A native of Dallas, Texas, Pate played primarily point guard at L. G. Pinkston High School in West Dallas. In his last season, he averaged 20.3 points and was the named the 2022–2023 District 13-4A Most Valuable Player. He was also named to the 2022–2023 University Interscholastic League Boys 4A All-Region Team and All-State Team.[1]
Wanting to focus full time on basketball, Pate graduated from Pinkston a year early and continued his education by enrolling in online classes created by the NBA G League at Arizona State.[1]
Recruiting
Rated as a five-star prospect by ESPN, Pate announced he would forgo playing college basketball and instead play professionally for NBA G League Ignite after reclassifying to the 2023 class.[2] He would have enrolled at Alabama or Arkansas had he not have joined Ignite.[1]
On April 17, 2023, Pate signed a two-year contract with the NBA G League Ignite. By joining Ignite, he became the youngest known professional basketball player in U.S. history, surpassing Scoot Henderson by five weeks.[3] On February 27, 2024, Pate scored a career-high 16 points along with 9 assists against the Texas Legends.[4]
After the shutting down of the NBA G League Ignite on March 28, 2024, Pate was suggested to have had a waiver request to enter the 2024 NBA draft due to the team's closure and having turned 18 during the season, but he was denied entry to the draft that year.[5]
