Knicks Sign Teenage G League Phenom

Having gone international for their lone selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the New York stopped stateside for their first post-Brooklyn addition.

Per Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Knicks have signed teenage G League Phenom Dink Pate to a deal.

Pate, a Dallas native and four-star recruit out of high school, eschewed college to play in the G League instead. At 19 years old (set to turn 20 in March), Pate was the youngest professional basketball entrant in the history of the game, surpassing the prior mark set by Scoot Henderson.

In two G League seasons, spent with G League Ignite and Mexico City, Pate averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. He graduated from L.G. Pinkston High School a year early to focus on his basketball career, earning MVP honors in his district. In the G League, Pate partook in the 2024 G League Up Next Game, where he received sterling advice from an ironic early NBA entrant in Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony.

"Carmelo Anthony told me ... once you get to the NBA, being young and the age doesn't matter anymore," Pate said, per Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire. "You come into the league young, you leave the league old. So, at the end of the day, from an NBA standpoint, it isn't about an age thing; it is all about your heart. I'm ready for it. I've been built for this."

Pate has earned a significant bit of attention as one of the first signing of Reebok's revival overseen by NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, signing a multi-year deal in October 2024.

Pate will likely take the floor with the Knicks' Summer League team, which is set to make its debut on July 11 against Detroit's prospects in Las Vegas.