Gorgui Dieng facts for kids
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Dieng with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021
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| San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||||||
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| Basketball Operations Representative | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 18, 1990 Kébémer, Senegal |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| College | Louisville (2010–2013) | ||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21st overall | ||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2013–2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2020 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Memphis Grizzlies | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Gorgui Sy Dieng (pronounced GOR-ghee JENG; born January 18, 1990) is a former professional basketball player from Senegal. He now works for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a basketball operations representative. Before playing professionally, he was a college basketball star for the Louisville Cardinals.
Dieng was chosen as the 21st player in the 2013 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. On the same night, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played for the Timberwolves for seven seasons. In February 2020, he moved to the Memphis Grizzlies. After leaving the Grizzlies in March 2021, he joined the San Antonio Spurs. He then signed with the Atlanta Hawks in August 2021. In July 2022, he returned to the Spurs. Dieng officially retired from playing basketball on December 9, 2023.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Gorgui Dieng started his basketball journey at the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEEDS) Academy in Thiès, Senegal. While at SEEDS, he was a good student, keeping a 3.2 GPA. He played in Senegal's top league, Nationale 1, with the team US Rail. In 2009, he helped his team win the Senegalese Cup. He scored 19 points in the final game and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Becoming a Top Prospect
In 2009, Dieng was invited to the Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa. This camp brings together 60 promising young players from across Africa. Dieng was named the MVP of this camp, showing his great talent.
He then moved to the United States to attend Huntington Prep in West Virginia for the 2009–10 school year. During his senior year at Huntington Prep, he averaged 15.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 7.2 blocks per game.
College Recruiting Process
Many colleges wanted Dieng to play for them, including Marquette, Marshall, Colorado, and Louisville. His high school coach, Rob Fulford, said that Dieng was excellent academically. He passed the SAT test just six months after learning English.
Louisville and Marshall showed the most interest. On April 26, 2010, Dieng decided to commit to Louisville. The Louisville assistant coach, Walter McCarty, who had played in the NBA, helped convince Dieng to join the Cardinals. Experts like Rivals.com considered Dieng a four-star recruit. They ranked him as the 10th best power forward and the 44th best player in the nation for 2010.
College Basketball Career
When Dieng first arrived at Louisville, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) said he couldn't play. Louisville appealed this decision, and on October 26, 2010, the NCAA changed its mind. Dieng was then allowed to play right away.
Freshman Year at Louisville
As a freshman, Dieng played in 29 games, averaging about 16 minutes per game. He scored 5.7 points, grabbed 4.4 rebounds, and blocked 1.9 shots per game. The Louisville Cardinals finished the 2010–11 season with a 25–10 record. They lost in the championship game of the 2011 Big East men's basketball tournament. They made it to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament but were upset in the second round.
Sophomore and Junior Years
In his sophomore year, Dieng became the starting center for the 2011–12 Louisville team. This team made it to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Dieng led the Big East Conference in blocks that season. He also set a new school record for the most blocks in a single season. On March 22, 2012, he tied a Louisville tournament record with 7 blocks in a game.
For the 2012–13 school year, Dieng was chosen to represent students on the board of directors for the University of Louisville's athletic department. Even though he was a junior, Dieng was honored on Senior Day in 2013. This was because he planned to leave college early to enter the 2013 NBA draft.
College Achievements
- NCAA champion (2013)
- Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2013)
- First team All-Big East (2013)
- Big East All-Tournament Team (2012)
- 2nd in all-time blocks in Cardinal history (267 blocks)
Professional Basketball Career
Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2020)
On June 27, 2013, the Utah Jazz picked Dieng as the 21st overall player in the 2013 NBA draft. However, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the same night.
On March 20, 2014, Dieng had an amazing game against the Houston Rockets. He scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. This was the first time a rookie in Timberwolves history had a "20–20" game (20 points and 20 rebounds). He was also one of only six players since 1970 to achieve this within their first three career starts. Because of his strong performance, Dieng was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team.
In January 2015, Dieng tied his career high with 22 points. He was also chosen to play for Team World in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge, which features top young players. In August 2015, Dieng played for Team Africa in the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game.
On February 6, 2016, he had a career-best game with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists against the Chicago Bulls. In October 2016, Dieng signed a new four-year contract with the Timberwolves.
Memphis Grizzlies (2020–2021)
On February 6, 2020, Dieng was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal. He played for the Grizzlies until March 26, 2021, when he and the team agreed to end his contract.
San Antonio Spurs (2021)
On March 29, 2021, Dieng signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He played 16 games for them, averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Atlanta Hawks (2021–2022)
On August 9, 2021, Dieng signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
Return to San Antonio (2022–2023)
On July 5, 2022, Dieng signed a contract to return to the San Antonio Spurs. He was waived by the Spurs on January 5, 2023, but then signed two 10-day contracts. On February 10, Dieng re-signed with the Spurs for the rest of the season.
On December 9, 2023, Dieng announced that he had officially retired from playing professional basketball.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Minnesota | 60 | 15 | 13.6 | .498 | 1.000 | .634 | 5.0 | .7 | .5 | .8 | 4.8 |
| 2014–15 | Minnesota | 73 | 49 | 30.0 | .506 | .167 | .783 | 8.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 9.7 |
| 2015–16 | Minnesota | 82* | 39 | 27.1 | .532 | .300 | .827 | 7.1 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 10.1 |
| 2016–17 | Minnesota | 82* | 82* | 32.4 | .502 | .372 | .814 | 7.9 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 10.0 |
| 2017–18 | Minnesota | 79 | 0 | 16.9 | .479 | .311 | .775 | 4.6 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 5.9 |
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 76 | 2 | 13.6 | .501 | .339 | .830 | 4.1 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 6.4 |
| 2019–20 | Minnesota | 46 | 17 | 16.9 | .448 | .383 | .797 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .8 | .9 | 7.4 |
| 2019–20 | Memphis | 17 | 0 | 18.7 | .483 | .250 | .738 | 5.8 | .9 | .8 | 1.0 | 7.2 |
| 2020–21 | Memphis | 22 | 1 | 16.9 | .519 | .479 | .884 | 4.5 | 1.3 | .8 | .6 | 7.9 |
| 2020–21 | San Antonio | 16 | 0 | 11.3 | .527 | .318 | .833 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | 5.3 |
| 2021–22 | Atlanta | 44 | 3 | 8.4 | .473 | .426 | .731 | 2.8 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.5 |
| 2022–23 | San Antonio | 31 | 1 | 11.5 | .385 | .280 | .769 | 3.5 | 1.7 | .1 | .5 | 3.9 |
| Career | 628 | 209 | 20.9 | .496 | .355 | .791 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .7 | .9 | 7.3 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Minnesota | 5 | 0 | 14.0 | .333 | .400 | .750 | 3.6 | .8 | .4 | .8 | 3.4 |
| 2022 | Atlanta | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 7 | 0 | 11.4 | .350 | .333 | .800 | 3.0 | .6 | .3 | .6 | 2.9 | |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Louisville | 29 | 9 | 15.6 | .618 | .000 | .538 | 4.4 | .7 | .4 | 1.9 | 5.7 |
| 2011–12 | Louisville | 40 | 40 | 32.8 | .525 | .500 | .676 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 9.1 |
| 2012–13 | Louisville | 33 | 32 | 31.1 | .534 | — | .652 | 9.4 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 9.8 |
| Career | 102 | 81 | 27.3 | .545 | .333 | .640 | 7.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 8.3 | |
International Play
Dieng proudly represented the Senegalese national basketball team. He played in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he averaged 16.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He also played in the AfroBasket tournaments in 2015, 2017, and 2021. He was named to the All-Tournament Team in all three of these events.
Life After Playing Basketball
On December 9, 2023, Gorgui Dieng announced his retirement from professional basketball. On the same day, he began a new role as a Basketball Operations Representative for the San Antonio Spurs.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Gorgui Dieng is well-known for his charity work. In 2015, he started the Gorgui Dieng Foundation. This foundation helps improve healthcare in his home country of Senegal by providing medical equipment and supplies. In 2019, he received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award. This award recognizes NBA players who do great work in their communities during the off-season. Dieng is a practicing Muslim.
The name "Gorgui" means "the old one" in Wolof, which is Dieng's native language.
See also
In Spanish: Gorgui Dieng para niños
