Dexter Pittman
Dexter Pittman | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1988 |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2010–2021 |
| Known for | Playing for Texas Longhorns and Miami Heat, 2012 NBA champion |
Dexter Jerome Pittman (born March 2, 1988) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
High school career
At B. F. Terry High School, Pittman was a starter for three seasons, posting averages of 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. During his final year, he was honored as the Most Valuable Player in District 24-4A.
Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Pittman was ranked the No. 16 center and No. 150 overall player nationally in the class of 2006.
College career
In his initial two years at Texas, Pittman had limited playing time, averaging less than 3 points per game with only one start. His junior year marked a breakout season, starting in 24 games and averaging 10 points alongside 5.5 rebounds per contest, solidifying his status as a leading center within the Big 12 conference.
Weight loss
Coming into college at 388 lbs after high school, Pittman reduced his weight to 366 lbs following advice from Strength and Conditioning coach Todd Wright. Despite this effort, his size initially affected his practice effectiveness and led to back and knee problems. Through dedication to intense training regimens and a disciplined diet—often consulting Wright before meals—he shed nearly 100 pounds. This significant physical change attracted attention from prominent figures including Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and played a crucial role in his athletic progress.
College statistics
|- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Texas Longhorns | 29 || 0 || 5.3 || .604 || .000 || .471 || 1.8 || .1 || .2 || .3 || 2.6 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Texas Longhorns | 36 || 1 || 6.8 || .559 || .000 || .561 || 2.4 || .2 || .1 || .5 || 2.8 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Texas Longhorns | 35 || 24 || 16.6 || .616 || .000 || .691 || 5.5 || .4 || .4 || .9 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Texas Longhorns | 34 || 34 || 19.1 || .654 || .000 || .556 || 5.9 || .5 || .4 || 1.9 || 10.4 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 134 || 59 || 12.2 || .623 || .000 || .601 || 3.9 || .3 || .2 || .9 || 6.6
Professional career
Selected as the 32nd pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, Pittman inked a multi-year contract on July 16, 2010. Throughout his rookie season, he was assigned repeatedly to the Sioux Falls Skyforce and earned a spot in the 2011 NBA D-League All-Star game. He made his NBA debut on April 1, 2011. The Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals but were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
Pittman reached a personal scoring peak on April 13, 2012, with 16 points during a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. In the Conference semi-finals that year, he received a three-game suspension due to a flagrant foul incident. The Heat ultimately secured the 2012 NBA Finals title against the Oklahoma City Thunder, awarding Pittman his first championship ring.
During the following season (2012–13), Pittman frequently returned to play with the Skyforce on assignment. On February 21, 2013, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies along with a second-round draft pick but was released on April 14, 2013.
Pittman participated with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2013 NBA Summer League and later signed with the Chicago Bulls in September but was waived by October’s start. He briefly played for the Springfield Armor before joining China's Foshan Long Lions as an injury replacement, departing after seven appearances.
In January of 2014, Pittman was acquired by the Austin Toros and later signed a short-term contract with the Atlanta Hawks in February but was waived soon afterward. Returning to Austin, he then signed briefly with the Houston Rockets in April but did not appear in any games before being released.
For the BSN's 2014 season, Pittman joined Caciques de Humacao. He re-signed with Atlanta in September but was waived again in October. The following month saw him move to Turkey’s TED Ankara Kolejliler for the remainder of that season (2014–15).
On June 26, 2015, Pittman agreed to terms with Italian club Virtus Bologna for their upcoming season (2015–16). In May of the next year, he signed with Puerto Rico’s BSN team Santeros de Aguada.
In December of 2016, Pittman joined Japan’s B.League squad Toyama Grouses, where he averaged 11.5 points and six rebounds throughout the 2017–18 campaign. On September 20, 2018, he committed to another B.League franchise, Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka. Later, on October 9, 2021, Pittman signed with Al Sharjah competing in the UAE National Basketball League.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Miami | 2 || 0 || 5.5 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 |- | align="left" style="background:#afe6ba;" | † | align="left" | Miami | 35 || 6 || 8.6 || .468 || .000 || .643 || 2.0 || .3 || .2 || .2 || 3.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Miami | 4 || 0 || 3.0 || .600 || .000 || .000 || 1.8 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Memphis | 7 || 0 || 2.9 || .167 || .000 || .000 || .7 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Atlanta | 2 || 0 || 1.5 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 50 || 6 || 6.9 || .450 || .000 || .545 || 1.8 || .2 || .2 || .2 || 2.3
Playoffs
|- | align="left" style="background:#afe6ba;" | 2012† | align="left" | Miami | 3 || 1 || 2.7 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .3 || .0 || .3 || .0 |- |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 3 || 1 || 2.7 || .000 || .000 || .000|| .0|| .3|| .0|| .3|| .0
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Sioux Falls | 22|| 22|| 27.7|| .536|| .000|| .548|| 8.2|| 1.2|| .4|| 1.7|| 14.5 |- | align="left" | 2012–13 | align="left" | Sioux Falls | 15||12||24.9||.470||.000||.767||8.8||.3||.9||1.7||12.4 |- | align="left" | 2013–14 | align="left" | Austin | 28||20||20.5||.556||.000||.705||6.8||.5||.5||2.3||11.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 65||54||24.0||.527||.000||.652||7.7||.7||.6||1.9||12.6
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 2013–14 | align="left" | Foshan | 7||0||18.7||.649||.000||.441||5.5||.4||.3||1.0||15.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 7||0||18.7||.649||.000||.441||5.5||.4||.3||1.0||15.0
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 2016–17 | align="left" | Toyama | 35||19||19.9||.538||.000||.600||7.8||.4||.3||1.1||12.9 |- | align="left" | 2017–18 | align="left" | Toyama | 57||13||17.8||.585||.000||.608||5.9||1.4||.5||.6||11.5