# Dariq Whitehead

Dariq Miller-Whitehead (/dəˈriːk/ də-REEK; born August 1, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League, on assignment from the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class. As a senior, he was named Mr. Basketball USA and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award.

## High school career

Whitehead attended Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. Whitehead won the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award his senior year in 2022. He was selected to play in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. Whitehead was named the McDonald's All-American Game MVP, where he had 13 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Whitehead was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On August 1, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Duke over offers from Florida State, Kansas and NBA G League.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dariq Whitehead SF | Newark, NJ | Montverde Academy (FL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 1, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 1 247Sports: 3 ESPN: 2 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Duke 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022. "2022 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022. ||||||

## College career

On November 18, 2022, Whitehead made his Duke debut recording 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 16 minutes off the bench in a 92-58 win against Delaware. On December 6, 2022, Whitehead scored eight points and set a career high 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes off the bench in a 74-62 win against Iowa. On December 10, 2022, Whitehead made his first college career start scoring 15 points in 25 minutes of action in an 82-55 win against UMES which also marked the first time Duke started five freshmen in program history. On January 7, 2023, Whitehead averaged a career high 18 points and 33 minutes played and matching previously set career highs in 6 field goals made and 4 3-pointers made, while shooting 50% (6-of-12) from the field and 50% (4-of-8) from long range during a 65-64 win against Boston College. On February 18, 2023, Whitehead made a career-high-tying four 3-pointers (4-of-6) en route to 14 points with a career-high-tying three assists and two steals during a 77-55 win against Syracuse marking his eighth time scoring in double figures in an 11-game span. On March 10, 2023 Whitehead recorded 16 points in 19 minutes against Miami on 3/10 in the ACC Tournament semifinals on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. On March 11, 2023, Whitehead logged four steals off the bench in the ACC title game in a 59-49 win against Virginia, matching the most by any Duke player in a game during the 2022-23 season. In two NCAA Tournament games, Whitehead recorded averages of 10.5 points on .615 shooting from the field and .625 shooting from distance with 3.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per contest… Scored 13 points (5-of-7 FG, 3-of-3 3FG) in 23 minutes off the bench in Duke's NCAA Tournament win against Oral Roberts. Played a career-high-tying 33 minutes in Duke's second-round NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee, posting eight points (3-of-6 FG, 2-of-5 3FG) with two rebounds and a career-high-tying two blocks.

## Professional career
### Brooklyn / Long Island Nets (2023–present)

The Brooklyn Nets selected Whitehead with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and on July 10, 2023, he signed with the team. Throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, he has been assigned several times to the Long Island Nets.

## Career statistics
### NBA

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2023–24 | Brooklyn | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | .200 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .0 | .5 | 1.5 |
| Career | Career | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | .200 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .0 | .5 | 1.5 |

### College

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2022–23 | Duke | 28 | 7 | 20.1 | .408 | .411 | .885 | 2.4 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | 8.3 |
| Career | Career | 28 | 7 | 20.1 | .408 | .411 | .885 | 2.4 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | 8.3 |

## Personal life

His brother, Tahir, played in the National Football League (NFL).