{{short description|American basketball player (born 2001)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Dylan Cardwell | image = | caption = | number = 32 | position = Center | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 255 | league = NBA | team = Sacramento Kings | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|12|16}} | birth_place = Augusta, Georgia, U.S. | high_school = * Oak Hill Academy<br/>(Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) * McEachern<br/>(Powder Springs, Georgia) | college = Auburn (2020–2025) | draft_year = 2025 | career_start = 2025 | years1 = {{nbay|2025|start}}–present | team1 = Sacramento Kings | years2 = 2025 | team2 = →Stockton Kings | highlights = }} '''Dylan Cardwell''' (born December 16, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers.
==Early life and high school== Cardwell attended Oak Hill Academy up to his junior season before transferring to McEachern High School for his senior year. As a junior he averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vitale |first=Josh |title=3-star center Dylan Cardwell commits, gives Auburn much-needed big man |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2020/05/07/three-star-center-dylan-cardwell-commits-auburn-basketball-gives-bruce-pearl-top-recruiting-class/3090455001/ |website=Montgomery Advisor |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> Coming out of high school, Cardwell was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college basketball for the Auburn Tigers over other schools such as Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, Maryland and UConn.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |title=3-star center Dylan Cardwell commits to Auburn |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2020/05/3-star-center-dylan-cardwell-commits-to-auburn.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>
==College career== As a freshman in 2020–21, Cardwell appeared in 27 games where he averaged 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bharucha |first=Manush |title=Who Is Dylan Cardwell? Everything You Need to Know About Auburn’s 6′ 11″ Center |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/ncaa-college-basketball-news-who-is-dylan-cardwell-everything-you-need-to-know-about-auburn-s-six-eleven-center/ |website=Essentially Sports |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=December 23, 2024}}</ref> On January 11, 2022, he tallied six points, six rebounds and four blocks in a win over rival Alabama.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |title=Dylan Cardwell turns heel vs. Alabama, finishes as Auburn’s ‘most important player’ in win |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/01/dylan-cardwell-turns-heel-vs-alabama-finishes-as-auburns-most-important-player-in-win.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=January 12, 2022}}</ref> During the 2021–22 season, Cardwell appeared in all 34 games and averaged three points and three rebounds.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |title=Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell withdrawing from NBA Draft, returning for 2022-23 season |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/05/auburns-dylan-cardwell-withdrawing-from-nba-draft-returning-for-2022-23-season.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=May 31, 2022}}</ref> In the first two games of the 2022–23 season, he put up nine points and ten blocks.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |title=Dylan Cardwell’s rim protection a ‘factor’ for No. 13 Auburn early this season |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/11/dylan-cardwells-rim-protection-a-factor-for-no-13-auburn-early-this-season.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=November 15, 2022}}</ref> In the 2022–23 season, Cardwell averaged 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 32 appearances.<ref>{{cite web |last=Silva |first=Richard |title=Dylan Cardwell, three other Auburn basketball players listed as early entrants for draft |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2023/04/25/dylan-cardwell-auburn-basketball-2023-nba-draft-early-entry-candidate-jaylin-williams-johni-broome/70140810007/ |website=Montgomery Advisor |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=April 25, 2023}}</ref> In 2023–24, he averaged 5.3 points, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 assists in 14.7 minutes per game.<ref>{{cite web |last=Noyes |first=Craig |title=Dylan Cardwell announces return to Auburn for 5th season |url=https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2024/04/dylan-cardwell-announces-return-to-auburn-for-5th-season |website=The Auburn Plainsman |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=April 11, 2024}}</ref> Heading into the 2024–25 season, Cardwell become a full-time starter for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rauterkus |first=Peter |title=How Dylan Cardwell’s decision to ‘fight, not flee,’ etched his name in Auburn history |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2025/02/how-dylan-cardwells-decision-to-fight-not-flee-etched-his-name-in-auburn-history.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=February 28, 2025}}</ref> On December 30, 2024, he posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a win over Monmouth.<ref>{{cite web |last=Locke |first=Daniel |title=Auburn's Dylan Cardwell 'Grateful' for Breakout Performance |url=https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/auburn-dylan-cardwell-grateful-breakout-performance-01jgme65jgt2 |work=SI.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=January 2, 2025}}</ref> On March 1, 2025, Cardwell become the all-time winningest player in Auburn men’s basketball history, with 115 wins after he helped the Tigers to a 94–78 win over Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rauterkus |first=Peter |title=Dylan Cardwell becomes all-time winningest player in Auburn men’s basketball history |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2025/03/dylan-cardwell-becomes-all-time-winningest-player-in-auburn-mens-basketball-history.html |website=AL.com |access-date=March 7, 2025|date=March 1, 2025}}</ref>
==Professional career== On June 26, 2025 after being undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft, Cardwell signed a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zimmerle |first=Will |title=Kings Sign 6-Foot-11 Center After 2025 NBA Draft |url=https://www.si.com/nba/kings/sacramento-kings-news/breaking-kings-sign-6-foot-11-center-after-2025-nba-draft-01jyqpacv3jw |website=si.com |access-date=June 29, 2025|date=June 27, 2025}}</ref>
On February 6, 2026, the Kings signed Cardwell to a four-year standard contract after trading Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis and Dario Šarić as part of a three-team deal that brought De'Andre Hunter to Sacramento. At the time of the signing, Cardwell was leading his rookie class in blocks per game,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Kings Sign Dylan Cardwell |url=https://kings.com/news/sacramento-kings-sign-dylan-cardwell |access-date=2026-02-07 |website=kings.com |language=en|date=2025-02-05}}</ref> and he led all rookies in rebounds per game in the same month. Cardwell recorded a career-high 15 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 5th, 2025, alongside four blocks. {{NBA player statistics legend}}
===NBA=== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2025}} | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 44 || 1 || 20.6 || .587 || .500 || .510 || 7.5 || 1.4 || .7 || 1.5 || 5.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 44 || 1 || 20.6 || .587 || .500 || .510 || 7.5 || 1.4 || .7 || 1.5 || 5.4 {{S-end}}
===College=== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| Auburn | 27 || 1 || 15.1 || .705 || '''1.000''' || .571 || 3.6 || .5 || .4 || .6 || 3.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22 | style="text-align:left;"| Auburn | 34 || 0 || 11.5 || .690 || .000 || .400 || 3.0 || .5 || .5 || 1.2 || 3.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 | style="text-align:left;"| Auburn | 32 || 1 || 13.4 || .'''747''' || .000 || .318 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .3 || 1.3 || 3.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 | style="text-align:left;"| Auburn | 35 || 1 || 14.5 || .709 || .400 || '''.587''' || 3.7 || 1.2 || .6 || '''1.6''' || '''5.3''' |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2024–25 | style="text-align:left;"| Auburn | '''38''' || '''38''' || '''20.3''' || .700 || .500 || .324 || '''5.1''' || '''1.6''' || '''.8''' || 1.4 || 5.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 166 || 41 || 15.1 || .709 || .400 || .450 || 3.9 || 1.2 || .6 || 1.3 || 4.2 {{S-end}}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://auburntigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/player/dylan-cardwell Auburn Tigers bio]
{{Sacramento Kings current roster}} {{Stockton Kings current roster}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardwell, Dylan}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:American men's basketball players Category:Auburn Tigers men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from Augusta, Georgia Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:Stockton Kings players Category:Undrafted NBA players