Keita Bates-Diop
American basketball player (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keita Bates-Diop (/ˈkeɪtə ˈbeɪts ˈdiːɒp/ KAY-tə BAYTS DEE-op;[1] born January 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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Bates-Diop with Ohio State in 2018 | |
| Sioux Falls Skyforce | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 23, 1996 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | University (Normal, Illinois) |
| College | Ohio State (2014–2018) |
| NBA draft | 2018: 2nd round, 48th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Playing career | 2018–2025 |
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| Number | 33, 31, 6, 21, 13, 20 |
| Coaching career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2018–2020 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2018–2019 | →Iowa Wolves |
| 2020 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2020 | →Windy City Bulls |
| 2020–2023 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2023–2024 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2024 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2025 | Qingdao Eagles |
Coaching | |
| 2025–present | Sioux Falls Skyforce (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Bates-Diop was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 48th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He spent 1 and a half seasons with Minnesota before getting traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2020, but only appeared in 7 games for Denver. Bates-Diop would then play for the San Antonio Spurs over the next three seasons before signing with the Phoenix Suns in 2023 as a free agent. Halfway through the 2023-24 NBA season, the Suns traded Bates-Diop to the Brooklyn Nets in February of 2024 in a three team trade sending Royce O'Neale to Phoenix.
Early life
Keita Bates-Diop was born on January 23, 1996, in Sacramento, California[2] to Richard and Wilma Bates. His parents added Diop to his surname. His father Richard studied under Cheikh Anta Diop, a Senegalese scientist and anthropologist.[3]
High school career
Bates-Diop played for University High School in Normal, Illinois. He averaged 18.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a junior. He was considered one of the top 5 candidates for Illinois Mr. Basketball by the Chicago Tribune.[4] Bates-Diop was ranked no. 24 nationally in his class by Rivals.com.[5]
College career
Bates-Diop was a bench player as a freshman at OSU in the 2014–15 season. As a sophomore, he expanded his role on the team and averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.[6] But as a junior, he suffered a stress fracture in his left leg, sitting out all but the first nine games, while the Buckeyes limped to a 17–15 record without him. In those nine games, Bates-Diop averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.[7] He was granted a medical redshirt and came into his redshirt junior campaign one of the top options for new coach Chris Holtmann.[6]
Bates-Diop earned his first Big Ten Conference player of the week honors on December 11, 2017, after notching a career-high 27 points in a 97–62 win over William & Mary.[8] On January 9, 2018, Bates-Diop was recognized as the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association after strong performances against Iowa and Michigan State. Bates-Diop tied a then-career high with 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a victory against Iowa. Against top-ranked Michigan State, he scored a career-high 32 points in an 80–64 win.[9] He also received his second Big Ten player of the week recognition.[10] Bates-Diop received his second consecutive player of the week nod on January 15, with a 26-point, eight-rebound outing in a 91–69 win over Maryland and 20 points and nine rebounds in a victory versus Rutgers.[11]
On February 26, 2018, Bates-Diop was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.[12] He averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Following Ohio State's loss in the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Bates-Diop announced his intention to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declared for the 2018 NBA draft.[13]
Professional career
Minnesota Timberwolves / Iowa Wolves (2018–2020)
On June 21, 2018, Bates-Diop was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 48th pick in the 2018 NBA draft.[14] On July 7, 2018, he signed with the Timberwolves.[15] Bates-Diop participated in the NBA Summer League in 2018 and 2019.
Denver Nuggets / Windy City Bulls (2020)
On February 5, 2020, the Timberwolves traded Bates-Diop to the Denver Nuggets in a four-team trade.[16] He was assigned to the Windy City Bulls on March 1.[17] He was waived by the Nuggets on November 22, 2020.[18]
San Antonio Spurs (2020–2023)
On November 29, 2020, the San Antonio Spurs announced that they had signed Bates-Diop to a two-way contract.[19] On September 7, 2021, the Spurs re-signed Bates-Diop to a two-year, $3.6 million contract.[20] On December 23, 2021, Bates-Diop scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds and a steal in a 138–110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[21]
Phoenix Suns (2023–2024)
On July 4, 2023, Bates-Diop signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.[22]
Brooklyn Nets (2024)
On February 8, 2024, Bates-Diop was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies.[23] On March 27, 2024, the Nets announced that Bates-Diop would miss the rest of the season due to a fractured tibia.[24]
On July 6, 2024, Bates-Diop was traded to the New York Knicks alongside Mikal Bridges and one second-round pick in exchange for Bojan Bogdanović, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, 4 unprotected first-round picks, an unprotected pick swap, a top four protected first round pick, and an unprotected second-round pick.[25] Before ever appearing in a game for the Knicks, on October 2, 2024, Bates-Diop was traded back to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three team trade involving the Charlotte Hornets in which Minnesota also acquired Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and one Lottery Protected first-round pick. The Hornets received DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., Duane Washington Jr., three second-round picks and draft compensation. New York acquired Karl-Anthony Towns and the draft rights to James Nnaji.[26] On October 21, he was waived by the Timberwolves after playing only two preseason games.[27]
Qingdao Eagles (2025)
On February 20, 2025, Bates-Diop signed with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).[28]
Coaching career
On October 23, 2025, Bates-Diop was hired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League as an assistant coach, despite not announcing his retirement.[29]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 30 | 3 | 16.8 | .423 | .250 | .643 | 2.8 | .6 | .6 | .5 | 5.0 |
| 2019–20 | Minnesota | 37 | 0 | 17.5 | .422 | .330 | .708 | 3.0 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 6.8 |
| Denver | 7 | 0 | 14.0 | .464 | .333 | .800 | 2.4 | .0 | .3 | .6 | 5.4 | |
| 2020–21 | San Antonio | 30 | 0 | 8.2 | .448 | .294 | .667 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | .2 | 2.6 |
| 2021–22 | San Antonio | 59 | 14 | 16.2 | .517 | .309 | .754 | 3.9 | .7 | .5 | .2 | 5.7 |
| 2022–23 | San Antonio | 67 | 42 | 21.7 | .508 | .394 | .793 | 3.7 | 1.5 | .7 | .3 | 9.7 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 39 | 8 | 15.3 | .427 | .313 | .722 | 2.6 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 4.5 |
| Brooklyn | 14 | 0 | 4.8 | .500 | .200 | 1.000 | .6 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 1.6 | |
| Career | 283 | 67 | 16.1 | .474 | .333 | .751 | 3.0 | .9 | .5 | .3 | 6.0 | |
Playoffs
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Ohio State | 33 | 0 | 9.9 | .473 | .462 | .679 | 2.1 | .5 | .3 | .6 | 3.8 |
| 2015–16 | Ohio State | 33 | 33 | 31.5 | .453 | .324 | .787 | 6.4 | 1.1 | .7 | 1.2 | 11.8 |
| 2016–17 | Ohio State | 9 | 3 | 23.3 | .500 | .200 | .714 | 5.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 1.3 | 9.7 |
| 2017–18 | Ohio State | 34 | 34 | 33.1 | .480 | .359 | .794 | 8.7 | 1.6 | .9 | 1.6 | 19.8 |
| Career | 109 | 70 | 24.8 | .472 | .352 | .776 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.2 | 11.7 | |