Dink Pate is going pro -- and setting a record along the way.
The 17-year-old became the youngest known professional basketball player in U.S. history by signing with the NBA's G League Ignite program. Pate turned 17 in March and is five weeks younger than Scoot Henderson, the projected No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was when he joined G League Ignite in 2021.
"With much pray, thought, consideration, and council I have chosen to reclassify up from the class of 2024 to the class of 2023," Pate said on Twitter. "I will forgo college and sign with the NBA G-League IGNITE⚡️and enter into the 2025 NBA Draft!!!"
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The 6-foot-8, 194-pound Pate is a Dallas native and a five-star recruit in the 2024 high school class. He played point guard at L.G. Pinkston High School in West Dallas, averaged 20.3 points per game last season and was named the 2022-23 District 13-4A Most Valuable Player.
Any player that enters the NBA draft must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year the draft is held, meaning Pate is not eligible until 2025. He has committed to spending two years with the Ignite before setting his sights on the NBA.
Pate said he considered playing college basketball at either Alabama or Arkansas before ultimately deciding to join Ignite.
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"I'm extremely excited to join Ignite," Pate said as part of Ignite's announcement. “The opportunity to develop on and off the court alongside top prospects and veterans is the best route for me in order to accomplish my dreams of playing in the NBA. I wouldn't be here without the support from my family, trainers, coaches and teammates."
Pate said he will move to Las Vegas to begin working out at Ignite's practice facility with Matas Buzelis and London Johnson, who are projected to be top picks 2024.
Ignite has already produced three top-10 NBA draft picks since its founding in 2020: Jalen Green (No. 2 overall in 2021), Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7 overall in 2021) and Dyson Daniels (No. 8 overall in 2022).
