Star. Dominique's stepson, Isaiah Wilkins, also played basketball professionally.
Since September 2022, Damien has been working as the General Manager and Head of Basketball for Overtime Elite. This organization helps young basketball players develop their skills.
See also
In Spanish: Damien Wilkins para niños
