Rob Dillingham

Dillingham was born and raised in Hickory, North Carolina. His father Donald is African American and mother Valaaulia "Lia" Tailele is originally from Samoa. Rob played basketball for Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina. Dillingham emerged as one of the top players in his class by his sophomore season. As a sophomore, he averaged 21.2 points, 4.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, leading his team to a 29–3 record and a non-association state title. He was named Charlotte Observer Player of the Year. For his junior year, he transferred to Donda Academy, Kanye West's school in Simi Valley, California. For his senior year, he transferred to Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Georgia. Recruiting Dillingham was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by 247Sports. On December 1, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for NC State over offers from Memphis, LSU, Kansas and Kentucky. He became the second-highest-ranked recruit in program history, behind Dennis Smith Jr. On March 19, 2022, Dillingham announced his decommitment from NC State and reopened his recruitment. On June 24, 2022, Dillingham committed to Kentucky over offers from Louisville, Auburn and USC. He became Kentucky's second commit in the 2023 recruiting class. and went on to average 15.2 points per game. ==Overtime Elite and college career==

On November 3, 2022, Dillingham left Donda Academy after multiple controversies surrounding its founder, Kanye West, and signed with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league for late-high-school- and early-college-level players. He joined the Overtime Cold Hearts, one of the six teams in the league. Dillingham made his OTE debut for the Cold Hearts on November 11, recording six points, three rebounds and three steals in a 92–84 loss to the YNG Dreamerz. After spending one season with the University of Kentucky, Dillingham declared his entry into the 2024 NBA draft and received a green room invite. ==Professional career==

Minnesota Timberwolves (2024–2026) On June 26, 2024, Dillingham was selected with the eighth overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2024 NBA draft; however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a 2030 protected first-round pick swap and an unprotected first-round pick in 2031. On July 8, he signed with the Timberwolves. On January 12, 2025, Dillingham was assigned to the Iowa Wolves. Dillingham 49 appearances (including one starts) for the Timberwolves, recording averages of 4.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Dillingham made 35 appearances for Minnesota in the 2025–26 NBA season, averaging 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Chicago Bulls (2026–present) On February 5, 2026, Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks were traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Philips. On February 7, Dillingham made his Bulls debut. He scored nine points, tallied three rebounds, four assists and one steal in 22 minutes of playtime against the Denver Nuggets. He made 30 appearances for Chicago, recording averages of 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists. On April 22, Dillingham underwent surgery to remove a ganglion cyst from his right wrist. ==National team career==

Dillingham led the United States to a gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He was named most valuable player after averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game. He posted a team-record 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 90–75 win against Argentina in the final. ==Personal life==

Dillingham is the son of Valaaulia Tailele and Donald Dillingham. He has two siblings, Pai Tailele and Denzel Dillingham. ==Career statistics==

NBA Regular season Playoffs College ==References==