Derek Culver facts for kids

Derek Culver was born on May 24, 1998. He is an American professional basketball player. He recently played for the Suwon KT Sonicboom team in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Before turning pro, he played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Growing Up and High School Basketball

Derek Culver grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. He described it as a tough place. He went to Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio. His coach there was Andy Vlajkovich.

As a junior, Derek was a star player. He scored about 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds per game. He helped his team win a Division I district title. They also reached the regional semifinals.

During his senior year, Derek left the team for reasons that were not shared publicly. After high school, he spent a special year playing basketball at Brewster Academy. This is called a postgraduate year. At Brewster Academy, he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds. He was chosen for the First Team New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AAA. He also helped his team win the NEPSAC Class AAA regular season title.

Many top colleges wanted Derek to play for them. He was considered a four-star recruit. He chose to play college basketball for West Virginia. He had offers from other big schools like Arizona and Kansas.

Derek's College Basketball Journey

Before he even played his first game for West Virginia, Derek was suspended. This meant he couldn't play for a short time because he broke team rules. He was allowed to play again after about a month.

Freshman Year Highlights

On February 4, 2019, Derek had a great game. He scored 23 points and got 12 rebounds. This was his best game as a freshman. Later that month, on February 26, he had an amazing game against TCU. He scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. This was a huge achievement! He was the first West Virginia player since 1977 to get at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in one game.

As a freshman, Derek averaged 11.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He led the Big 12 in rebounding during conference games. He was named to the Second Team All-Big 12. He also made the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Sophomore and Junior Seasons

Before his second year, Derek was on a special list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. This award goes to the best center in college basketball. On December 1, 2019, he scored a career-high 25 points. He also had 11 rebounds in a win against Rhode Island.

Sometimes, Derek had to guard smaller players. He was also sometimes taken out of the game for a smaller lineup. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.4 points and 8.6 rebounds. He received an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Derek started his junior season strong. He helped the Mountaineers win the Crossover Classic Championship. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament. He was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. Derek finished his college career with a total of 1,036 points and 799 rebounds.

In April 2021, Derek decided to leave college early. He wanted to try playing professional basketball. He was not chosen in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Derek's Professional Basketball Career

After college, Derek began his professional journey. He played for several teams in the NBA G League.

Playing in the G League

In October 2021, Derek signed with the Indiana Pacers. However, he was waived the next day. He then joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants as an affiliate player. He was waived again before the season started.

Later in 2021, Derek joined the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League. He played there for a short time before being waived in January 2022.

In November 2022, Derek was part of the opening night roster for the Delaware Blue Coats. He was waived again in December.

In January 2023, Derek joined the Mexico City Capitanes. He was waived in February. He was briefly acquired by the South Bay Lakers but was waived before playing for them.

In February 2023, Derek was acquired by the Lakeland Magic. He played in one game before being waived two days later.

Winning a Championship

Derek returned to the Delaware Blue Coats in March 2023. He helped the team win the NBA G League championship! This was a big achievement in his professional career. He rejoined the Blue Coats in October but was waived in December.

Recent Teams

In 2024, Derek played for the Rayos de Hermosillo in Mexico. He also played for Spartak Pleven in Bulgaria. He then joined Anorthosis Ammochostou in Cyprus. In 2025, he played for the Suwon KT Sonicboom in South Korea.

Career Statistics

Here are Derek Culver's college basketball statistics:

Family Connections

Derek Culver's cousin is Lynn Bowden. Lynn played football at Kentucky. He was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders and later traded to the Miami Dolphins. Lynn is known for being a "utility player" in football. This means he can play many different positions.