Gorgui Sy Dieng (; ; born January 18, 1990) is a Senegalese 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

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 league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He played college basketball for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East C ...

. 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

and was traded on draft night to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. 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.

High school career

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

Thiès Thiès (; ar, ثيس, Ṯyass; Noon language, Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road (Senegal), N2 road and at the junction of railwa ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

. While at SEEDS, Dieng had a 3.2 GPA. He was invited to the " Basketball Without Borders" camp in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

in 2009 as one of 60 promising players selected from across Africa, and was named

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the camp. Dieng transferred to Huntington Prep in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

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 (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, and

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. ...

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 University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State Universi ...

. The next day,

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

signed a contract extension through 2017 with Louisville. On April 26, 2010, Dieng verbally committed to Louisville. Louisville assistant coach

Walter McCarty Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. McCarty played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He last served as head coach ...

, 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. As a sophomore, Dieng started at

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

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 is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

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 Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. 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 Kyle Matthew Kuric (born August 25, 1989)Kyle Kuric player bio is an American-Slovak professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Kuric grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and graduated from Memorial High Schoo ...

. 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 a ...

(

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 fa ...

) * 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, t ...

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

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 The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. 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 Southwest Division. Th ...

. 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 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 ...

. The Grizzlies also acquired

Justise Winslow Justise Jon Winslow (born March 26, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, with whom he won the 201 ...

and

Dion Waiters Dion Waiters Jr. (born December 10, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. W ...

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 th ...

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Return to San Antonio (2022–present)

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, Dieng signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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;",

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Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

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, 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

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

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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

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, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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, 1978 ...

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 April ...

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 s ...

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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, 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