Willie Cauley-Stein

At 30 years old, Willie Cauley-Stein has this physical status:

Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (born Willie Durmond Cauley Jr. on August 18, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played for the Kentucky Wildcats in college.

Personal life

Willie officially filed a name change order with the Fayette District Court's Probate Division on May 1, 2015, to change his birth name. He did it to honor his mother, Marlene Stein, and his maternal grandparents, Norma and Val Stein, who raised him after his father left him when he was four years old. He also added "Trill" as a middle name, a nickname given to him by close friends.

Willie Cauley, the father of Cauley-Stein, played basketball at Dodge City Community College and at the University of Pittsburgh for one season. Willie Cauley was introduced to Cauley-Stein's mother, Marlene Stein, when she was playing basketball for St. Mary of the Plains College in St. Mary.

Kendrixx Marie Cauley-Stein, Cauley-Stein's first child, was born on July 7, 2020.

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High school career

Cauley-Stein, Kansas, died as a sophomore and transferred to Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kansas, where he played basketball and football. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a junior.

Cauley-Stein was ranked No. 1 by Rivals.com as the No. 1 in a four-star basketball recruit. The No. 9 center and the No. 9 center. In 2012, the country's top 40 players.

Cauley-Stein was not allowed to play varsity football until his senior year, but when he did, he was promised to play wide receiver. In 2011, he helped his high school win a 7-on-7 football tournament at the University of Kansas and was given a football scholarship. Cauley-Stein averaged 19.7 yards per catch in his senior season, with some playing as a cornerback. He had 64 catches for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns.

College career

Cauley-Stein began his college career as a bench center, supporting top prospect Nerlens Noel. Cauley-Stein averaged 7.8 points on 63.9% field goal shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals in 20 games of play during his time as a back-up.

Two weeks ago, Cauley-Stein was named SEC Freshman of the Week. Cauley-Stein's season-best came against Vanderbilt, who scored 20 points to go with seven rebounds. He was a perfect 5–5 against Auburn in a few weeks.

Noel tore the ACL in his left knee during a game against the Florida Gators on February 12, 2013, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Due to Noel's season-ending injury, Cauley-Stein was given the starting center position. In Noel's absence, he had three double-doubles in six games, including ten points and 11 rebounds against Georgia in comparison to 13 points, ten rebounds, and four blocks at Arkansas.

He was announced to the All-SEC Freshman team after SEC football concluded. Since appearing in 29 games and making 14 starts, he averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

He appeared in 37 games, scoring 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game during the 2013–14 season, winning 18 games and getting 18 starts. His season ended with 106 blocks, the second-most in a single season in school history.

He was named to the All-SEC Defensive Team after his outstanding sophomore season. During the season against Providence and Boise State, he posted a career-high nine blocks twice. Around the end of the season, he really started coming into his own. In the SEC Championship game against #1 Florida, he had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks against #10 Florida.

Cauley-Stein missed the remainder of the season due to a leg injury sustained during the 2014 NCAA Tournament in a game against Louisville. He returned to his junior season due to his injury; he was a top-five pick in the 2014 NBA draft prior to his injury.

Cauley-Stein was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014-2015. He was also selected for the All-SEC First Team, the All-SEC Defensive Team, and the USA Today first team All-American Team.

Cauley-Stein, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, and Karl-Anthony Towns all agreed to enter their names into the NBA draft on April 9, 2015.

Professional career

The Sacramento Kings selected Cauley-Stein with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft on June 25, 2015. He signed with the Kings on July 16, 2016. In a 111-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on October 28, he made his Kings debut in their season opener on October 28, scoring two points and two rebounds. In a 132-114 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, he got off to a good start two days earlier and saw 17 points and nine rebounds. Due to a right index finger injury, Cauley-Stein missed the majority of December. In an 112–93 win over the Lakers on January 20, he achieved his first double-double in career with 12 points and ten rebounds. In a 116–94 win over the Phoenix Suns, he scored his first 26 points in a then-recorded victory. He received NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors at the end of the season.

Cauley-Stein was given extra minutes off the bench and came up with a career-high 29 points and ten rebounds to help the Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 116-100 on February 23, 2017.

Cauley-Stein defeated the Denver Nuggets 106-98 on January 6, 2018. Caitlin had a career-best seven steals in a 106-98 victory.

In a 123-113 victory over the Miami Heat on October 29, 2018, Cauley-Stein scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. In a 122–117 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on December 23, 2018, he had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

The Kings made a qualifying bid to Cauley-Stein on June 28, 2019 in order to make him a restricted free agent. The qualifying bid was later cancelled in order to provide more cap space for the Kings to land Cory Joseph.

Cauley-Stein signed with the Golden State Warriors on July 8, 2019. Cauley-Stein made his Warriors debut against the Phoenix Suns on October 10 on 5–of–5 shooting and 2–of–2 from the line, as well as five rebounds, one block, and three fouls in 12 minutes.

Cauley-Stein was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round pick on January 25, 2020. He made his debut three days later against the Phoenix Suns, losing by 104-133. He had four points and two rebounds in 12 minutes. Cauley-Stein opted out of the 2019 NBA Bubble as he and his partner were expecting a newborn baby in July.

Cauley-Stein left his job on November 19, 2020, and declared himself a free agent after the 2019-2020 season ended. He later signed with the Mavericks on December 1, 2020.

On August 1, 2021, the Mavericks selected his squad's starting date, keeping Cauley-Stein as their 2021-2022 season. The Mavericks decided to waive him on January 15, 2022, in order to make roster room for new signing Marquese Chriss.

Cauley-Stein signed a 10-day deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on February 24, 2022. On March 3, he was released after being refused.

Cauley-Stein resigned to the Houston Rockets on October 9, 2022.

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