Gorgui Sy Dieng (; ; born January 18, 1990) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (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 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 San Antonio Spurs in free agency. He signed with the Hawks in August 2021.

High school career

Dieng attended the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEEDS) Academy in Thiès, Senegal. While at SEEDS, Dieng had a 3.2 GPA. He was invited to the " Basketball Without Borders" camp in South Africa 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 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, 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 The 2011 Big East men's basketball tournament, a part of the 2010-11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 8–12, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This was the third Big East tournament to include all 16 ...

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 Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ea ...

. 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 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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

) * 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 may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

history (267 blocks)

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2020)

On June 27, 2013, Dieng was selected by the Utah Jazz 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, 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 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 playe ...

. 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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. 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. 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. 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 Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. 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 The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

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 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 professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to t ...

, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder while the Timberwolves acquired

James Johnson James Johnson may refer to: Artists, actors, authors, and musicians *James Austin Johnson (born 1989), American comedian & actor, ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member * James B. Johnson (born 1944), author of science nonfiction novels *James P. Joh ...

. 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 San Antonio Spurs. 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.

Return to San Antonio (2022–present)

On July 5, 2022, Dieng signed a contract to return to the San Antonio Spurs. On January 5, 2023, he was waived by the Spurs. Three days later, Dieng signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 60 , , 15 , , 13.6 , , .498 , , 1.000 , , .634 , , 5.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , .8 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 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;", Minnesota , 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;", Minnesota , 82 , , 82 , , 32.4 , , .502 , , .372 , , .814 , , 7.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 79 , , 0 , , 16.9 , , .479 , , .311 , , .775 , , 4.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 76 , , 2 , , 13.6 , , .501 , , .339 , , .830 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 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 , 16 , , 0 , , 11.3 , , .527 , , .318 , , .833 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Atlanta , 44 , , 3 , , 8.4 , , .473 , , .426 , , .731 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", San Antonio , 13 , , 1 , , 11.6 , , .417 , , .303 , , .750 , , 3.2 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .5 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 610 , , 209 , , 20.4 , , .499 , , .363 , , .791 , , 5.7 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .9 , , 7.4

Playoffs

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

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, style="text-align:left;", Atlanta , 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 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 The Senegal national basketball team ( French: ''Équipe de basketball du Senegal'') represents Senegal in men's international basketball and it is overseen by Federation Senegalaise de basketball, five time a gold medallist (in 1968, 1972, 19 ...

during the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

where he averaged 16.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in six games. He also played at the AfroBasket tournaments in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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

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 National Basketball Association 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