 Duarte in December 2019 | |
| No. 27 – Unicaja | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | Liga ACB Champions League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1997-06-13)June 13, 1997 (age 28) |
| Nationality | Dominican / Canadian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Redemption Christian Academy (Troy, New York) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2021: 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Indiana Pacers |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2023 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2022 | →Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2023–2024 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2024–2025 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2024 | →Windy City Bulls |
| 2025 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
| 2025–present | Unicaja |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Christopher Theoret Duarte (/ˈdwɑːrteɪ/DWAR-tay;[2] born June 13, 1997) is a Canadian-Dominican professionalbasketball player forUnicaja of the SpanishLiga ACB and theChampions League. He playedcollege basketball for theNorthwest Florida State Raiders and theOregon Ducks. At Northwest Florida State, he was namedNABC NJCAA Player of the Year in 2019. At Oregon, he received the 2021Jerry West Award as the nation's top collegiate shooting guard. He was selected 13th overall by theIndiana Pacers in the2021 NBA draft. Duarte was selected toNBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.
Duarte was born inPuerto Plata, Dominican Republic.[3][1][4] His father, who died when he was six months old, was Canadian. His mother is Dominican. He shared a love of basketball with his older brother Jean Michel.[4] He moved to New York to play his final two years of high school basketball at Redemption Christian Academy inTroy.[5] He participated in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game.[6] Ranked the fifth-best player in New York by247Sports, Duarte originally committed to playcollege basketball forWestern Kentucky but instead started his career atNorthwest Florida State College.[7]
In his freshman season forNorthwest Florida State College, Duarte averaged 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and two steals in 23.3 minutes per game, earning first-team All-Panhandle Conference honors and helping his team reach the Elite Eight round of theNJCAA Division I Championship.[8][9] On September 20, 2018, he announced that he would continue his career atNCAA Division I programOregon after one more season at Northwest Florida State.[10]
As a sophomore, Duarte averaged 19 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, helping his team return to the Elite Eight round of the NJCAA Division I Tournament.[11] He scored 32 points on 11-of-13 shooting againstPalm Beach State College.[12] He was recognized asNABC NJCAA Player of the Year and was a first-team NJCAA Division I All-American.[13] Duarte was also named Panhandle Player of the Year by both the media and coaches vote.[14]
Duarte made his debut forOregon on November 5, 2019, againstFresno State, finishing with 16 points in a 71–57 win.[15] On December 29, Duarte scored a junior season-high 31 points, shooting 12-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range, to go with six assists and five rebounds in a 98–59 win overAlabama State.[16] One day later, he was namedPac-12 Conference Player of the Week.[17] On January 23, 2020, Duarte recorded 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals in a 79–70 victory overUSC. He set theMatthew Knight Arena record for single-game steals and became the first Division I player with at least 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals sinceNiagara'sAlvin Young in 1999. Duarte was subsequently named Pac-12 Player of the Week for his second time andUnited States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week.[18][19] He finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, collecting both All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Pac-12 All-Defensive honorable mention.[20]
During the 2020–21 season, Duarte led the Ducks to an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. On April 3, 2021, Duarte was named recipient of the 2021Jerry West Award as the top shooting guard in men's collegiate basketball.[21] Duarte was additionally recognized as the AP Pac-12 Player of the Year and an AP Third Team All-American.[22]
On March 29, 2021, Oregon head coachDana Altman indicated in a press conference that Duarte would enter the2021 NBA draft.[23]
Duarte was selected with the 13th pick in the2021 NBA draft by theIndiana Pacers.[24] On August 4, 2021, he signed a rookie-scale contract with the Pacers.[25] On October 20, Duarte made his NBA debut, recording 27 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting, five rebounds along with a steal to set the Pacers' franchise record for the most points in a rookie debut, in a 123–122 loss to theCharlotte Hornets.[26] and on December 17, he had a four-dayassignment to theFort Wayne Mad Ants.[27] Duarte participated in the NBA's2022 Rising Stars Challenge alongside teammateTyrese Haliburton.[28] On April 4, 2022, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a toe injury.[29] Duarte was selected to the 2022NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[30]
On July 6, 2023, Duarte was traded to theSacramento Kings for two future second-round picks.[31]
On July 8, 2024, Duarte was traded to theChicago Bulls as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sentDeMar DeRozan to the Kings.[32] On December 17, he had a four-dayassignment with theWindy City Bulls[33] and on February 3, 2025, he was waived by the Bulls.[34]
On March 10, 2025, Duarte signed withVaqueros de Bayamón of theBaloncesto Superior Nacional. He would joinDanilo Gallinari andJaVale McGee as the imports. On August 12, 2025, he helped Bayamón acquire their 17th championship.[35]
On July 1, 2025, he signed withUnicaja of the SpanishLiga ACB.[36]
In January 2022, Duarte welcomed his second child, a daughter, with his girlfriend.[37]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Indiana | 55 | 39 | 28.0 | .432 | .369 | .804 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.1 |
| 2022–23 | Indiana | 46 | 12 | 19.5 | .369 | .316 | .847 | 2.5 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | 7.9 |
| 2023–24 | Sacramento | 59 | 11 | 12.2 | .381 | .346 | .788 | 1.8 | .7 | .5 | .1 | 3.9 |
| 2024–25 | Chicago | 17 | 0 | 4.4 | .462 | .400 | .750 | 1.2 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 2.1 |
| Career | 177 | 62 | 18.3 | .406 | .349 | .813 | 2.6 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 7.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Oregon | 28 | 28 | 30.1 | .414 | .336 | .795 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 1.7 | .5 | 12.9 |
| 2020–21 | Oregon | 26 | 26 | 34.1 | .532 | .424 | .810 | 4.6 | 2.7 | 1.9 | .8 | 17.1 |
| Career | 54 | 54 | 32.0 | .473 | .380 | .803 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 1.8 | .7 | 14.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Northwest Florida State | 32 | 1 | 23.3 | .546 | .367 | .700 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 2.0 | .4 | 12.1 |
| 2018–19 | Northwest Florida State | 33 | 33 | 31.1 | .541 | .400 | .808 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 19.0 |
| Career | 65 | 34 | 27.2 | .543 | .388 | .765 | 6.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 | .7 | 15.6 | |
Duarte said his father, a Canadian, died when he was six months old.