DALLAS — A Dallas high school basketball star is heading to the NBA G League -- at just 17 years old.
Dink Pate, who played at Dallas ISD's L.G. Pinkston High School, announced on Tuesday that he is reclassifying from a junior to a senior and will be graduating early to join the NBA G League Ignite. This makes him the youngest known U.S.-born professional basketball player ever.
The G League is an official minor league system where young players can develop and receive professional coaching to hopefully one day make it to the NBA. The Ignite team is based in Nevada.
This past season, Pate was the No. 2 player in Texas in the junior class as he led Pinkston to a 23-win record. After reclassifying to a senior, Pate is still the No. 2 recruit in the state, just behind Duncanville star Ron Holland, per 24/7 Sports.
24/7 Sports also has Pate ranked as the No. 27 player in the nation for the Class of 2023.
During his announcement on Tuesday, Pate said he had been considering Alabama and Arkansas as college destinations before he began talks with the G League Ignite. His family said the Ignite first reached out to Pate in the summer of 2022.
"When I was younger, I always used to say that I was gonna skip the college route and I was just gonna go pro before I even knew what the G League or overseas was. I was just saying it," Pate said. "For an opportunity like this to come around, it don't come around every day.
Pate said he is aiming to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which is when he will become eligible.
"This is just another step closer to my actual dream which is the NBA. My mom... she does everything for me, without her I wouldn't be doing this... my mom is my 'why,'" Pate said.
"Making a big jump like this is gonna be an adjustment at first, but it's something I've been preparing for all my life. So, I'm ready for it," the 17-year-old added.