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Willie Cauley-Stein

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Willie Cauley-Stein
Cauley-Stein with the Dallas Mavericks in 2020
Free agent
PositionCenter
Personal information
Born (1993-08-18) August 18, 1993 (age 31)
Spearville, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolOlathe Northwest (Olathe, Kansas)
CollegeKentucky (2012–2015)
NBA draft2015: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2019Sacramento Kings
2019–2020Golden State Warriors
2020–2022Dallas Mavericks
2022Philadelphia 76ers
2022–2023Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2023–2024Openjobmetis Varese
2024Nanjing Monkey Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (born Willie Durmond Cauley Jr.; August 18, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Early life

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He was born and raised in Spearville, Kansas, population 791.[1] His mother, Marlene Stein, and his father, Willie Cauley, met shortly after high school and never married, and his father was not in his life from soon after his birth.[1][2] His Catholic maternal grandparents, Norma and Val Stein, helped raise him, and he legally changed his surname from Cauley to Cauley-Stein.[1]

High school career

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As a high school freshman, he was 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m).[3] As a sophomore he transferred to Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kansas, where he played basketball and football. As a junior, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Considered a four-star basketball recruit by Rivals.com, Cauley-Stein was listed as the No. 9 center and the No. 40 player in the nation in 2012.[4]

Cauley-Stein was not eligible to play varsity football until his senior year, but he was convinced to play wide receiver when he did. In 2011, he helped his high school win a 7-on-7 football tournament at the University of Kansas and was offered a football scholarship on the spot. In his senior season, Cauley-Stein averaged 19.7 yards per catch while sometimes playing as cornerback. He finished with 64 catches for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns.[5]

College career

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Cauley-Stein dunks against the Florida Gators his junior season.

Freshman season

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Cauley-Stein started out his college career as a bench center, backing up top prospect Nerlens Noel. During his time as a back-up, Cauley-Stein ended up averaging 7.8 points on 63.9% field goal shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals in 20 games of play.

Cauley-Stein earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice. Cauley-Stein's season high came against Vanderbilt as he posted 20 points to go with seven rebounds. A couple of weeks prior, he was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field against Auburn.

On February 12, 2013, in a game against Florida, Noel tore the ACL in his left knee after blocking a lay-up, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the season. Cauley-Stein was given the starting center position due to Noel's season-ending injury. In Noel's absence, he recorded three double-doubles in six games including 10 points and 11 rebounds against Georgia in addition to 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks at Arkansas

After SEC play ended he was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. At the end of the season he averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game after appearing in 29 games while making 14 starts.

Sophomore season

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During the 2013–14 season, he appeared in 37 games, making 18 starts while averaging 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. His tallied 106 blocks for the season is a total that ranks as the second most in a single season in school history.

His terrific sophomore season led to him being named to the All-SEC Defensive Team. He recorded a career-high nine blocks twice during the season against Providence and Boise State. He really started coming into his own towards the end of the season. In the SEC tournament, he recorded 10 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks versus #1 Florida in the SEC championship game.

Due to an injury to his leg suffered during the 2014 NCAA tournament in a game against Louisville, Cauley-Stein missed the remainder of the season. He decided to return for his junior season due to his injury; he was a projected top-15 pick in the 2014 NBA draft prior to his injury.

Junior season

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In 2014–15, Cauley-Stein was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-SEC First Team, the All-SEC Defensive Team and the USA Today first-team All-American Team.

On April 9, 2015, Cauley-Stein, and teammates Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, and Karl-Anthony Towns, all declared to enter their names into the NBA draft.

Professional career

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Sacramento Kings (2015–2019)

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On June 25, 2015, Cauley-Stein was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.[6] On July 16, he signed with the Kings.[7] He made his debut for the Kings in their season opener on October 28, recording two points and two rebounds in a 111–104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[8] He made his first career start two days later and recorded 17 points and nine rebounds in a 132–114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[9] Cauley-Stein missed most of December with a right index finger injury.[10][11] On January 20, he recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 112–93 win over the Lakers.[9] On March 25, he scored a then career-high 26 points in a 116–94 win over the Phoenix Suns.[12] At the season's end, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.[13]

On February 23, 2017, following the DeMarcus Cousins trade, Cauley-Stein was given extended minutes off the bench and came through with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds to help the Kings defeat the Denver Nuggets 116–100.[14]

On January 6, 2018, Cauley-Stein recorded a career-best seven steals in a 106–98 win over the Denver Nuggets.[15]

On October 29, 2018, Cauley-Stein scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 123–113 win over the Miami Heat.[16] On December 23, 2018, he had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 122–117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[17]

On June 28, 2019, the Kings extended a qualifying offer to Cauley-Stein in order to make him a restricted free agent.[18] The qualifying offer was later rescinded to make more cap space for the Kings to land Cory Joseph.[19]

Golden State Warriors (2019–2020)

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On July 8, 2019, Cauley-Stein signed with the Golden State Warriors.[20] Cauley-Stein made his Warriors debut on October 10 against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 2-of-2 from the line, along with five rebounds, one assist, one block, and three fouls in 12 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks (2020–2022)

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On January 25, 2020, Cauley-Stein was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round pick.[21][22] He made his debut three days later in a 104–133 loss to the Phoenix Suns, recording four points and two rebounds in 12 minutes.[23] Cauley-Stein opted out of the resumed season in the 2020 NBA Bubble, as he and his partner were expecting a newborn child in July.[24][25]

After the conclusion of the 2019–20 season, Cauley-Stein declined his option on November 19, 2020, and opted out of his contract, to become a free agent.[26] He later re-signed with the Mavericks on December 1, 2020.[27]

The Mavericks picked up his team option on August 1, 2021, keeping Cauley-Stein for the 2021–22 season.[28] On January 15, 2022, the Mavericks decided to waive him in order to make roster room for new signing Marquese Chriss.[29]

Philadelphia 76ers (2022)

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On February 24, 2022, Cauley-Stein signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[30] He was waived on March 3.[31]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2022–2023)

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On October 9, 2022, Cauley-Stein signed with the Houston Rockets.[32] On November 3, he was named to the opening night roster for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[33] On February 27, 2023, Cauley-Stein signed a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets,[34] but he never appeared in a game for the team. After his contract with the Rockets expired, he rejoined the Vipers. On April 9, 2023, Cauley-Stein re-signed with the Rockets.[35]

Pallacanestro Varese (2023–2024)

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On July 31, 2023, Cauley-Stein signed with Openjobmetis Varese of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and FIBA Europe Cup.[36] He later explained he signed in Europe “because of the more tactical way of playing”.[37] On October 25, 2023, Cauley-Stein had 19 points and 20 rebounds in a 91–71 win over BG Göttingen, which set a new FIBA Europe Cup record for most rebounds in a game by a single player.[38]

On January 30, 2024, Cauley-Stein signed with Indios de Mayagüez,[39] but left the team on March 24.[40]

Nanjing Monkey Kings (2024)

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On October 21, 2024, Cauley-Stein signed with Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).[41]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Sacramento 66 39 21.4 .563 .000 .648 5.3 .6 .7 1.0 7.0
2016–17 Sacramento 75 21 18.9 .530 .000 .669 4.5 1.1 .7 .6 8.1
2017–18 Sacramento 73 57 28.0 .502 .250 .619 7.0 2.4 1.1 .9 12.8
2018–19 Sacramento 81 81 27.3 .556 .500 .551 8.4 2.4 1.2 .6 11.9
2019–20 Golden State 41 37 22.9 .560 .000 .614 6.2 1.5 1.1 1.2 7.9
Dallas 13 2 12.1 .689 .000 .556 4.6 .8 .3 .8 5.2
2020–21 Dallas 53 16 17.1 .632 .091 .628 4.5 .7 .4 .8 5.3
2021–22 Dallas 18 2 9.8 .457 .500 .500 2.1 .5 .3 .2 1.9
Philadelphia 2 0 3.0 — — — 1.0 .5 .0 .0 .0
Career 422 256 22.0 .544 .188 .612 5.9 1.4 .8 .8 8.7

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Dallas 6 0 10.5 .667 — 1.000 2.7 .5 .3 .7 2.5
Career 6 0 10.5 .667 — 1.000 2.7 .5 .3 .7 2.5

Personal life

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On May 1, 2015, Cauley-Stein officially filed a name-change order with the Probate Division of the Fayette District Court to change his birth name. He did it to honor his mother, Marlene Stein, and his maternal grandparents Norma and Val Stein, who raised him after his father left him when he was four.[42] He also added "Trill" as a middle name, a nickname given to him by friends.[43]

Cauley-Stein's father, Willie Cauley, played college basketball at Dodge City Community College and for one season at the University of Pittsburgh. Willie Cauley met Cauley-Stein's mother, Marlene Stein, while she was playing college basketball for St. Mary of the Plains College.[44]

Cauley-Stein has one child, born in 2020.[45][non-primary source needed]

In August 2024, Cauley-Stein disclosed that a serious drug addiction was the reason behind his NBA “personal leave” in 2021 and exit in 2022. In an interview with The Athletic's Kyle Tucker, he hopes to make an NBA return and stay clean for his wife and children.[46]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Center of Attention - Sacramento King Willie Cauley-Stein". October 16, 2017.
  2. ^ King, Jason. "Superstardom Awaits Willie Cauley-Stein...If He Finally Decides He Wants It". Bleacher Report.
  3. ^ "Special Subscription Offers". cm.courier-journal.com.
  4. ^ "Willie Cauley-Stein". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  5. ^ "Cauley-Stein, a monstrous wide receiver". sportingnews.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kings Select Willie Cauley-Stein in the First Round". National Basketball Association. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  7. ^ "Kings Sign Willie Cauley-Stein". National Basketball Association. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Griffin leads Clippers past Kings 111–104 in opener". National Basketball Association. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Willie Cauley-Stein 2015–16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  10. ^ Singh, A. (December 3, 2015). "Willie Cauley-Stein Injury Update". National Basketball Association. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kings beat Suns; coach Karl ties for 5th most wins". National Basketball Association. January 2, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "Cauley-Stein busts out offensively, Kings beat Suns 116, 94". National Basketball Association. March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  13. ^ "Wolves' Towns, Knicks' Porzingis lead 2015–16 NBA All-Rookie teams". National Basketball Association. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  14. ^ "Cauley-Stein scores 29, Kings beat Nuggets 116–100". ESPN. February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  15. ^ "Carter has big fourth quarter to lead Kings past Nuggets". ESPN. January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  16. ^ "Kings run away after halftime, top Heat 123–113". ESPN. October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "Kings rally in 4th quarter to beat Pelicans 122–117". ESPN. December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  18. ^ Anderson, Jason (June 28, 2019). "Report: Kings give qualifying offer to Willie Cauley-Stein after he asked them not to". sacbee.com. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  19. ^ Schmidt, Matthew (July 1, 2019). "Kings rescind qualifying offer to Willie Cauley-Stein". ClutchPoints. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "Warriors Sign Free Agent Center Willie Cauley-Stein". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  21. ^ "Mavericks Acquire Willie Cauley-Stein". National Basketball Association. January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "Mavericks acquire Willie Cauley-Stein from Warriors". National Basketball Association. January 26, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  23. ^ "Booker, Ayton lead Suns to 133–104 blowout of Mavericks". ESPN. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  24. ^ Charania, Shams [@ShamsCharania] (June 25, 2020). "Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein has decided to sit out the resumed NBA season, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Cauley-Stein and his partner are expecting a newborn child in July" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Why Mavs' Willie Cauley-Stein feels his no-bubble offseason prepped him to fill in for Kristaps Porzingis". Dallas News. December 9, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  26. ^ Sefko, Eddie (November 19, 2020). "Hardaway opts in for coming season". mavs.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  27. ^ Sefko, Eddie (December 1, 2020). "Mavericks sign eight, including Barea, Iwundu, Burke". mavs.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  28. ^ Price, Dwain (August 1, 2021). "Mavs pick up team option on Cauley-Stein's contract". mavs.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  29. ^ "Mavericks waive Willie Cauley-Stein, sign Marquese Chriss". Mavs Moneyball. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  30. ^ Gies, Kurt (February 24, 2022). "76ers Sign Willie Cauley-Stein to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  31. ^ Rappaport, Max (March 3, 2022). "76ers Sign DeAndre Jordan". NBA.com. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  32. ^ Stein, Marc (October 10, 2022). "The Rockets today made official the long-expected signing of Willie Cauley-Stein". Twitter. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  33. ^ "Vipers Finalize 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". oursportscentral.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  34. ^ Joshi, Hiren (February 27, 2023). "Rockets Sign Willie Cauley-Stein to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  35. ^ Houston Rockets [@HoustonRockets] (April 9, 2023). "The Rockets today announced they have signed free agent center Willie Cauley-Stein" (Tweet). Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN È IL NUOVO CENTRO DELLA PALLACANESTRO VARESE". PallacanestroVarese.it (in Italian). July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  37. ^ Helin, Kurt (September 18, 2023). "Willie Cauley-Stein: 'I chose to come to Europe because of the more tactical way of playing'". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  38. ^ "Cauley-Stein breaks FIBA Europe Cup single-game rebounding record". FIBA.basketball. October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  39. ^ Adams, Luke (January 30, 2024). "And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Rondo, Curry/Ionescu, Silver, Morant". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  40. ^ La Guerra del BSN [@LaGuerraBSN] (March 24, 2024). "#BSNPR INDIOS CONFIRMAN SALIDA DE CAULEY-STEIN. El ex-NBA Willie Cauley Stein no debutará en el Baloncesto Superior Nacional tras los Indios de Mayagüez dejar en libertad al jugador según confirmó el apoderado Cady Acosta. "No llegó en las condiciones físicas esperadas y tomamos la decisión antes que comenzara la temporada" expresó Acosta. La franquicia se encuentra en busca de otro refuerzo para comenzar la temporada 2024. 📝 Jarniel Canales El Nuevo Día" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved March 29, 2024 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ "冲击季后赛不容有失，同曦官宣签下新外援". 扬子晚报/紫牛新闻. October 21, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  42. ^ Johnson, Hillary Louise (October 12, 2017). "Center of Attention". sactownmag.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  43. ^ Sherman, Rodger (May 4, 2015). "Willie Cauley-Stein legally changes name to 'Willie Trill Cauley-Stein'". SBNation.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  44. ^ Willie Cauley-Stein’s path to Final Four with Kentucky started in small Kansas town Kerkhoff, Blair. The Kansas City Star. www.kansascity.com . Published April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  45. ^ "Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (@pr00fessortrill) posted on Instagram: "Kendrixx Marie Cauley-Stein 07-07-2020 4:44pm 8lbs 15oz 22in Words can't describe how courageous and strong @kels_brooks was during…" • Jul 11, 2020 at 3:40pm UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  46. ^ "Ex-Warriors, Kings player Cauley-Stein reflects on past drug addiction". NBC Sports Bay Area & California. September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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