Johnny Dee (basketball)

For the basketball coach, see John Dee (basketball).
Johnny Dee
Dee with San Diego in 2013
No. 1 – CB Estudiantes
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (1992-11-04) November 4, 1992 (age 32)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeSan Diego (2011–2015)
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015Široki
2015–2016Starogard Gdański
2017–2018Araberri
2018–2019Real Betis
2019–2021Gipuzkoa
2021–2022Estudiantes
2022–2023Andorra
2023–2024Estudiantes
2024–presentFuenlabrada
Career highlights and awards
  • 4x Copa Princesa de Asturias (2019, 2020, 2022, 2024)
  • Copa Princesa de Asturias MVP (2020)
  • LEB Oro scoring champion (2017)
  • 2× First-team All-WCC (2014, 2015)
  • WCC All-Freshman Team (2012)

Johnny Dee (born November 4, 1992) is an American basketball player who last played for Fuenlabrada of the LEB Oro. He played college basketball for the San Diego Toreros.

Early life

Johnny Dee was born on November 4, 1992, in Denver, Colorado, US.[1] Dee's grandfather, Don Dee, played for the Indiana Pacers and was on the U.S. 1968 Olympic gold-medal-winning basketball team. His father, Donnie Dee, played for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL for two seasons, while his mother, Jackie, was on the cross country team at the University of Tulsa. He has a younger sister Jenny who played basketball at UC Irvine. Johnny Dee was a part of the Rancho Buena Vista Little League All-Star team that advanced to the 2005 Little League World Series, playing shortstop. He attended Rancho Buena Vista High School and led the San Diego Section in scoring as a senior with 32.8 points per game. Portland State was the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship, but Dee decided to walk on at San Diego.[2]

College career

When Dee arrived at San Diego, the team was coming off a 6–24 season and point-shaving scandal. Dee received a scholarship the summer before his freshman year after a player announced he was leaving the program. He considered redshirting, but coach Bill Grier talked him out of the idea and he averaged 13.7 points per game. Dee increased his scoring to 15.0 points per game as a sophomore.[2] He twisted his left ankle playing against Loyola Marymount but still managed to score 19 points in a win over BYU three nights later. As a junior, Dee played most of the season with a knee injury.[3] During this time, he led NCAA Division I in free throw shooting percentage at 94.5% while averaging 16.6 points per game.[2] In order to calm his nerves at the line, Dee silently recited the Bible verse Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."[4] As a senior, Dee averaged 17.0 points per game and shot 37.9 percent from behind the arc. Dee is San Diego's all-time leading scorer, finishing with 2,046 points, the all-time leader in three-pointers with 333, and was tied for second in games played with 131.[5] He was a two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection.[6]

Professional career

After going undrafted, Dee signed with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League.[6] Dee began his professional career with Široki and averaged over 19 points per game. On November 9, 2015, he signed with Polish club Starogard Gdański.[7] He averaged 11 points per game in Poland. In the 2017–2018 season, Dee joined Araberri of the Spanish LEB Oro. He posted 15.9 points per game, which led the league in scoring. He also averaged 2.5 assists per game. On August 6, 2018, he signed a two-year deal with Real Betis in the same league.[8] On July 13, 2019, he signed with Delteco Gipuzkoa Basket in the same league.[9] On February 4, 2020, he won the Copa Princesa de Asturias for the second year in a row, and was also selected as the MVP of the final. During the 2020–21 season, he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Dee signed with Movistar Estudiantes on August 4, 2021.[10]

According to his player profile, he is 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and weighs 185 lb (84 kg).[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Johnny Dee G #3". RealGM. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Norcross, Don (December 27, 2014). "USD star on cusp of history". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  3. ^ Norcross, Don (December 31, 2014). "Dee focuses on wins". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Brian (March 5, 2014). "The Chalkboard: San Diego guard Johnny Dee and the art of the free throw". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  5. ^ "USD Career Records" (PDF). San Diego Toreros. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Dee added to Warriors Summer League Roster". San Diego Toreros. July 9, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. ^ "Polpharma Starogard announces Johnny Dee". Sportando. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "Acuerdo del Real Betis Energía Plus con el jugador Johnny Dee". Federación Española de Baloncesto (in Spanish). August 6, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Johnny Dee, puntos para el Delteco GBC". FEB (in European Spanish). 13 July 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Johnny Dee agreed terms with Estudiantes". Eurobasket. August 4, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.