Kris Dunn overcame some incredible struggles on his road to the NBA. He spent much of his childhood without a father figure; his brother filled that role until eighth grade, when his father came back into his life. His mother was often in trouble with the law, and in and out of jail. She passed away at 50 shortly after Dunn suffered a season-ending injury in his sophomore year. Despite his tough family situation, Dunn thrived on the court.
Naturally, Dunn was emotional when he reached the pinnacle of professional basketball and the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him No. 5 overall in the NBA Draft Thursday. The spirit of the moment brought him to tears in an interview with ESPN.
Many analysts predicted Dunn would go higher than No. 5; ESPN had him ranked No. 3 on its big board.
Dunn was a second-team All-American this year, and he was the 2015 and 2016 Big East Player of the Year at Providence. A versatile, two-way player, Dunn averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game in his senior season.
You can read more of Dunn's amazing story here.
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