Donte DiVincenzo, with the heart of a champion, is a perfect fit for the Golden State Warriors
On Friday night, Golden State Warriors’ Donte DiVincenzo returned to the Alamodome where he had previously been named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2018.
He scored a career-high 31 points in Villanova’s second NCAA championship win over the Jordan Poole-led Michigan University. The then 21-year-old also bottomed five threes and contributed five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in that game. His 31 points were also the most scored by a bench player in a Final Four game.
Once again in the atmosphere of the Alamodome, in front of 68,383 spectators, Donte displayed his championship character for the Golden State Warriors.
Playing 25 minutes off the bench, the Warriors’ guard scored 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting from the field, while also adding seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in his team’s blowout 144-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
After being the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, DiVincenzo was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018. At the 2021-22 trade deadline, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a four-team trade.
In an interview with The Athletics’ Anthony Slater, DiVincenzo admitted he was fully anticipating a return to the Kings given they held his bird rights. What resulted was Sacramento not even offering the qualifying offer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
"“I’m telling my girl that anything can happen in free agency, but be prepared to come back. Look for houses, look for this. I was full-in on the Kings. Obviously, they tested out how I’d fit in their system and just chose to go a different direction”, DiVincenzo said.“It’s the business. I was going to be completely healthy moving forward. Maybe it seemed like my numbers didn’t show. But in my head, I knew I was going to have a full offseason, and toward the end of the season, I was like, ‘Damn, I’m starting to feel real good.”"
Enter Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers. Immediately upon the 25-year-old becoming a free agent, Myers contacted DiVincenzo’s agent, Jason Glushon, and talks resulted in a two-year, $9.2 million guaranteed deal, with the second-year a player option worth $4.7 million.
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With the addition of the 6’4″ wing, and his contribution to the Warriors’ championship DNA, playoff roster, bench strength, and locker-room personality, DiVincenzo has become the perfect fit for the defending champions. The one-year contribution from Gary Payton II to the Warriors’ legendary culture will always remain close to our hearts, but given DiVincenzo’s presence, it’s time to put Payton in the rearview mirror.