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Rob Dillingham selected in 2024 NBA Draft, traded to new team
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Rob Dillingham had his name called by the San Antonio Spurs. Then he learned he will be playing professional basketball elsewhere.
The Spurs drafted Dillingham with the No. 8 overall pick in Wednesday’s Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft. He wore a San Antonio cap during his ESPN interview, but his time as a Spur was extremely brief.
The basketball world learned via a Woj bomb that Dillingham will begin his professional career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota has traded for the eighth pick and Rob Dillingham, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
The trade to Minnesota pairs Dillingham with superstar Anthony Edwards, a former Georgia standout, as well as former Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns.
Dillingham turned pro after his freshman season. He played 745 minutes over 32 games in his season as a Wildcat.
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Like fellow former Wildcat Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in Wednesday’s draft, Dillingham was not a regular starter. He made just 1 start in his time at UK.
A standout bench contributor, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 2023-24. He shot 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range, draining 64 triples for John Calipari’s Cats.
Playing on a loaded roster, Dillingham led UK in scoring eight times and was the assists leader in 12 games.
Highs for Dillingham in blue and white include his 35-point game against Tennessee on Feb. 3. He made a season-high 14 field goals, including 6 3-pointers, in the game. The parade of points earned him SEC Freshman of the Week and AP National Player of the Week recognition.
He grabbed 6 rebounds, a season-high, in Kentucky’s upset NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland. He logged 9 assists in a nonconference contest against Miami.
Dillingham’s Kentucky honors include SEC Sixth Man of the Year as well as selections to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
