Christopher Theoret Duarte ( ; born June 13, 1997) is a Dominican professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Unicaja Unicaja is a Spanish savings bank based in Málaga and chartered as a caja de ahorros providing retail banking services. The banks full name is ''Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera'' after the ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

and the Champions League. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Northwest Florida State Raiders and the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

. At Northwest Florida State, he was named NABC NJCAA Player of the Year in 2019. At Oregon, he received the 2021

Jerry West Award The Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate shooting guard. The award is named after former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, ...

as the nation's top collegiate shooting guard. He was selected 13th overall by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after 2020 NBA draft, the pre ...

. Duarte was selected to

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

honors.

Early life

Duarte was born in

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Puerto Plata, officially known as San Felipe de Puerto Plata; () is a major coastal city in the Dominican Republic, and capital of the Provinces of the Dominican Republic, province of Puerto Plata (province), Puerto Plata. The city is a major trad ...

. His father, who died when he was six months old, was Canadian. His mother is Dominican. He shared a love of basketball with his older brother Jean Michel. He moved to New York to play his final two years of high school basketball at Redemption Christian Academy in

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

. He participated in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game. Ranked the fifth-best player in New York by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

, Duarte originally committed to play

for

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

but instead started his career at

Northwest Florida State College Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) is a public university, public college with its main campus in Niceville, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, offering a ...

College career

Northwest Florida State (2017–2019)

In his freshman season for

, Duarte averaged 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and two steals in 23.3 minutes per game, earning first-team All-

Panhandle Conference The Panhandle Conference is a conference within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 8. The conference consists of four state colleges and one community college located in Florida. Members Member institutions are Chip ...

honors and helping his team reach the Elite Eight round of the NJCAA Division I Championship. On September 20, 2018, he announced that he would continue his career at

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

program

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

after one more season at Northwest Florida State. As a sophomore, Duarte averaged 19 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, helping his team return to the Elite Eight round of the NJCAA Division I Tournament. He scored 32 points on 11-of-13 shooting against

Palm Beach State College Palm Beach State College is a public college in Lake Worth, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 25,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associat ...

. He was recognized as NABC NJCAA Player of the Year and was a first-team NJCAA Division I All-American. Duarte was also named Panhandle Player of the Year by both the media and coaches vote.

Oregon (2019–2021)

Duarte made his debut for

on November 5, 2019, against

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

, finishing with 16 points in a 71–57 win. On December 29, Duarte scored a junior season-high 31 points, shooting 12-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range, to go with six assists and five rebounds in a 98–59 win over Alabama State. One day later, he was named

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

Player of the Week. On January 23, 2020, Duarte recorded 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals in a 79–70 victory over

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

. He set the

Matthew Knight Arena The Matthew Knight Arena (MKA) is a 12,364-seat, multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is home of the Oregon Ducks men's & women's basketball teams, along with the volleyball team, replacing McArthur Court. All teams compet ...

record for single-game steals and became the first Division I player with at least 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals since Niagara's Alvin Young in 1999. Duarte was subsequently named Pac-12 Player of the Week for his second time and

United States Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The U ...

(USBWA) National Player of the Week. He finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, collecting both All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Pac-12 All-Defensive honorable mention. During the 2020–21 season, Duarte led the Ducks to an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

. On April 3, 2021, Duarte was named recipient of the 2021

as the top shooting guard in men's collegiate basketball. Duarte was additionally recognized as the AP Pac-12 Player of the Year and an AP Third Team All-American. On March 29, 2021, Oregon head coach

Dana Altman Dana Dean Altman (born June 16, 1958) is an American college basketball coach of the Oregon Ducks men's team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. He has been awarded a Coach of the Year Award for each team tha ...

indicated in a press conference that Duarte would enter the

Professional career

Indiana Pacers / Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2021–2023)

Duarte was selected with the 13th pick in the

by the

. On August 4, 2021, he signed a rookie-scale contract with the Pacers. On October 20, Duarte made his NBA debut, recording 27 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting, five rebounds along with a steal to set the Pacers' franchise record for the most points in a rookie debut, in a 123–122 loss to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. and on December 17, he had a four-day assignment to the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

. Duarte participated in the NBA's 2022 Rising Stars Challenge alongside teammate

Tyrese Haliburton Tyrese John Haliburton (born February 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Haliban", he is a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Th ...

. On April 4, 2022, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a toe injury. Duarte was selected to the 2022

Sacramento Kings (2023–2024)

On July 6, 2023, Duarte was traded to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

for two future second-round picks.

Chicago / Windy City Bulls (2024–2025)

On July 8, 2024, Duarte was traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent

DeMar DeRozan DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by th ...

to the Kings. On December 17, he had a four-day assignment with the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirte ...

and on February 3, 2025, he was waived by the Bulls.

Vaqueros de Bayamon (2025)

On March 10, 2025, Duarte signed with

Vaqueros de Bayamón The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

. He would join

Danilo Gallinari Danilo Gallinari (; born 8 August 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). After spending his first four years as a professional in his native Italy, Gallinari was ...

and

JaVale McGee JaVale Lindy McGee ( ; born January 19, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and was selected 18th over ...

as the imports.

Unicaja Málaga (2025–present)

On July 1, 2025, he signed with

of the Spanish

Personal life

In January 2022, Duarte welcomed his second child, a daughter, with his girlfriend.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 55 , , 39 , , 28.0 , , .432 , , .369 , , .804 , , 4.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 46 , , 12 , , 19.5 , , .369 , , .316 , , .847 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 59 , , 11 , , 12.2 , , .381 , , .346 , , .788 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , .1 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .462 , , .400 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 177 , , 62 , , 18.3 , , .406 , , .349 , , .813 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , 7.6

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 28 , , 30.1 , , .414 , , .336 , , .795 , , 5.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 26 , , 34.1 , , .532 , , .424 , , .810 , , 4.6 , , 2.7 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , 17.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 54 , , 54 , , 32.0 , , .473 , , .380 , , .803 , , 5.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 14.9

JUCO

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Northwest Florida State , 32 , , 1 , , 23.3 , , .546 , , .367 , , .700 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Northwest Florida State , 33 , , 33 , , 31.1 , , .541 , , .400 , , .808 , , 7.1 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 19.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 65 , , 34 , , 27.2 , , .543 , , .388 , , .765 , , 6.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 15.6

References

External links

Oregon Ducks bio

Northwest Florida State Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duarte, Chris 1997 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Chicago Bulls players Dominican Republic basketball players Dominican Republic expatriate basketball people in the United States Dominican Republic men's basketball players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Mixed Dominicans NBA players from the Dominican Republic Northwest Florida State Raiders men's basketball players Oregon Ducks men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Windy City Bulls players