Nique Clifford
American basketball player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dominique Akai Clifford (born February 9, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Colorado State Rams as well as the Colorado Buffaloes.
| No. 10 – Sacramento Kings | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 9, 2002 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs, Colorado) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2025: 1st round, 24th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025–present | Sacramento Kings |
| 2025 | →Stockton Kings |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life and high school career
Clifford grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and attended The Vanguard School.[1] He was named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 26.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.[2] Clifford committed to playing college basketball for Colorado over offers from Stanford, Denver, Northern Colorado, Colorado State and Wyoming.[3]
College career
Clifford began his college career playing for the Colorado Buffaloes.[4] He averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds during his sophomore season.[5] As a junior, Clifford played in 35 games with 33 starts and averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.[6] After the season, Clifford entered the NCAA transfer portal.[7]
Clifford transferred to Colorado State.[8] He averaged 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and three assists and was named third-team All-Mountain West Conference in his first season with the Rams.[9]
In his final year of eligibility, Clifford was named first-team and defensive team All-Mountain West. [10] On March 7, 2025, Clifford scored a career-high 36 points in a 83–73 victory against the Boise State Broncos in his final regular season game. [11] On March 15, 2025, Clifford was named the 2025 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament MVP after he led the Rams with 24 points against the Boise State Broncos in the championship game.[12]
Professional career
Clifford was selected with the 24th pick in the 2025 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings after the Kings acquired his draft rights in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick with the Oklahoma City Thunder.[13] On July 3, 2025, the Kings announced that they had signed Clifford.[14] On February 8, 2026, Clifford recorded a career-high 30 points during a 126–132 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[15]
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
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Sacramento | 75 | 28 | 25.1 | .418 | .333 | .722 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .9 | .3 | 8.6 |
| Career | 75 | 28 | 25.1 | .418 | .333 | .722 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .9 | .3 | 8.6 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Colorado | 14 | 0 | 4.0 | .143 | .333 | .667 | .3 | .4 | .4 | .1 | 1.0 |
| 2021–22 | Colorado | 33 | 17 | 23.1 | .453 | .400 | .667 | 4.6 | 1.3 | .6 | .7 | 6.7 |
| 2022–23 | Colorado | 35 | 33 | 21.8 | .374 | .288 | .532 | 3.9 | 1.5 | .7 | .6 | 5.9 |
| 2023–24 | Colorado State | 36 | 36 | 30.3 | .522 | .376 | .759 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 1.4 | .9 | 12.2 |
| 2024–25 | Colorado State | 36 | 36 | 35.4 | .496 | .377 | .777 | 9.6 | 4.4 | 1.2 | .6 | 18.9 |
| Career | 154 | 122 | 25.6 | .469 | .364 | .724 | 5.9 | 2.4 | .9 | .6 | 10.1 | |