Donte DiVincenzo’s claim for a second NBA Championship ring hangs in the balance as his Golden State Warriors are one game away from playoff elimination. The Delaware native scored ten points and provided one assist as the Warriors narrowly lost game 4 in a best-of-seven series.
Donte’s father inspired his love for basketball and the Milwaukee Bucks
Donte DiVincenzo was born on 31st January 1997 to Kathie and John F. DiVincenzo. Kathie is a realtor, and John is a basketball coach. Donte’s nickname Big Ragu arose from his red hair and Italian heritage.
John grew up watching basketball with his father in Wilmington, Delaware. He fell for the Milwaukee Bucks, parading his affiliation with the team by wearing the team’s jersey.
“We watched the Bucks and I just took a liking to it,” John told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Don Nelson was a great coach. I jumped on that bandwagon. Lew Alcindor, Sidney Moncrief was my favorite player, Ricky Pierce, and I just followed them.”
Donte inherited his father’s love for the Bucks. John was understandably ecstatic when the Bucks drafted Donte in 2018. “When I got drafted, he was like a little kid,” Donte said. “He was shooting out names left and right and I was like, ‘Pops, I don’t know these names.’”
“Today I have Big Ragu to cheer for,” John stated. Donte’s stint with the Milwaukee Bucks was hampered by injury. Nevertheless, he contributed significantly to the team’s Championship charge in 2021.
Donte’s love for rescue dogs sparked when his parents adopted a huge Great Dane-pit bull mix
Donte is an outspoken advocate for rescue dogs. As a boy, he visited the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal shelter in Newark, Delaware, with John and developed a liking for a Great Dane-pit bull mix named King.
At home, Donte begged John and Kathie to adopt King. Kathie objected as King weighed over 100 pounds. “My mom was like, ‘He’s only a couple of pounds lighter than me, so no way,’” Donte told The Red Bulletin. Eventually, the family adopted King, sparking Donte’s love for rescue dogs. He continued:
“He was a big boy, but he ended up being the best dog we had as a family. He was a gentle giant. He was the first dog that got me into the rescue process and wanting to learn more about it.”