Denzel Valentine

Denzel Robert Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for APU Udine of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. As a senior, Valentine became the first player in Michigan State history to be recognized as the National Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

He also earned other player of the year awards from the NABC, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, and Basketball Times in addition to being named a unanimous First-Team All-American. Valentine was selected with the 14th pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He played six seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz.

High school career Valentine attended J. W. Sexton High School, where he was coached by his father, Carlton Valentine (former Michigan State player), and played alongside future Michigan State teammate Bryn Forbes and Iowa basketball player Anthony Clemmons.

As a sophomore, Valentine averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds, leading Sexton to a state title game. He was awarded 2010 Class B honorable mention all-state.

Valentine averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists per game as a senior, leading Sexton to a 27–1 record. He was selected as the Lansing State Journal Player of the Year and Associated Press Class B Player of the Year as a senior. His junior season saw him earn Orlando Classic All-Tournament Team (averaging 19.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in three games), Third Team All-Big Ten, USBWA All-District V, and NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team honors. It was the first triple-double of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. On December 21, it was announced that Valentine would be sidelined for 2–3 weeks after he underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery. He returned on January 10, 2016.

He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11. On February 29, he was named a semifinalist of the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Valentine was also a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, and the NABC Player of the Year.

Valentine finished the 2015–16 regular season averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists as MSU finished in second place in the Big Ten. On March 8, USA Today named Valentine National Player of the Year over Oklahoma's Buddy Hield. The Big Ten also announced that Valentine was the Big Ten's Player of the Year. On March 9, Valentine was named to the Sporting News All-American Team.

Valentine's senior year at Michigan State saw him ranked among the NCAA leaders when it came to three-point shooting. He accumulated many awards and won Michigan State's first College Basketball Player of the Year Award since Draymond Green won the NABC Player of the Year in 2012. Valentine shined during the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player while winning Michigan State's fifth championship. Valentine, along with Bryn Forbes, were selected to the NCAA College Basketball Three-Point Contest following his senior year. Valentine defeated his teammate in the first round of the competition when he rattled off 22 points compared to Forbes' 10. Valentine was eliminated from the competition in the semifinals when he hit 17 points, needing 23 to advance. Valentine's senior year also proved very effective in raising his draft stock. Valentine went from being potentially undrafted to being seen as a potential lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Professional career Chicago Bulls (2016–2021)

On June 23, 2016, Valentine was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. On July 16, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Bulls. Two days later, Valentine hit a turnaround jumper as time expired to lift the Bulls to an 84–82 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game.

On January 2, 2017, Valentine, who had played just four total minutes in the previous seven games, played 18 minutes against the Charlotte Hornets and hit his first three three-pointers, finishing with a then season-high nine points. He exited with an ankle injury in the second half, as the Bulls went on to win 118–111. On January 10, 2017, he posted career highs with 19 points and five three-pointers in a 101–99 loss to the Washington Wizards. On March 18, 2017, Valentine recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in a 95–86 win over the Utah Jazz. During his rookie season, Valentine received multiple assignments to the Windy City Bulls, Chicago's D-League affiliate.

On November 26, 2017, Valentine had 14 points and career highs of 13 rebounds and seven assists in a 100–93 loss to the Miami Heat. On January 18, 2018, he scored 19 points against the Houston Rockets. Two days later, he scored a career-high 20 points in a 122–119 double-overtime win over the New York Knicks. On March 17, 2018, he hit eight 3-pointers and scored a career-best 34 points in a 114–109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 4, 2018, Valentine underwent arthroscopic debridement on his left knee, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

In September 2018, Valentine was diagnosed with a sprained left ankle during the team's training camp and was expected to miss one to two weeks. However, in late October, the Bulls announced he was suffering from a bone bruise, not a sprain, and would miss an additional two weeks. On November 19, after missing the first 17 games of the season, Following a left ankle stabilization procedure on November 27, he was ruled out for the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022)

On September 22, 2021, Valentine signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 22 games with the Cavaliers, he averaged 2.9 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game. He was subsequently waived.

On January 10, 2022, Valentine signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz under the NBA's COVID-19-related hardship exception. He made his Jazz debut on January 12 where he played 17 minutes and recorded five points and three rebounds in a 111–91 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played one more game for the Jazz, January 16 against the Denver Nuggets, where he played two minutes and recorded one rebound. He did not play in the Jazz's next game against the Los Angeles Lakers and was listed as inactive in the final game of his 10-day contract on January 19 against the Houston Rockets.

Maine Celtics (2022–2023) On January 21, 2022, Valentine was acquired via waivers by the Maine Celtics.

On September 15, 2022, Valentine signed with the Boston Celtics. He was waived on September 30. He subsequently re-joined Maine.

Sydney Kings (2023–2024) On July 26, 2023, Valentine signed with the Sydney Kings in Australia for the 2023–24 NBL season.

Olimpia Milano (2024) On March 20, 2024, Valentine signed with Olimpia Milano in Italy until the end of the season.

On June 13, 2024, Valentine was drafted by the Valley Suns in the 2024 NBA G League expansion draft.

Pallacanestro Trieste (2024–2025) On August 10, 2024, Valentine signed with Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).

Reyer Venezia (2025–2026) On July 24, 2025, he signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) for the 2025–26 season.

APU Udine (2026–present) On July 20, 2026, Valentine signed with APU Udine of the Lega Basket Serie A.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Playoffs

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College

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National team career Valentine was a member of USA Basketball's senior men's national team at the 2015 Pan American Games which was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The U.S. team captured the tournament's bronze medal, with a 3–2 record. The following year, Valentine joined the USA Basketball Select Team to train against the 2016 Rio Olympic team.

Personal life Valentine is the son of Carlton and Kathy Valentine. His older brother, Drew, played collegiate basketball for Oakland University, and is now the head coach at Loyola University in Chicago.

On April 7, 2016, Valentine and his coach at Michigan State, Tom Izzo, were featured as guests on Dancing With the Stars where they learned from Artem Chigvintsev and Edyta Sliwinska.

Valentine is also a rapper who released his first album in February 2021.

Awards University awards George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year (Michigan State University Athlete of the Year)

National Player of the Year awards Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year AP – National Player of the Year NABC – National Player of the Year USA Today – National Player of the Year NBC Sports – National Player of the Year College Sports Madness – National Player of the Year CollegeInsider.com – Lute Olson National Player of the Year Julius Erving Award – Nations Top Small Forward

All-American awards AP – 1st Team All-American NABC – 1st Team All-American CBS Sports – 1st Team All-American USA Today – 1st Team All-American NBC Sports – 1st Team All-American College Sports Madness – 1st Team All-American Bleacher Report – 1st Team All-American ESPN – 1st Team All-American USBWA – 1st Team All-American Sporting News – 1st Team All-American Sports Illustrated – 1st Team All-American Sports On Earth – 1st Team All-American Senior CLASS Award – 1st Team All-American TSN – 1st Team All-American VegasInsider.com – 1st Team All-American CollegeInsider.com – Lute Olson All-American

Big Ten/Regional awards CBS – Big Ten Player of the Year AP – Big Ten Player of the Year FOX – Big Ten Player of the Year Bleacher Report – Big Ten Player of the Year Big Ten Player of the Year (Media) Big Ten Player of the Year (Coaches) All-Big Ten 1st Team Media All-Big Ten 1st Team Coaches CBS – Big Ten 1st Team Bleacher Report – All Big Ten 1st Team Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player Big Ten's All Tournament Team USBWA – District V Player of the Year USBWA – District V All 1st Team