Gorgui Dieng

Gorgui Sy Dieng (/ˈɡɔːrɡi dʒɛŋ/; GOR-ghee Jeng; born January 18, 1990)[1] is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gorgui means "the old one" in his native language Wolof.

Gorgui Dieng

Dieng with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019
No. 14 – Memphis Grizzlies
Position	Center / Power forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	January 18, 1990 Kébémer, Senegal
Nationality	Senegalese
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school	Huntington Prep (Huntington, West Virginia)
College	Louisville (2010–2013)
NBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21st overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–2020	Minnesota Timberwolves
2020–present	Memphis Grizzlies
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2014) NCAA champion (2013)* Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2013) First-team All-Big East (2013) *Later vacated
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Senegal AfroBasket 2017 Tunisia/Senegal

High school career

Dieng attended the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEEDS) Academy in Thies, Senegal.[2] While at SEEDS, Dieng had a 3.2 GPA.[3]

He was invited to the "Basketball Without Borders" camp in South Africa in 2009 as one of 60 promising players selected from across Africa, and was named MVP of the camp.[4][5]

Dieng transferred to Huntington Prep in West Virginia for the 2009–10 school year, where he played for coach Rob Fulford. He averaged 15.4 points, 12.6 rebounds and 7.2 blocks per game during his senior season at Huntington Prep.[6]

College career

Recruitment

Dieng was recruited by Marquette, Marshall, Colorado, and Louisville among others who came in late. His high school coach Rob Fulford said "Academics are no question, He passed the SAT six months after learning English and passed with 400 points to spare."[3] The most interest was from Louisville and Marshall. Then on March 30, 2010 head coach Donnie Jones left Marshall to become the head coach of the University of Central Florida. The next day, Rick Pitino signed a contract extension through 2017 with Louisville. On April 26, 2010 Dieng verbally committed to Louisville. Louisville assistant coach Walter McCarty, who has NBA experience, helped Rick Pitino land Dieng in a Cardinals uniform.[3]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Dieng was listed as the No. 10 power forward and the No. 44 player in the nation in 2010.[7]

Louisville career

Dieng in 2013 with Louisville

Dieng was ruled ineligible by the NCAA when he first arrived at Louisville forcing them to hold him out of practice and individual workouts.[8] Louisville appealed the NCAA's decision and on October 26, 2010 it was announced that the NCAA reversed its original decision and ruled Dieng eligible immediately.[9] As a freshman Dieng saw action in 29 games averaging 16 mins a game. He scored 5.7 points a game, pulled down 4.4 rebounds and blocked 1.9 shots a game in his limited action.[10] The Cardinals finished the 2010–11 season with a 25–10 record, 12–6 in Big East play tied for 3rd and lost in the championship game of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament to Connecticut. They received an at-large bid and a #4 seed in the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament where they were upset in the second round by #13 seeded Morehead State.[11]

As a sophomore, Dieng started at center for the 2011–12 Louisville team that reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. In the 2011–12 season, Dieng led the Big East Conference in blocks, and set the all-time school record for blocks in a season.[12] On March 22, 2012, Dieng matched a Louisville tournament record with 7 blocks in a game in a 57–44 Sweet 16 victory over Michigan State.[13]

Dieng was named as a student representative to the board of directors of the U of L athletic department for the 2012–13 school year, succeeding his graduated teammate Kyle Kuric.[14]

Despite being a junior, Dieng was honored on Senior Day in 2013, due to the fact that he would forgo his last year at Louisville to enter the 2013 NBA draft.[15]

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Louisville	29	10	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	.000	.652	9.4	2.0	1.3	2.5	9.8
Career		102	82	27.3	.545	.333	.640	7.9	1.2	1.0	2.6	8.3

College awards and honors

• 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 career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2020)

Dieng in 2014

On June 27, 2013, Dieng was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 21st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Shabazz Muhammad the 14th pick later that night in exchange for the 9th pick Trey Burke.[16] On March 20, 2014, in a game against the Houston Rockets, Dieng recorded 22 points and 21 rebounds, the first ever 20-20 game by a rookie in Timberwolves' franchise history. He also became just the sixth player since the NBA began tracking starts in 1970 to have at least 20 points and 20 rebounds within their first three career starts.[17] On April 11, also against the Rockets, Dieng scored the game-winning basket with 4.6 seconds left and finished with 12 points and 20 rebounds.[18] As a result of his improvements throughout the second half of the season, Dieng was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team.

On January 12, 2015, Dieng tied his career high of 22 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.[19] On January 28, he was named a representative of Team World to compete in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge.[20]

On August 1, 2015, Dieng played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game.[21]

On December 20, 2015, Dieng had a then season-best game with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 100–85 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[22] On February 6, 2016, he recorded a career-high 24 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in a 112–105 win over the Chicago Bulls.[23]

On October 31, 2016, Dieng signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Timberwolves.[24][25] On January 15, 2017, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 98–87 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[26] On March 30, 2017, he recorded 11 points, a season-high 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a 119–104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[27]

Memphis Grizzlies (2020–present)

On February 6, 2020, Dieng was acquired by the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade also involving the Miami Heat.[28] The Grizzlies also acquired Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters who was later waived. The Heat acquired Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder while the Timberwolves acquired James Johnson.

NBA 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

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
Career		515	204	22.0	.500	.342	.788	6.1	1.4	.8	1.0	7.9

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
Career		5	0	14.0	.333	.400	.750	3.6	.8	.4	.8	3.4

International career

Dieng represented the Senegalese national basketball team during the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup where he averaged 16.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in six games.[29]

Personal life

Dieng is known for his philanthropic work. He set up the Gorgui Dieng Foundation in 2015, which has provided aid including medical equipment and supplies to improve healthcare in his native Senegal.[30] In 2019 he became the third player to receive the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award.[31] Dieng is a practicing Muslim.[32]

References

1. "2011–12 Louisville Cardinals media guide" (PDF). CSTV.com. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
2. "Alumni- SEEDS". SEEDProjecy.org. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
3. Taylor, Grant (April 27, 2010). "Huntington Prep's Dieng commits to Louisville". herald-dispatch.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
4. "BWB Africa 2009." Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, FIBA. Retrieved on May 4, 2015.
5. "NCAA Tournament in Phoenix: 'Throwback' Gorgui Dieng hits potential at a perfect time for Louisville". AZCentral.com. March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
6. "Gorgui Dieng Profile". University of Louisville athletics. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
7. "Gorgui Dieng Recruiting Profile". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
8. "Louisville freshman Gorgui Dieng ruled ineligible". usatoday.com. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
9. Brown, C.L. (October 26, 2010). "Louisville's Gorgui Dieng ruled eligible by NCAA after appeal". courier-journal.com. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
10. "Gorgui Dieng Stats | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
11. "2010–11 Louisville Cardinals Schedule and Results | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
12. "Louisville-Marquette game recap". ESPN. March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
13. "Behanan scores 15, Dieng blocks 7 shots in Louisville's 57–44 win over Michigan State in West". Washington Post.
14. Crawford, Eric (June 5, 2012). "$71.5 million U of L athletic budget". WDRB. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
15. Brown, C.L. (March 6, 2013). "Pitino wants junior to get his senior moment". USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
16. "Report: Wolves trade Burke to Jazz for 2 picks". NBA.com. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
17. "Harden leads Rockets over Timberwolves 129-106". NBA.com. March 20, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
18. "Notebook: Wolves 112, Rockets 110". NBA.com. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
19. "Afflalo, Nuggets hand Wolves 12th straight loss". NBA.com. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
20. "Dieng, LaVine, Muhammad and Wiggins to Represent Wolves in 2015 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
21. "NBA stars, legends shine as Team World rallies to beat Team Africa". ESPN. August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
22. "Towns has 24 points, 10 rebounds as Wolves win in Brooklyn". NBA.com. December 20, 2015. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
23. "Timberwolves close out Bulls with 12-0 run to win 112-105". NBA.com. February 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
24. "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN GORGUI DIENG TO CONTRACT EXTENSION". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
25. Charania, Shams (October 31, 2016). "Sources: Gorgui Dieng finalizing $64M extension with Minnesota". Yahoo.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
26. "Dieng scores season high, but Wolves lose in Dallas". FoxSports.com. January 15, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
27. "Rubio scores career-high 33 as Wolves beat Lakers 119-104". ESPN.com. March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
28. "Memphis Grizzlies acquire Justise Winslow, Gorgui Dieng and Dion Waiters in three-team trade with Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves". NBA.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
29. "2014 FIBA Basketball Cup – Gorgui Dieng". FIBA.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
30. Ben Morse; Celine Ramseyer. "NBA celebrates Gorgui Dieng's charity work in native Senegal". CNN. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
31. "MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES' GORGUI DIENG RECEIVES OFFSEASON NBA CARES COMMUNITY ASSIST AWARD PRESENTED BY KAISER PERMANENTE". NBA Community Assist. November 8, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
32. Atkins, Hunter (April 20, 2018). "Gorgui Dieng: Minnesota's center of peace". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 23, 2019.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com