Former Badger Dukan officially signs with NBA's Kings
Duje Dukan didn't appear prominently on many 2015 NBA Draft projections in the spring. Nevertheless, there was the former Wisconsin Badger on Wednesday, signing a pro contract alongside the Sacramento Kings' vice president of basketball and franchise operations, Vlade Divac.
Yes, Dukan ended up going undrafted last month, but the 6-foot-10 forward impressed the Kings enough in summer-league action to land an NBA deal. The Kings announced the signing on Wednesday night.
"Turning my lifelong dreams into a reality," Dukan noted on his Instagram page. "Officially a member of the @sacramentokings and couldn't be more excited! #AgainstAllOdds #SacramentoProud #DreamChasin."
Dukan averaged 9.2 points per game during NBA summer-league play, to go along with 2.4 rebounds per contest. He also shot 43.8 percent from the field and an eye-opening 41.7 percent (10 for 24) from beyond the arc. Additionally, the former Badger shot 80 percent from the charity stripe, while logging 18 minutes per game in five contests.
All told, Dukan scored in double figures in four summer-league games for the Kings. His best showing came in a 90-71 win over Golden State on July 13, when he recorded 13 points (on 5-for-8 shooting) and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
As a Badger senior last season, Dukan averaged 4.7 points in 15.9 minutes per game, seeing action in 38 games for Wisconsin's national runner-up squad. In four seasons in Madison, Dukan averaged 3.1 points on 42.7 percent shooting from the field, over the course of 97 career games.
Technically, Dukan reached a contract agreement with Sacramento earlier in the week. The 23-year-old reportedly signed a two-year, partially guaranteed contract with the Kings. Exact monetary figures of the contract were not immediately known as of Wednesday night, according to an Associated Press report.
The former Badger is no stranger to the NBA game. Dukan's father, Ivica -- a former member of the Yugoslavian national team -- is the Chicago Bulls' international scouting director, and Duje served as a Bulls ballboy from 2000-06. Dukan's family moved from Split, Croatia to Deerfield, Ill., when Duje was 10 months old.
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