Keita Bates-Diop (born January 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Quick Facts No. 13 – Brooklyn Nets, Position ...

Keita Bates-Diop

Bates-Diop with Ohio State in 2018
No. 13 – Brooklyn Nets
Position	Small forward / power forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1996-01-23) January 23, 1996 (age 28) 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
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career	2018–present
Career history
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–present	Brooklyn Nets
Career highlights and awards
Consensus second-team All-American (2018) Big Ten Player of the Year (2018) First-team All-Big Ten (2018)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

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Keita Bates-Diop was born on January 23, 1996, in Sacramento, California^[1] 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.^[2] The small forward 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.^[3] Bates-Diop was ranked no. 24 nationally in his class by Rivals.com.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[6] He was granted a medical redshirt and came into his redshirt junior campaign one of the top options for new coach Chris Holtmann.^[5]

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.^[7] 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.^[8] He also received his second Big Ten player of the week recognition.^[9] 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.^[10]

On February 26, 2018, Bates-Diop was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.^[11] 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.^[12]