Dexter Jerome Pittman (born March 2, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Guaiqueríes de Margarita of the Venezuelan SuperLiga. He played college basketball for the University of Texas.

Dexter Pittman
Free agent
PositionCenter
Personal information
Born (1988-03-02) March 2, 1988 (age 36)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight285 lb (129 kg)
Career information
High schoolB. F. Terry High School (Rosenberg, Texas)
CollegeTexas (2006–2010)
NBA draft2010: 2nd round, 32nd overall pick
Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career2010–present
Career history
20102013Miami Heat
2010–2011,
2012–2013
Sioux Falls Skyforce
2013Memphis Grizzlies
2013Foshan Long Lions
2013–2014Austin Toros
2014Atlanta Hawks
2014Caciques de Humacao
2014–2015TED Ankara Kolejliler
2015–2016Virtus Bologna
2016Santeros de Aguada
2016–2018Toyama Grouses
2018–2019Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka
2019–2020Al-Ahli
2021–2022Al-Sharjah
2022–2023Al-Qurain SC
2023Guaiqueríes de Margarita
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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Pittman was a three-year starter at B. F. Terry High School, where he averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his career. In his senior season, he was named the Most Valuable Player for District 24-4A.[1]

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Pittman was listed as the No. 16 center and the No. 150 player in the nation in 2006.[2]

College career

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Pittman was used sparingly in his first two seasons at Texas, averaging less than 3 points per game with just one start.[1] As a junior, he started 24 games–averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game[3]–and became one of the most dominant centers in the Big 12 conference.[4]

Weight loss

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Pittman weighed 388 lbs [5] as a senior at Terry High School. After receiving weight loss tips from Texas' Strength and Conditioning coach Todd Wright, he was able to drop his weight to 366 lbs before enrolling at Texas.[5] His weight still prevented him from doing basic drills in practice, which caused various back and knee aches.[5] Pittman then dedicated himself to a workout program with Wright, which included 5:30 AM workouts and a complete revamp of his diet. Pittman agreed to call Todd Wright before every meal to evaluate his choices.[5] He later characterized the workout regimen as so tough that "I wanted to cry and say, 'Man, I want to give up'".[5] Since losing almost 100 pounds, he has become an icon for admirers, like Hall of Famer Charles Barkley,[6] who heard about his weight loss.[5]

College statistics

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 Texas Longhorns 29 0 5.3 .604 .000 .471 1.8 .1 .2 .3 2.6
2007–08 Texas Longhorns 36 1 6.8 .559 .000 .561 2.4 .2 .1 .5 2.8
2008–09 Texas Longhorns 35 24 16.6 .616 .000 .691 5.5 .4 .4 .9 10.1
2009–10 Texas Longhorns 34 34 19.1 .654 .000 .556 5.9 .5 .4 1.9 10.4
Career 134 59 12.2 .623 .000 .601 3.9 .3 .2 .9 6.6

Professional career

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Pittman was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Miami Heat. On July 16, 2010, he signed a multi-year deal with the Heat. On November 26, 2010, Pittman was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On December 18, 2010, he was recalled by the Heat. On January 6, 2011, he was reassigned to the Skyforce.[7] He was later selected to the 2011 NBA D-League All-Star game. Pittman made his NBA debut on April 1, 2011, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Heat made it to the 2011 NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

On April 13, 2012, Pittman scored a career high 16 points in a 105–82 win against the Charlotte Bobcats. In Game 5 of the 2012 Conference semi-finals against the Indiana Pacers, Pittman was assessed a flagrant foul after he came across the lane and used his forearm to hit Lance Stephenson of the Pacers with 19.4 seconds left in the game.[8] Pittman was later suspended for three games due to the incident.[9] The Heat advanced to the 2012 NBA Finals and won the series against Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, giving Pittman his first championship.

During the 2012–13 season, Pittman was assigned multiple times to the Skyforce.[10]

On February 21, 2013, the Heat traded Pittman and a second round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for a trade exception and the rights to Ricky Sanchez.[11] On April 14, 2013, he was waived by the Grizzlies.[12]

Pittman joined the San Antonio Spurs for the 2013 NBA Summer League.[13] In September 2013, he signed with the Chicago Bulls.[14] However, he was later waived by the Bulls on October 26, 2013.[15]

On November 27, 2013, Pittman was acquired by the Springfield Armor. However, his contract was bought out by the Armor on December 3, before he appeared in a game for them. He subsequently signed with the Foshan Long Lions of China as an injury-replacement for Shavlik Randolph.[16] Later that month, he left Foshan after seven games.

On January 6, 2014, Pittman was acquired by the Austin Toros.[17]

On February 22, 2014, Pittman signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[18] Pittman's final NBA game was on February 26, 2014, in a 104–115 loss to the Boston Celtics. In that game, Pittman only played 30 seconds and didn't record a single statistic. On February 27, 2014, he was waived by the Hawks.[19] On March 2, 2014, he was reacquired by the Toros. On April 10, 2014, he signed with the Houston Rockets.[20] A few days later, he was released by the Rockets before appearing in a game for them.[21][22][23]

On April 19, 2014, Pittman signed with Caciques de Humacao for the 2014 BSN season.[24]

On September 29, 2014, Pittman signed with the Atlanta Hawks.[25] However, he was later waived by the Hawks on October 21, 2014.[26] On November 27, 2014, he signed with TED Ankara of Turkey for the rest of the 2014–15 season.[27]

On June 26, 2015, he signed with Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A for the 2015–16 season.[28][29]

On May 12, 2016, Pittman was acquired by Santeros de Aguada of the Puerto Rican League.[30]

On December 16, 2016, Pittman signed with Toyama Grouses of the Japanese B.League.[31] During the 2017–18 season he posted 11.5 points and 6 rebounds per game. He signed with B.League team Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka on September 20, 2018.[32]

On October 9, 2021, Pittman signed with Al Sharjah of the UAE National Basketball League.[33]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Miami 2 0 5.5 .333 .000 .000 1.5 .0 .0 .0 1.0
2011–12 Miami 35 6 8.6 .468 .000 .643 2.0 .3 .2 .2 3.0
2012–13 Miami 4 0 3.0 .600 .000 .000 1.8 .0 .0 .0 1.5
2012–13 Memphis 7 0 2.9 .167 .000 .000 .7 .0 .0 .0 .3
2013–14 Atlanta 2 0 1.5 .000 .000 .000 1.5 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 50 6 6.9 .450 .000 .545 1.8 .2 .2 .2 2.3

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012 Miami 3 1 2.7 .000 .000 .000 .0 .3 .0 .3 .0
Career 3 1 2.7 .000 .000 .000 .0 .3 .0 .3 .0

NBA D-League

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Sioux Falls 22 22 27.7 .536 .000 .548 8.2 1.2 .4 1.7 14.5
2012–13 Sioux Falls 15 12 24.9 .470 .000 .767 8.8 .3 .9 1.7 12.4
2013–14 Austin 28 20 20.5 .556 .000 .705 6.8 .5 .5 2.3 11.3
Career 65 54 24.0 .527 .000 .652 7.7 .7 .6 1.9 12.6

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Foshan 7 0 18.7 .649 .000 .441 5.5 .4 .3 1.0 15.0
Career 7 0 18.7 .649 .000 .441 5.5 .4 .3 1.0 15.0

B.League

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Toyama 35 19 19.9 .538 .000 .600 7.8 .4 .3 1.1 12.9
2017–18 Toyama 57 13 17.8 .585 .000 .608 5.9 1.4 .5 .6 11.5

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dexter Pittman". Texas Longhorns. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  2. ^ Dexter Pittman Recruiting Profile
  3. ^ "2009 Season Statistics". TexasSports. The University of Texas. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  4. ^ Dan Hurwitz. "Texas Student-Athlete Spotlight: Dexter Pittman". Big 12 Conference. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Marlen Garcia (February 11, 2009). "Heavyweight fight has Pittman in shape, ready to roll at Texas". USA Today. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  6. ^ Chuck Carlton. "Pittman's role is now what's huge at Texas". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  7. ^ "Dexter Pittman Re-Assigned To Sioux Falls Skyforce". NBA.com. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  8. ^ Tim Reynolds."Miami Heat Get Physical". Associated Press. South Florida Times. May 24, 2012. Retrieved on June 22, 2012.
  9. ^ "Heat’s Haslem, Pittman suspended". HoopsWorld. May 24, 2012. Retrieved on June 22, 2012.
  10. ^ 2012-13 NBA Assignments Archived March 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Heat send Pittman, draft pick to Grizzlies". NBA.com. February 21, 2013. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "Grizzlies waive Dexter Pittman". NBA.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  13. ^ Spurs Announce 2013 Las Vegas Summer League Roster
  14. ^ "Patrick Christopher, Mike James, Dahntay Jones, Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman and D.J. White in Bulls training camp". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  15. ^ "Chicago Bulls waive Dexter Pittman, D.J. White". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  16. ^ "CBA: NBA Center Dexter Pittman will Replace Injured Shavlik Randolph in Foshan". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  17. ^ Austin Toros Acquire Dexter Pittman In Trade
  18. ^ HAWKS SIGN DEXTER PITTMAN TO 10-DAY CONTRACT
  19. ^ HAWKS RELEASE DEXTER PITTMAN
  20. ^ Rocket Sign Dexter Pittman
  21. ^ Rockets release Dexter Pittman, may sign Josh Powell
  22. ^ Rockets To Release Dexter Pittman
  23. ^ Rockets waive center Dexter Pittman
  24. ^ Caciques de Humacao sign Dexter Pittman
  25. ^ Hawks Sign Jarell Eddie and Dexter Pittman
  26. ^ Hawks Waive Jarell Eddie and Dexter Pittman
  27. ^ TED Ankara announces Dexter Pittman
  28. ^ "Obiettivo Lavoro ha il nuovo centro: è Dexter Pittman". virtus.it (in Italian). June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  29. ^ "Virtus Bologna announce Dexter Pittman". Sportando.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  30. ^ Modestti, Luis (May 12, 2016). "Varios equipos se refuerzan en la postemporada". BSNPR.com (in Spanish). Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  31. ^ "デクスター ピットマン 選手 契約締結(新規)のお知らせ". grouses.jp (in Japanese). December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  32. ^ "Dexter Pittman signs with Fukuoka Ryzing Zephyr". Sportando. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  33. ^ "Al Sharjah tabs Dexter Pittman". Asiabasket. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
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