Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (born Willie Durmond Cauley Jr.; August 18, 1993) is an American 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 (appr ...

player for the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

with the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

. He previously played with 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 Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

for four seasons before signing with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in the 2019 offseason. In January 2020, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

High school career

Born and raised in

Spearville, Kansas Spearville is a city in Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 791. History 19th century The land for the townsite of Spearville was deeded by the Santa Fe to the Arkansas Valley Town Compan ...

, Cauley-Stein as a sophomore transferred to

Olathe Northwest High School Olathe Northwest High School is a public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is one of five high schools in the Olathe USD 233 school district. The school colors are blue, black, and ...

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe wa ...

, where he played basketball and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. As a junior, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Considered a four-star basketball recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Cauley-Stein was listed as the No. 9 center and the No. 40 player in the nation in 2012. Cauley-Stein was not eligible to play varsity football until his senior year, but he was convinced to play wide receiver when he did. In 2011, he helped his high school win a 7-on-7 football tournament at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and was offered a football scholarship on the spot. In his senior season, Cauley-Stein averaged 19.7 yards per catch while sometimes playing as cornerback. He finished with 64 catches for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns.

College career

Willie Cauley-Stein 2015 dunking against Gators

Freshman season

Cauley-Stein started out his college career as a bench center, backing up top prospect

Nerlens Noel Nerlens Noel (born April 10, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball career ended in his first season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ...

. During his time as a back-up, Cauley-Stein ended up averaging 7.8 points on 63.9% field goal shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals in 20 games of play. Cauley-Stein earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice. Cauley-Stein's season-high came against Vanderbilt as he posted 20 points to go with seven rebounds. In a couple weeks prior, he was a perfect 5–5 from the field against Auburn. On February 12, 2013, in a game against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

, Noel tore the ACL in his left knee after blocking a Florida lay-up, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the season. Cauley-Stein was given the starting center position due to Noel's season-ending injury. In Noel's absence, he recorded three double-doubles in six games including 10 points and 11 rebounds against Georgia in addition to 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks at Arkansas. After SEC play ended he was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. At the end of the season he averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game after appearing in 29 games while making 14 starts.

Sophomore season

During the 2013–14 season, he appeared in 37 games, making 18 starts while averaging 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. His tallied 106 blocks for the season is a total that ranks as the second-most in a single season in school history. His terrific sophomore season led to him being named to the All-SEC Defensive Team. He recorded a career-high nine blocks twice during the season against Providence and Boise State. He really started coming into his own towards the end of the season. In the SEC Tournament, he recorded 10 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks vs. #1 Florida in the SEC Championship game. Due to an injury to his leg suffered during the 2014 NCAA Tournament in a game against

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, Cauley-Stein missed the remainder of the season. He decided to return for his junior season due to his injury; he was a projected top-15 pick in the 2014 NBA draft prior to his injury.

Junior season

In 2014–15, Cauley-Stein was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-SEC First Team, the All-SEC Defensive Team and the USA Today first team All-American Team. On April 9, 2015, Cauley-Stein along with Andrew Harrison,

Aaron Harrison Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Steelers of the P. League+. He was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2013 and played college basketball for the University o ...

Dakari Johnson Dakari Naeem Johnson (born September 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky ...

Devin Booker Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former basketball player Melvin Booker. After playing college basketba ...

Trey Lyles Trey Anthony Lyles (born November 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Utah Jazz following his freshman season at the University of Kent ...

, and

Karl-Anthony Towns Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995), sometimes known as KAT (his initials), is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basket ...

all declared to enter their names into the NBA draft.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2015–2019)

On June 25, 2015, Cauley-Stein was selected by the

with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. On July 16, he signed with the Kings. He made his debut for the Kings in their season opener on October 28, recording two points and two rebounds in a 111–104 loss to the

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

. He made his first career start two days later and recorded 17 points and nine rebounds in a 132–114 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 ...

. Cauley-Stein missed most of December with a right index finger injury. On January 20, he recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 112–93 win over the Lakers. On March 25, he scored a then career-high 26 points in a 116–94 win over the Phoenix Suns. At the season's end, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. On February 23, 2017, following the

DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wil ...

trade, Cauley-Stein was given extended minutes off the bench and came through with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds to help the Kings defeat 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 ...

116–100. On January 6, 2018, Cauley-Stein recorded a career-best seven steals in a 106–98 win over the

. On October 29, 2018, Cauley-Stein scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 123–113 win over 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. On December 23, 2018, he had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 122–117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On June 28, 2019, the Kings extended a qualifying offer to Cauley-Stein in order to make him a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

. The qualifying offer was later rescinded to make more cap space for the Kings to land

Cory Joseph Cory Ephram Joseph (born August 20, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard position and is also the captain of the Canadian national team. ...

Golden State Warriors (2019–2020)

On July 8, 2019, Cauley-Stein signed with the

. Cauley-Stein made his Warriors debut on October 10 against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 12 points on 5–of–5 shooting and 2–of–2 from the line, along with five rebounds, one assist, one block, and three fouls in 12 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks (2020–2022)

On January 25, 2020, Cauley-Stein was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round pick. He made his debut three days later in a 104–133 loss to the Phoenix Suns, recording four points and two rebounds in 12 minutes. Cauley-Stein opted out of the resumed season in the 2020 NBA Bubble, as he and his partner were expecting a newborn child in July. After the conclusion of the 2019–20 season, Cauley-Stein declined his option on November 19, 2020, and opted out of his contract, to become a free agent. He later re-signed with the Mavericks on December 1, 2020. The Mavericks picked up his team option on August 1, 2021, keeping Cauley-Stein for the 2021–22 season. On January 15, 2022, the Mavericks decided to waive him in order to make roster room for new signing

Marquese Chriss Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was sel ...

Philadelphia 76ers (2022)

On February 24, 2022, Cauley-Stein signed a 10-day contract with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He was waived on March 3.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2022–present)

On October 9, 2022, Cauley-Stein signed to 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 ...

. On November 3, 2022, Cauley-Stein was named to the opening night roster for the

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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, 75 , , 21 , , 18.9 , , .530 , , .000 , , .669 , , 4.5 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .6 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 73 , , 57 , , 28.0 , , .502 , , .250 , , .619 , , 7.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 53 , , 16 , , 17.1 , , .632 , , .091 , , .628 , , 4.5 , , .7 , , .4 , , .8 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 2 , , 9.8 , , .457 , , .500 , , .500 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 422 , , 256 , , 22.0 , , .544 , , .188 , , .612 , , 5.9 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .8 , , 8.7

Playoffs

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

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Personal life

On May 1, 2015, Willie officially filed a name-change order with the Probate Division of the Fayette District Court to change his birth name. He did it to honor his mother, Marlene Stein, and his maternal grandparents Norma and Val Stein, who raised him after his father left him when he was four. He also added "Trill" as a middle name, a nickname given to him by friends. Cauley-Stein's father, Willie Cauley, played college basketball at

Dodge City Community College Dodge City Community College (DC3, DCCC) is a public community college in Dodge City, Kansas, United States. History Campus Founded in 1935, Dodge City Community College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 1601 ...

and for one season at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. Willie Cauley met Cauley-Stein's mother, Marlene Stein, while she was playing college basketball for St. Mary of the Plains College.Willie Cauley-Stein’s path to Final Four with Kentucky started in small Kansas town
Kerkhoff, Blair. ''The Kansas City Star''. www.kansascity.com . Published April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2020. Cauley-Stein's first child, Kendrixx Marie Cauley-Stein, was born on July 7, 2020.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cauley-Stein, Willie 1993 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Jewish descent Basketball players from Kansas Dallas Mavericks players Golden State Warriors players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players People from Ford County, Kansas Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sacramento Kings draft picks Sacramento Kings players