Pallacanestro Varese is pleased to announce that it has reached a multi-year agreement with David Duke Jr., a 195-centimeter American guard, who will join the red-and-white roster starting next season. Duke Jr. is a highly athletic and physical guard capable of making an impact on both ends of the court. He loves driving to the basket in open play, using his explosiveness and strength to finish at the rim or create opportunities for his teammates. His trademark, however, is his defense: aggressive on the ball, intense, and versatile, he can guard multiple positions thanks to his physical build, quick feet, and long arms.
Maksim Horowitz, General Manager of Basketball Strategy at Pallacanestro Varese: “We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement with David, a player we’ve been following for a couple of years, ever since his time with the Brooklyn Nets. We believe he will be the ideal addition to our backcourt, thanks to his ability to make an impact on both ends of the court and contribute to many aspects of the game at a high level. In addition to his technical skills, David is a person of great character: we’re confident he’ll integrate seamlessly with the team, helping to further raise the team’s level of professionalism and create a work environment that’s serious, focused, and positive at the same time.”
Career
Born in Providence on April 13, 1999, David Duke Jr. only began playing basketball during high school, after also playing soccer, football, and track. After starting at Classical High School, he transferred to Cushing Academy, where he helped the team win the title, establishing himself as one of the best prospects of his generation. In 2018, he joined Providence College, where he played three seasons of constant improvement, progressively improving his performance until finishing his junior season with 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, earning Second Team All-Big East honors. Despite not being selected in the 2021 draft, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets, where he spent two seasons splitting his time between the NBA (45 games played) and the Big League with the Long Island Nets. In 2022-23, he enjoyed his best season in the GLeague, averaging 22.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 steals, finishing the season third in the race for the GLeague MVP award and being named to the All-NBA GLeague First Team, also earning a standard contract with Brooklyn at the end of the season. In 2023, he initially signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, but after being released, he continued the season in the GLeague with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he averaged 21.7 points per game. In December, he moved to the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way contract, alternating between the NBA and the GLeague with the Austin Spurs. With his affiliate team, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, while in the NBA, he played four games for the Spurs in the 2023-24 season. Retained by San Antonio for the following season with a new two-way contract, he continued to be a key player in the GLeague with the Austin Spurs, where he averaged 16.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. In 2025, he signed with the Phoenix Suns, but was unable to make his regular season debut. He then moved to Australia to play for the Perth Wildcats, and in 2025-26, he finished the season in Spain, signing with Bàsquet Manresa in the Liga ACB.
David Duke Jr. also represented the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games, helping the team win the bronze medal