Gorgui Sy Dieng (; ; born January 18, 1990) is a Senegalese former 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 currently working as a basketball operations representative with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

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(NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. Dieng was selected as the 21st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

and was traded on draft night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He spent seven seasons with the team before being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2020. He reached a contract buyout agreement with the Grizzlies in March 2021 and joined the

in free agency. He signed with the Hawks in August 2021. In July 2022, he returned to the Spurs. On December 9, 2023, Dieng retired from basketball.

High school career

Dieng attended the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEEDS) Academy in Thiès,

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. While at SEEDS, Dieng had a 3.2 GPA. Dieng played in the national Nationale 1 league with US Rail, and helped the team win the Senegalese Cup in 2009, scoring 19 points in the final and being named final MVP. He was invited to the Basketball Without Borders camp in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 2009 as one of 60 promising players selected from across Africa, and was named MVP of the camp. Dieng transferred to Huntington Prep in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

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.

Recruiting

Dieng was recruited by Marquette, Marshall,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 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." 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. 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.

College career

Dieng was ruled ineligible by the NCAA when he first arrived at Louisville forcing them to hold him out of practice and individual workouts. 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. 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. 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. 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 The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

in blocks, and set the all-time school record for blocks in a season. 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. 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. 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.

College awards and honors

* NCAA champion (

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

) * 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 Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

history (267 blocks)

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2020)

On June 27, 2013, Dieng was selected by the

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. On March 20, 2014, in a game against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, 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. 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. 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 The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On January 28, he was named a representative of ''Team World'' to compete in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge. On August 1, 2015, Dieng played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. 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 The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

. 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 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 ...

. On October 31, 2016, Dieng signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Timberwolves. On January 15, 2017, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 98–87 loss to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. 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.

Memphis Grizzlies (2020–2021)

On February 6, 2020, Dieng was acquired by the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade also involving the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. The Grizzlies also acquired Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters who was later waived. The Heat acquired

Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All ...

, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder while the Timberwolves acquired James Johnson. On March 26, 2021, Dieng and the Grizzlies reached a contract buyout agreement.

San Antonio Spurs (2021)

On March 29, 2021, Dieng signed with the

. He averaged 5.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 16 games played off the bench with the Spurs.

Atlanta Hawks (2021–2022)

On August 9, 2021, Dieng signed a 1-year, $4 million contract with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

Return to San Antonio (2022–2023)

On July 5, 2022, Dieng signed a contract to return to the

. On January 5, 2023, he was waived by the Spurs. Three days later, he signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs. On January 20, he signed a second 10-day contract with San Antonio. On February 10, Dieng re-signed with the Spurs for the remainder of the season. On December 9, 2023, Dieng revealed in an interview with the '' San Antonio Express-News'' that he had officially retired from professional basketball.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 60 , , 15 , , 13.6 , , .498 , , 1.000 , , .634 , , 5.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , .8 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 49 , , 30.0 , , .506 , , .167 , , .783 , , 8.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 39 , , 27.1 , , .532 , , .300 , , .827 , , 7.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 32.4 , , .502 , , .372 , , .814 , , 7.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 0 , , 16.9 , , .479 , , .311 , , .775 , , 4.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 2 , , 13.6 , , .501 , , .339 , , .830 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 46 , , 17 , , 16.9 , , .448 , , .383 , , .797 , , 5.6 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .9 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 17 , , 0 , , 18.7 , , .483 , , .250 , , .738 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 22 , , 1 , , 16.9 , , .519 , , .479 , , .884 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.3 , , .527 , , .318 , , .833 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 44 , , 3 , , 8.4 , , .473 , , .426 , , .731 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 1 , , 11.5 , , .385 , , .280 , , .769 , , 3.5 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , .5 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 628 , , 209 , , 20.9 , , .496 , , .355 , , .791 , , 5.6 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .9 , , 7.3

Playoffs

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2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

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, 5 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .333 , , .400 , , .750 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .8 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 2 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 0 , , 11.4 , , .350 , , .333 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , .6 , , 2.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , style="text-align:left;", Louisville , 29 , , 9 , , 15.6 , , .618 , , .000 , , .538 , , 4.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.9 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Louisville , 40 , , 40 , , 32.8 , , .525 , , .500 , , .676 , , 9.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 3.2 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;", Louisville , 33 , , 32 , , 31.1 , , .534 , , , , .652 , , 9.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , 2.5 , , 9.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 102 , , 81 , , 27.3 , , .545 , , .333 , , .640 , , 7.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 2.6 , , 8.3

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. He also played at the

AfroBasket The AfroBasket (alternatively known as the FIBA Africa Championship, FIBA African Championship, or FIBA AfroBasket) is the men's basketball continental championship contested by the senior national teams of Africa Africa is the world's s ...

tournaments in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, making the All-Tournament Team in all three years.

Post-playing career

On December 9, 2023, Dieng announced his retirement from professional basketball and was named Basketball Operations Representative by the

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. In 2019 he became the third player to receive the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Dieng is a practicing Muslim. Gorgui means "the old one" in Dieng's native language Wolof.

References

External links

College statistics
at Sports-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dieng, Gorgui 1990 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Atlanta Hawks players Centers (basketball) Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies players Minnesota Timberwolves players NBA players from Senegal People from Louga region San Antonio Spurs players Senegalese expatriate basketball people in the United States Senegalese Muslims Utah Jazz draft picks Wolof people Huntington Prep School alumni