No! Way! Dink! Pate!
After picking French forward and potential draft-and-stash Mohamed Diawara with the No. 51 pick of the 2025 NBA draft’s second round, the New York Knicks stayed active and signed an absolute phenom in exquisite undrafted guard Dink Pate.
The Knicks have signed Pate to an Exhibit 10 deal, and he’s expected to join the team for Las Vegas Summer League starting July 11.
Pate, barely 19 years old, is a G League product with two years’ worth of reps under his belt, having played for both the Ignite in the 2023-24 campaign and then the Mexico City Capitanes last season. Dink also made history as the youngest professional basketball player in U.S. history, surpassing Scoot Henderson by five weeks.
Congrats @IAMTHESHOOTER1, welcome to the @nyknicks pic.twitter.com/TDCCBqSGgq
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) June 27, 2025
Pate, a Dallas native, attended L.G. Pinkston High in West Dallas but skipped his senior year to sign with the G League Ignite in 2023 at age 17, edging out Scoot in turning pro. After Ignite folded, Pate had zero issues joining the Capitanes in CDMX, where he averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 34 games in the 2024–25 season.
“I’ve always kept the main thing the main thing,” Pate told SLAM in December. “Basketball is the main thing.”
The 6-foot-7 guard was once a five-star high school recruit in some services and ended up as the 29th-best prospect of the 2023 HS class in the 247Sports Composite ranks. He fielded hella blue-blood-college offers but opted to take the pro route instead.
In his first G League season, Pate logged 24 minutes per game with averages of 8.0 points and 3.6 assists. The precocious baller participated in the 2024 G League Up Next Game before making an appearance in the 2025 NBA All-Star as part of the Rising Stars tourney.
SLAM
Pate became one of the first athletes to sign with Reebok under Shaquille O’Neal’s and Allen Iverson’s brand revival.
“I’m not worried about my game,” Pate told SLAM. “I’m focused on my leadership, my communication. I’m gonna be that guy on the team. I’m ready to take the blame. I’ve always been a leader to high school kids, but I’m about to be thrown to the fire.
“I’m ready for it.”