UK basketball signee Robert Dillingham makes senior season debut with new team
It has been a whirlwind few days for Robert Dillingham, a future Kentucky Wildcat on the hardwood.
On Nov. 3, Dillingham — a 6-2, 165-pound point guard in the class of 2023 — signed a contract with the Overtime Elite professional basketball league (OTE) for his final high school season.
Dillingham was previously at Donda Academy in California, which was founded by Ye (the music artist formerly known as Kanye West) and was recently shut down following controversy stemming from antisemitic comments made by Ye.
The fallout from this was an exodus of basketball talent from Donda Academy, with Dillingham landing at OTE, which offers a prep school type of environment for high school players.
While some of OTE’s players have salaried contracts, Dillingham will maintain his college eligibility at OTE with a deal that allows him to make money through name, image and likeness opportunities.
Dillingham — who officially cemented his status as a future Wildcat during the early signing period on Wednesday — played in his first game as an OTE player on Friday night in Atlanta, where all OTE games take place.
Dillingham, who plays for the Cold Hearts team, recorded six points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist in 18 minutes of game action.
While Dillingham only shot 2-for-7 from the field, he still had several highlight-reel plays in his OTE debut.
Rob Dillingham TUFF
Catch 2nd half action live on @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/ULIvmX582v— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) November 12, 2022
Rob Dillingham is serious. 1st shot as a Cold Heart. pic.twitter.com/Glt5hLmeOb
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) November 12, 2022
“I couldn’t be more excited to join OTE,” Dillingham said in a statement when he joined the league. “The team and resources they offer are amazing and this is an incredible opportunity to continue to develop my game and take it to the next level, while competing against elite talent.”
Dillingham is set to play in his second OTE game on Saturday night.
Dillingham is one of three Kentucky basketball signees in the class of 2023, along with Justin Edwards and Reed Sheppard.
Aaron Bradshaw is the lone UK basketball commit yet to be announced as a signee during the early signing period, which runs through Wednesday.
