DJ Steward

DJ Steward (born October 2, 2001) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best shooting guards in the 2020 class. He finished his high school career at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Not to be confused with D.J. Stewart Jr. or DJ Stewart.
DJ Steward
Free agent
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (2001-10-02) October 2, 2001
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight162 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDuke (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023Stockton Kings
2023Vancouver Bandits
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Steward first attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois.[1] In 2018, he transferred to Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Illinois for his remaining years of high school.[2] Steward averaged 24.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the 2019 Nike EYBL circuit. In the Highland Shootout versus Christian Brothers College High School in January 2020, Steward scored a shootout-high 40 points including the game-tying bucket in a 66–64 victory. He was named a McDonald's All-American.[3]

Recruiting

On September 18, 2019, Steward committed to play at Duke University. He chose the Blue Devils over offers from DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, North Carolina and Texas.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
DJ Steward
SG		 Chicago, IL Whitney Young (IL) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sep 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 29  247Sports: 23  ESPN: 25
  • 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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  • "2020 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.

College career

Steward started 22 games and played in 24 games during Duke's 2020–21 season. A 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) combo guard, he averaged 13 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.[5]

The Duke team finished that season 13–11, with a 9–9 record in the ACC. It was the first year since 1995 that the Blue Devils were not invited to the NCAA tournament.

While the season did not live up to Duke's usual expectations, Steward had multiple highlights during his only year on the team. In his college debut on November 28, 2020, Steward scored 24 points in an 81–71 win against Coppin State.[6] On December 21, 2020, Steward was named Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the week.[7] On January 15, 2021, Steward scored 26 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in a 79–68 win over Wake Forest.[8]

Professional career

Stockton Kings (2021–2023)

After a very successful freshman season at Duke, Steward debated going professional. At 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), Steward was seen as having a shooting guard's skills in a point guard's body, and this led to a sense that he would need to develop point guard skills before he could effectively play in the NBA. Nevertheless, he decided to make himself available for the NBA draft.

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Steward was invited to the Sacramento Kings for the 2021 NBA Summer League.[9] On September 28, 2021, he signed a contract with the Kings.[10] He was waived prior to the start of the season.[5] Steward signed with the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League as an affiliate player for the 2021–22 season.[11]

Vancouver Bandits (2023)

On April 6, 2023, Steward signed with the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[12] He was released by the Bandits on June 5 in order to prepare for the 2023 NBA Summer League, where he would play for the Philadelphia 76ers.[13]

On October 2, 2023, Steward signed with the Boston Celtics,[14] but was waived on October 20.[15]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Duke 242230.8.426.341.8114.02.41.1.613.0

Personal life

Steward is the son of Katicha Jackson-Williams and Danny Boy Steward, and stepson of Tyrone Williams. He is named after his father, who was a former Death Row recording artist. He also played football in high school, and has a brother, Trent. Steward grew up in Oak Park, Illinois where he attended Brooks Middle School. He attended Fenwick his freshman and sophomore years, then transferred to Whitney Young for his last two years. He played travel ball since his middle school years with Meanstreets and played EYBL circuit, where he made an even bigger name for himself.[16]

References
  1. "DJ Steward - 2020-21 - Men's Basketball". Duke University. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  2. "D.J. Steward, 2020 Shooting guard - Rivals.com". n.rivals.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  3. O'Brien, Michael (January 23, 2020). "The streak is over: Young's DJ Steward is a McDonald's All-American". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. Abdeldaiem, Alaa (18 September 2019). "Five-Star guard DJ Steward commits to Duke". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  5. Watson, John (October 17, 2021). "Former Blue Devil DJ Steward Cut By Sacramento". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  6. "Johnson, Steward help No. 9 Duke beat Coppin State 81-71". ESPN. Associated Press. November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. "Syracuse's Guerrier, Duke's Steward Notch ACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honors". Atlantic Coast Conference. 21 December 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  8. "No.21 Duke tops Wake Forest 79–68 in Krzyzewski's return". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  9. Singh, A. (August 1, 2021). "Kings Announce California Classic Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  10. "Kings Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  11. "Stockton Kings Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  12. "Vancouver Bandits Sign Former Duke Starter, Stockton Kings Star Guard DJ Steward for the 2023 CEBL Season". CEBL.com. April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  13. "Vancouver Bandits Release Trio of Players". TheBandits.ca. June 10, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  14. "Boston Celtics Announce 2023-24 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  15. Adams, Luke (October 20, 2023). "Celtics Waive Wenyen Gabriel, DJ Steward". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  16. "Brooks wins 2nd annual village tourney". oakpark.com. January 13, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
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