ROB Dillingham is poised to hit the high notes in the NBA Draft after overcoming a debacle at Kanye West’s Donda Academy.
The Kentucky point guard is projected to be a Lottery pick at next week’s NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 26-27.
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The 6-foot-1 star has overcome doubts over his small stature by scoring 15.2 points off the bench this season.
But it has been a tumultuous journey for Dillingham, who hastily left the family’s North Carolina home for the tainted Donda Academy in California in 2021 – and was ostracized from his family in the process.
According to Dillingham’s father Donald, the high school prodigy went to Donda Academy at 16 without the family’s knowledge or consent after its founder West called the youngster on FaceTime.
“[West] said, ”what’re you gonna do?”’ Donald told the Daily Mail.
“If you’re a 16-year-old and somebody like Kanye West asks you that…”
Donald then launched a string of Facebook posts, attacking the rapper and the start-up academy while expressing concern about his son.
“This is the fifth week since my son, Robert Dillingham left North Carolina without my knowledge or consent,” he wrote.
“I am unable to speak to my son, to my family, and Donda Academy refuses to speak to me about my son’s enrollment.
“There has been so much deception, everything has spun out of control. My feeling is that Robert wants to reach out to me, but cannot.
“I just want to talk to my son and know that he is OK and is not being exploited. I was informed that Robert was instructed not to talk to me.
“Robert is acting out of character.”
He added in another post, “I am desperate to speak with my son. I admit that I haven’t been the perfect parent, but my love and concern for my child is genuine.
“The stress of all of this is effecting my health. I will not relax until I am certain that my son is safe.”
Dillingham’s time at the Donda Academy came crashing down a year after he joined in the wake of a series of antisemitic statements by West.
The Donda basketball team was dropped from a number of tournaments and the school closed soon afterwards.
Dillingham, 19, then moved to the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite for a season before moving to Kentucky for the 2023-24 season.
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Prior to the NBA Draft, he has worked out with the San Antonio Spurs, among other teams.
Dillingham is excited about the prospect of playing with Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
“He could be one of the best players ever,” Dillingham said at the NBA Combine.
“If I’m playing with Wemby, it’s obvious — I am coming in to give Wemby the ball.”
