David Duke Jr. (born October 13, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Providence Friars.

David Duke Jr.
Duke with Brooklyn Nets in 2022
No. 7 – San Antonio Spurs
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-10-13) October 13, 1999 (age 25)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeProvidence (2018–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
20212023Brooklyn Nets
20212023Long Island Nets
2023Delaware Blue Coats
2023–presentSan Antonio Spurs
2023–presentAustin Spurs
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Peru Team

High school career

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Duke grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, playing soccer and football and running track. He did not focus on basketball until high school. As a freshman at Classical High School in Providence, Duke stood 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) and played at the junior varsity level. Duke grew to 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and joined the varsity team in his sophomore season.[1] As a junior, he averaged 15 points per game and led his team to a Division 1 state title.[2] After the season, Duke transferred to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts and repeated his junior year due to reclassification. He played with Wabissa Bede and helped his team win the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AA title.[3] As a senior, Duke averaged 17 points, five rebounds and four assists per game and helped Cushing reach the NEPSAC Class AA semifinals.[2] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Providence over offers from Virginia Tech, Florida, Indiana and Villanova.[1][4]

College career

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Entering his first season at Providence, Duke shared preseason Big East Freshman of the Year honors with Jahvon Quinerly.[5] He immediately became the team's starting point guard but moved off the ball by the end of the season.[6] On November 17, 2018, Duke scored a freshman season-high 20 points in a 76–67 win over South Carolina.[7] As a freshman, he averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.[8] On January 18, 2020, Duke scored a sophomore season-high 36 points, shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range, in a 78–74 loss to Creighton.[9][10] As a sophomore, he averaged 12 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 42 percent on three-pointers.[11] Duke averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game as a junior.[12] He was named to the Second Team All-Big East.[13] On April 2, 2021, Duke declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[12]

Professional career

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Brooklyn Nets (2021–2023)

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After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Duke signed with the Brooklyn Nets on August 8, 2021.[14] On October 16, his deal was converted to a two-way contract. Under the terms of the deal, he split time between the Nets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.[15]

Duke joined the Nets for the 2022 NBA Summer League after turning down a new two-way contract offer from the team.[16] However, he ultimately re-signed with the Nets on a two-way deal on September 16, 2022.[17] Duke was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.[18] On April 7, 2023, he signed a standard contract with Brooklyn.[19]

Delaware Blue Coats (2023)

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On September 11, 2023, Duke signed with the Philadelphia 76ers,[20] but was waived on October 20.[21] Eight days later, he joined the Delaware Blue Coats.[22]

San Antonio / Austin Spurs (2023–present)

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On December 14, 2023, Duke signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs.[23] On July 26, 2024, he signed another two-way contract with them.[24]

National team career

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Duke represented the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. He helped his team win the bronze medal and recorded 16 points, four assists and three steals in a 114–75 loss to Argentina in the semifinals.[25]

Career statistics

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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

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Brooklyn 22 7 15.5 .361 .243 .810 3.0 .8 .6 .3 4.7
2022–23 Brooklyn 23 0 9.9 .462 .083 .706 1.3 .9 .4 .0 3.7
2023–24 San Antonio 4 0 12.8 .556 .500 1.000 2.5 1.3 .5 .0 6.5
Career 49 7 12.7 .417 .236 .780 2.2 .9 .5 .2 4.4

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Brooklyn 1 0 4.7 .333 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
Career 1 0 4.7 .333 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 2.0

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Providence 34 34 24.7 .387 .297 .689 2.6 2.1 .7 .3 7.1
2019–20 Providence 31 31 32.2 .409 .420 .793 4.2 3.1 1.5 .4 12.0
2020–21 Providence 26 26 37.1 .387 .389 .792 6.3 4.8 1.2 .3 16.8
Career 91 91 30.8 .394 .377 .769 4.2 3.2 1.1 .3 11.5

Personal life

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Duke's parents were born in Liberia. He has two brothers.[26][27]

References

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  1. ^ a b Casey, Tim (March 12, 2020). "Providence College Guard David Duke Excelling For Hometown Team". Forbes. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cordova, David (November 25, 2018). "David Duke: A Local Talent Stars As A Freshman For Providence". Dave's Joint. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Farrahar, Kevin (November 6, 2018). "David Duke's Time is Here". Friar Basketball. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  4. ^ McNamara, Kevin (October 13, 2017). "David Duke to stay home, picks Providence College". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  5. ^ McNamara, Kevin (October 15, 2018). "PC's David Duke named preseason co-Freshman of the Year in Big East". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Farrahar, Kevin (September 30, 2019). "What's in Store for David Duke in Year 2?". Friar Basketball. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  7. ^ "Duke & Diallo Lead PC Past South Carolina 76-67, Face #18 Michigan Sunday". GoLocalProv. November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Mallard, Nick (March 19, 2019). "Former Cushing Academy stars still shining in college postseason". Sentinel & Enterprise. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Despite 36 Points from Duke, PC Falls to #25 Creighton 78-74". GoLocalProv. January 18, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Steele, Ian (January 21, 2020). "One-on-One with PC's David Duke after Career-High 36 Point Performance". WLNE-TV. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  11. ^ Foley, Brian (October 1, 2020). "Providence Basketball: Friars' David Duke poised as Big East's breakout star". Busting Brackets. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Koch, Bill (June 15, 2021). "Ex-Friar David Duke invited to NBA Combine". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  13. ^ Steele, Ian (March 7, 2021). "David Duke, Nate Watson Named Second Team All BIG EAST". ABC6. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign David Duke Jr". NBA.com. August 8, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Exercise Two-Way Player Conversion on David Duke Jr". NBA.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Lewis, Brian (July 9, 2022). "David Duke Jr. eyeing standard Nets contract after rejecting two-way offer". NYPost.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  17. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Re-sign David Duke Jr". NBA.com. September 16, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "Wolves' Garza And Ignite's Henderson Named Captains For NBA G League Next Up Game". NBA.com. February 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Convert David Duke Jr. Contract to Standard NBA Deal". NBA.com. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "David Duke Jr. Signs With 76ers". NBA.com. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Maher, Rory (October 20, 2023). "Sixers Waive Ricky Council, David Duke Jr". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  22. ^ Delaware Blue Coats [@blue_coats] (October 29, 2023). "time for camp.🏕️ #GetYourCoatsOn" (Tweet). Retrieved November 10, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Garcia, Alex (December 14, 2023). "Spurs Sign David Duke Jr. to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ^ Shirley, P. (July 26, 2024). "Spurs Sign David Duke Jr. to a Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "Duke Adds 16 Points As Team USA Is Defeated By Argentina In Pan Am Games Semifinals". Providence College Athletics. August 4, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  26. ^ "David Duke". Providence College Athletics. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Reynolds, Bill (November 10, 2018). "PC's David Duke fighting for his own identity". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
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