Dante Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Dante Cunningham is an American
professional basketball
player who plays for the Charlotte Bobcats
. Dante was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft
by the Portland Trail Blazers
of the NBA
. Cunningham, a forward, attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania
.
, to Searcy Blankenship and Ron Cunningham. His older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA.
While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. One of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson
, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham.
As a senior, Cunningham transferred to Potomac High School, which he led to a 27–0 season under Head Coach Rico Reed. He averaged 13 rebounds, 20 points, and four blocked shots per game at Potomac. He was honored as the Washington Post Metropolitan Player of the Year.
, Cunningham played in all 33 games and was a starter in four during his freshman year.
In his Senior year, Cunningham would go on to lead the team in scoring and take home the Big East Most Improved Player award. He led the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 1985.
in the 2009 NBA Draft
. Cunningham played for Portland's Vegas Summer League
team where he averaged over 18 points and 5 rebounds per game in four contests. On August 21, 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that Cunningham had signed a contract and was given a roster spot for the 2009–2010 season
.
On February 24, 2011, Cunningham was traded along with Joel Pryzbilla, Sean Marks
and two future first round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats
for Gerald Wallace
.
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Portland
| 63 || 2 || 11.2 || .495 || .000 || .646 || 2.5 || .2 || .4 || .4 || 3.9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Portland
| 56 || 9 || 19.8 || .433 || .000 || .711 || 3.4 || .5 || .7 || .6 || 5.1
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 22 || 9 || 24.0 || .508 || .111 || .765 || 4.0 || .6 || .7 || .5 || 9.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 141 || 20 || 16.6 || .472 || .067 || .691 || 3.1 || .4 || .6 || .5 || 5.1
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Portland
| 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6
's Eurobasket 2009
qualifying matches in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who plays for the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
. Dante was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Cunningham, a forward, attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Early life
Cunningham was born in Clinton, MarylandClinton, Maryland
Clinton is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Clinton was formerly known as Surrattsville until after the time of the American Civil War. The population of Clinton was 26,064 at the 2000 census. However, as of 2007, there is an...
, to Searcy Blankenship and Ron Cunningham. His older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA.
High school
Cunningham was originally educated at St. John's High School in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. One of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson
Dwayne Anderson
Dwayne Anderson, Jr. is a former American college basketball player who most recently played for BG Göttingen in German Basketball League. He played as both a forward and a guard at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham.
As a senior, Cunningham transferred to Potomac High School, which he led to a 27–0 season under Head Coach Rico Reed. He averaged 13 rebounds, 20 points, and four blocked shots per game at Potomac. He was honored as the Washington Post Metropolitan Player of the Year.
College
At Villanova UniversityVillanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, Cunningham played in all 33 games and was a starter in four during his freshman year.
In his Senior year, Cunningham would go on to lead the team in scoring and take home the Big East Most Improved Player award. He led the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 1985.
NBA career
Cunningham was drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
. Cunningham played for Portland's Vegas Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
team where he averaged over 18 points and 5 rebounds per game in four contests. On August 21, 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that Cunningham had signed a contract and was given a roster spot for the 2009–2010 season
2009–10 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 2009–10 Portland Trail Blazers season was 40th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association .-Key dates:*June 25 - The 2009 NBA Draft took place in New York City.*July 8 - The free agency period started....
.
On February 24, 2011, Cunningham was traded along with Joel Pryzbilla, Sean Marks
Sean Marks
Sean Andrew Marks is a New Zealand-American professional basketball player. He is the first native New Zealander to play in the NBA.-Basketball career:...
and two future first round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
for Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace
Gerald Jermaine Wallace is an American professional basketball forward for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.- High school :Wallace attended Childersburg High School in Childersburg, Alabama, where he had a very successful career...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 63 || 2 || 11.2 || .495 || .000 || .646 || 2.5 || .2 || .4 || .4 || 3.9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Portland
| 56 || 9 || 19.8 || .433 || .000 || .711 || 3.4 || .5 || .7 || .6 || 5.1
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
| 22 || 9 || 24.0 || .508 || .111 || .765 || 4.0 || .6 || .7 || .5 || 9.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 141 || 20 || 16.6 || .472 || .067 || .691 || 3.1 || .4 || .6 || .5 || 5.1
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6
International career
Cunningham was included on a preliminary list for Great BritainGreat Britain national basketball team
The Great Britain men's national basketball team, known as Great Britain or GB, is the national team for Great Britain in basketball...
's Eurobasket 2009
EuroBasket 2009
The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...
qualifying matches in 2008.