The past few days have been a whirlwind for Robert Dillingham, a future Kentucky Wildcat on the hardwood.
On Nov. 3, Dillingham — a 6-foot-2, 165-pound point guard in the Class of 2023 — signed a contract with the Overtime Elite (OTE) professional basketball league for his senior season in high school.
Dillingham was previously at Donda Academy in California, which was founded by Ye (the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West) and was recently closed following controversy stemming from anti-Semitic comments made by Ye.
The fallout from this was an exodus of basketball talent from Donda Academy, with Dillingham landing at OTE, which offers a prep school-like environment for high school players.
While some of OTE’s players have salaried contracts, Dillingham will maintain his college eligibility at OTE with a deal that allows him to earn money through name, image and likeness opportunities.
Dillingham — who officially cemented his status as a future Wildcat in the first signing period on Wednesday — played his first game as an OTE player Friday night in Atlanta, where all OTE games are held.
Dillingham, who plays for Cold Hearts, had six points, three rebounds, three steals and one assist in 18 minutes of play.
While Dillingham only shot 2 for 7 from the field, he still had several standout plays on his OTE debut.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join OTE,” Dillingham said in a statement when he joined the league. “The team and the resources they offer are amazing and it’s an incredible opportunity to continue to develop my game and take it to the next level, while competing against elite talent.”
Dillingham are set to play their second OTE game on Saturday night.
Dillingham is one of three Kentucky basketball signings in the Class of 2023, along with Justin Edwards and Reed Sheppard.
Aaron Bradshaw is the only British basketball commitment yet to be announced as a signing during the first signing period, which runs until Wednesday.
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