Dante Cunningham
 Cunningham in 2014 | |
| No. 33 – Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 22, 1987 Clinton, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) |
| Listed weight | 221 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
St. John's (Washington D.C.) Potomac (Oxon Hill, Maryland) |
| College | Villanova (2005–2009) |
| NBA draft | 2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33rd overall |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Pro playing career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2011 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2011 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| 2011–2012 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2012–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Dante Cunningham (born April 22, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cunningham was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Cunningham, a forward, played college basketball with the Villanova Wildcats.
Early life
Cunningham was born in Clinton, Maryland, to Searcy Blankenship and Ron Cunningham. His older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA.[1]
High school
Cunningham began his prep career at St. John's High School in Washington, D.C. While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. One of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham.[1]
As a senior, Cunningham transferred to Potomac High School, which he led to a 27–0 season under Head Coach Rico Reed. He averaged 13 rebounds, 20 points, and four blocked shots per game at Potomac. He was honored as the Washington Post Metropolitan Player of the Year.[1]
College
At Villanova University, Cunningham played in all 33 games and was a starter in four during his freshman year.[1]
In his Senior year, Cunningham would go on to lead the team in scoring and take home the Big East Most Improved Player award. He led the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 1985.
NBA career
Cunningham was drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2009 NBA Draft. Cunningham played for Portland's Vegas Summer League team where he averaged over 18 points and 5 rebounds per game in four contests. On August 21, 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that Cunningham had signed a contract and was given a roster spot for the 2009–2010 season.[2]
On February 24, 2011, Cunningham was traded along with Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks and two future first-round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace.[3]
On December 20, 2011, Cunningham signed a three-year, $7 million offer sheet from the Memphis Grizzlies.[4] The Bobcats declined to match the offer.[5] On July 24, 2012, Cunningham was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Wayne Ellington.[6]
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Portland | 63 | 2 | 11.2 | .495 | .000 | .646 | 2.5 | .2 | .4 | .4 | 3.9 |
| 2010–11 | Portland | 56 | 9 | 19.8 | .433 | .000 | .711 | 3.4 | .5 | .7 | .6 | 5.1 |
| 2010–11 | Charlotte | 22 | 9 | 24.0 | .508 | .111 | .765 | 4.0 | .6 | .7 | .5 | 9.0 |
| 2011–12 | Memphis | 64 | 5 | 17.6 | .516 | .000 | .652 | 3.8 | .6 | .7 | .5 | 5.2 |
| 2012–13 | Minnesota | 80 | 9 | 25.1 | .468 | .000 | .650 | 5.1 | .8 | 1.1 | .5 | 8.7 |
| Career | 285 | 34 | 19.2 | .478 | .043 | .667 | 3.8 | .6 | .7 | .5 | 6.2 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Portland | 5 | 0 | 8.4 | .600 | .000 | .833 | 2.6 | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | 4.6 |
| 2012 | Memphis | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | .364 | .000 | .000 | 1.6 | .0 | .1 | .3 | 1.1 |
| Career | 12 | 0 | 7.6 | .500 | .000 | .833 | 2.0 | .0 | .5 | .2 | 2.6 |
International career
Cunningham was included on a preliminary list for Great Britain's Eurobasket 2009 qualifying matches in 2008.[7] Ultimately he was not able to obtain a British passport.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Dante Cunningham Profile". Villanova.com. CBS Interactive. 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ Joe Freeman, Blazers sign draft pick Dante Cunningham, August 21, 2009
- ↑ "Cunningham, Przybilla, Marks, 2 First Round Picks Acquired from Portland". NBA.com. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ↑ "Grizzlies tender offer sheet to Dante Cunningham". NBA.com. 2011-12-20. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
- ↑ "Grizzlies sign Dante Cunningham". NBA.com. 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
- ↑ http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/wolves-acquire-dante-cunningham-memphis
- ↑ "Gordon is named in Britain squad". BBC News. April 1, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ↑ MULLENS TO JOIN GB’S OLYMPIC TILT
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