Keita Bates-Diop facts for kids
.jpg)
Bates-Diop with Ohio State in 2018
|
|
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Small forward / power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 23, 1996 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| High school | University (Normal, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Ohio State (2014–2018) |
| NBA Draft | 2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall |
| Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Pro career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2020 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2018–2019 | →Iowa Wolves |
| 2020 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2020 | →Windy City Bulls |
| 2020–2023 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2023–2024 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2024 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2025 | Qingdao Eagles |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Keita Bates-Diop (/ˈkeɪtə ˈbeɪts ˈdiːɒp/ kay-TƏ-_-BAYTS-_-DEE-op; born January 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He recently played for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Before that, he played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Keita Bates-Diop was born on January 23, 1996, in Sacramento, California. His parents are Richard and Wilma Bates. His father added 'Diop' to their family name. This was done to honor Cheikh Anta Diop. He was a famous scientist and anthropologist from Senegal.
High School Basketball Journey
Keita played basketball for University High School in Normal, Illinois. During his junior year, he was a top player. He scored about 18.4 points per game. He also grabbed 6.7 rebounds and blocked 2.3 shots per game. Many people thought he was one of the best players in Illinois. Rivals.com ranked him as the 24th best player in the country for his age group.
College Career at Ohio State
Keita Bates-Diop started playing for Ohio State University in 2014.
Freshman and Sophomore Years
As a freshman in the 2014–15 season, Keita played mostly from the bench. In his second year, as a sophomore, he took on a bigger role. He averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Dealing with Injury
His junior year was tough because he got a stress fracture in his left leg. This injury meant he could only play in nine games. The team struggled without him that season. Because of his injury, he was given a "medical redshirt." This meant he could play an extra year of college basketball.
Return and Star Performance
When he returned for his redshirt junior year, Keita was a key player. He earned his first "Big Ten Conference player of the week" award in December 2017. He scored a career-high 27 points in a big win. In January 2018, he was named the "Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week." This was after amazing games against Iowa and Michigan State. He scored 27 points and got 13 rebounds against Iowa. Against top-ranked Michigan State, he scored a new career-high of 32 points.
Big Ten Player of the Year
On February 26, 2018, Keita Bates-Diop was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. He averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game that season. After Ohio State's season ended, Keita decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft. This meant he would not play his final year of college basketball.
Professional Basketball Career
Keita Bates-Diop has played for several teams in the NBA and other leagues.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Iowa Wolves (2018–2020)
The Minnesota Timberwolves picked Keita as the 48th player in the 2018 NBA draft on June 21, 2018. He signed with the team in July 2018. He also played for their G-League team, the Iowa Wolves.
Denver Nuggets and Windy City Bulls (2020)
In February 2020, Keita was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He also spent some time playing for the Windy City Bulls. He was later released by the Nuggets in November 2020.
San Antonio Spurs (2020–2023)
The San Antonio Spurs signed Keita in November 2020. He played well for the Spurs. On December 23, 2021, he had a fantastic game. He scored a career-high 30 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He made all 11 of his shots in that game!
Phoenix Suns (2023–2024)
Keita signed with the Phoenix Suns on July 4, 2023.
Brooklyn Nets (2024)
On February 8, 2024, Keita was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately, he fractured his tibia (a bone in his lower leg) in March 2024. This injury meant he missed the rest of that season.
Recent Team Changes (2024)
On July 6, 2024, Keita was traded to the New York Knicks. However, he never played a game for them. On October 2, 2024, he was traded back to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a big three-team trade. After playing only two preseason games, the Timberwolves released him on October 21, 2024.
Qingdao Eagles (2025)
On February 20, 2025, Keita Bates-Diop signed with the Qingdao Eagles. This team plays in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 30 | 3 | 16.8 | .423 | .250 | .643 | 2.8 | .6 | .6 | .5 | 5.0 |
| 2019–20 | Minnesota | 37 | 0 | 17.5 | .422 | .330 | .708 | 3.0 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 6.8 |
| Denver | 7 | 0 | 14.0 | .464 | .333 | .800 | 2.4 | .0 | .3 | .6 | 5.4 | |
| 2020–21 | San Antonio | 30 | 0 | 8.2 | .448 | .294 | .667 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | .2 | 2.6 |
| 2021–22 | San Antonio | 59 | 14 | 16.2 | .517 | .309 | .754 | 3.9 | .7 | .5 | .2 | 5.7 |
| 2022–23 | San Antonio | 67 | 42 | 21.7 | .508 | .394 | .793 | 3.7 | 1.5 | .7 | .3 | 9.7 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 39 | 8 | 15.3 | .427 | .313 | .722 | 2.6 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 4.5 |
| Brooklyn | 14 | 0 | 4.8 | .500 | .200 | 1.000 | .6 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 1.6 | |
| Career | 283 | 67 | 16.1 | .474 | .333 | .751 | 3.0 | .9 | .5 | .3 | 6.0 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 4.8 | .200 | .000 | .500 | 1.2 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .6 |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Ohio State | 33 | 0 | 9.9 | .473 | .462 | .679 | 2.1 | .5 | .3 | .6 | 3.8 |
| 2015–16 | Ohio State | 33 | 33 | 31.5 | .453 | .324 | .787 | 6.4 | 1.1 | .7 | 1.2 | 11.8 |
| 2016–17 | Ohio State | 9 | 3 | 23.3 | .500 | .200 | .714 | 5.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 1.3 | 9.7 |
| 2017–18 | Ohio State | 34 | 34 | 33.1 | .480 | .359 | .794 | 8.7 | 1.6 | .9 | 1.6 | 19.8 |
| Career | 109 | 70 | 24.8 | .472 | .352 | .776 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.2 | 11.7 | |
See also
In Spanish: Keita Bates-Diop para niños
