- Dewayne Dedmon
- HT/WT: 7'0, 245 lbs
- Birthdate: 8/12/1989 (33)
- College: USC
- Draft Info: Undrafted 2013
- Status: Active
Dewayne Jamal Dedmon is a professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 12, 1989. Nicknamed “The Mechanic,” he played college basketball at Antelope Valley College and the University of Southern California.
Table of Contents
Dewayne Dedmon Early life and high school career
High school and college career
Lancaster and Antelope Valley
Dedmon is from Lancaster High School in Lancaster, California. Although tall and athletic, He didn’t play basketball in his high school until his senior year because Dedmon’s mom refused to let him play. His mother is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, arguing that it might affect his religious beliefs. At 18, Dedmon, who had grown to 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters), decided to exercise his majority and start the game. In 2008, After graduating from Lancaster University, Dedmon did not play basketball during the 2008-09 season and attended Antelope Valley College as a part-time student.
In 2009-10, A freshman at Antelope Valley, Dedmon grew to 7 feet 0 inches (2.13 meters) and helped the Predators to a 17-14 record, averaging 6.6 points and 7.8 rebounds. On January 22, 2010, he also had 46 blocks and tied the school record with seven blocks in a game against Chaffee College. He suffered a fractured forehead and a nasal injury five days later against Victor Valley when he was hit with the wrong elbow. The injuries forced Dedmon to miss the last seven games of the regular season, but he returned to the playoffs in. He had 5 points and 13 rebounds in his first game back, a February 24 victory over Miramar College.
USC
Dyawne Dedmon signed with the University of Southern California on April 14, 2010, and was subsequently redshirted for the 2010-2011 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. He completed his final semester at Antelope Valley but did not play for the Predators to remain eligible for three full seasons. He started his internship at USC in the second semester of 2010-11 when he transferred from Antelope Valley.
As a sophomore in the 2011-12 USC redshirts, Dedmon battled numerous injuries that limited his development, but still averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 points in 20 games (all starts) basketball. He led the team with a .551 field goal percentage, shooting 50 percent or more in fourteen of his twenty starts. Dedmon had a season-high 18 points against Oregon on January 19, 2012, followed by eight points and eight rebounds against OSU on January 21. Against Colorado five days later, he suffered a season-ending injury with a torn left MCL.
As a junior at USC in 2012-13, Dedmon led the Trojans with 7.0 rebounds and 6.7 points in 31 games (29 starts). After struggling to score early in the season, Dedmon had a career-best stretch before USC’s conference roster started, averaging 10.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and three blocks in five games. He tied a career-high 18 points in a game against Washington on March 6, but he ended the game on 3 after an incident Saturday night between a USC player and patrons at a local bar in downtown Spokane. Suspended indefinitely on the 12th.
Two days after the suspension was announced, USC lost 69-66 to Utah in the opening round of the Pac-12 Championship, with Dedmon and also-suspended senior center James Blatchick not playing. They ended the season with the record of 14-18. Dwayne Dedmon also averaged 2.1 blocks per game in 2012-13, second in the Pac-12, sixth in USC history in a single season, and ninth in program history with 85 career blocks.
Dedmon declared for the NBA draft on April 24, 2013, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.
Professional Career
Golden State Warriors (2013)
After being unselected in the NBA Draft 2013, for the Orlando Summer League and the Dallas Mavericks for the Las Vegas Summer League, Dwayne Dedmon joined the Miami Heat. On Sept. 23, 2013, he signed with the Golden State Warriors. However, he was waived by the Golden State Warriors on October 25 after participating in 5 preseason games. On November 1, he have by the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League as a Golden State affiliate.
Dedmon re-signed with the Golden State Warriors on November 18, 2013 but was reassigned the next day to Santa Cruz. Dwayne was recalled by GSW on Nov. 20, reassigned on Nov. 24, and recalled again on Nov. 25., He was waived by GSW after appearing in four games for the team on December 5. Five days later, he was re-acquired by Santa Cruz.
Philadelphia 76ers (2014)
Dwayne Dedmon signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on January 14, 2014. He made his debut for the Sixers the next day. In 14 minutes, he had seven rebounds and two blocks in a 95-92 win over the Charlotte. He signed a second 10 day contract with the Sixers on January 24. After his second 10 day contract expired on February 2, the Sixers parted ways with him on February 3 after opting not to sign Dedmon for the remainder of the season. The same day, he was named to the future All-Star team for the 2014 NBA G League All-Star Game. The next day, he was reacquired and deactivated by Santa Cruz.
Orlando Magic (2014–2016)
Dedmon signed a 10 day contract with the Orlando Magic on February 25, 2014. He went on to sign a second 10 day deal with the Magic on March 7 and then a multi year deal on March 17.
Dwayne Dedmon joined the Magic for the 2014 NBA Summer League in July 2014. Dedmon spent his first full NBA season with the Magic in 2014-2015. He had a season best game with 11 points and 16 rebounds in a 103-98 victory over the Boston Celtics on March 8, 2015.
On November 7, 2015, Dedmon scored a career-high 12 points in a 105-97 victory over the Philadelphia. He was assigned to the Erie Hawks on March 5, 2016, the Magic’s G-League affiliate. He was recalled by the Magic 2 days later. On March 26, 2016, he had a career-high eighteen points and a season high thirteen rebounds in 22 mins as a starter in a 111-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
San Antonio Spurs (2016–2017)
Dedmon signed with the San Antonio Spurs on Jul. 14, 2016. on October 25, 2016 he made his debut for the Spurs, scoring 2 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 16 minutes off the bench in a 129-100 win over the GSW. On Feb. 10, 2017, Dedmon had 17 points and 17 rebounds, both season highs, in a 103-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons. He posted a career-high in rebounds and was one point off his career-high.
Atlanta Hawks (2017–2019)
Dedmon signed with the Atlanta Hawks on July 21, 2017. On November 15, 2017, he had a career-high 20 points and 14 rebounds in a 126-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings. On November 29, 2017, he was excluded for 3 to 6 weeks due to a left tibial stress response. After missing 19 games, he was limited to minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 8. On February 11, 2018, Dedmon tied a career-high with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 118-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons. On Mar. 20, 2018, he had 15 points and 15 rebounds in a 99-94 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Dec. 16, 2018, Dwayne Dedmon had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 144-127 loss to the Nets. On Dec. 26, he had 18 points and a season-best 15 rebounds in a 129-121 loss to the Indiana. On Jan. 21, 2019, he scored 24 points and made 5 of 7 3-pointers in a 122-103 loss to the Orlando. Dedmon was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a left ankle injury on March 31.
Sacramento Kings (2019–2020)
The Sacramento Kings signed Dwayne Dedmon to a three-year, 40 million dollar contract on July 8, 2019.
With Richaun Holmes and Harry Giles ahead of him in the rotation, Dedmon’s minutes were reduced. The NBA fined Dedmon 50,000 dollars for publicly requesting a trade on January 2, 2020.
Return to Atlanta (2020)
Dwyane Dedmon was traded back to Atlanta along with two second-round picks for Jabari Parker and Alex Ryan on February 6, 2020. He had a season-high five blocks in his final game before and his first game after the trade, both of which won for his team.
Dedmon was traded to the Detroit Pistons on November 20, 2020, for Tony Snell and Kyrie Thomas but was waived four days later.
Miami Heat (2021–present)
Dedmon signed with the Miami Heat on Apr. 8, 2021. Dedmon re-signed with the Heat on Aug. 6, 2021, to a one-year veteran minimum contract.
On July 6, 2022, Dedmon signed a two-year, $9 million extension with the Heat.
Personal life
Dedmon parents are Thomas Dedmon and Gail Lewis, and has two sisters, Sabrina and Marina. His father committed suicide when he was 3 years old, and his mother was a devout Jehovah’s Witness.
Dedmon was married to Kayla Dedmon on August 21, 2019. They welcomed baby boy Dewayne Jamal Dedmon II on November 14, 2018.