NBA Future Watch: Donovan Clingan Basketball Cards, Portland Trail Blazers – Donovan Clingan, sometimes known as Cling Kong, is a big man with a true throwback body. Physically, he is a man among boys in the pivot. A huge winner in the high school and college ranks, Clingan aims to replicate that success at the pro level like the late, great legend who forever defines the center position in Portland, Bill Walton.
Growing up in Connecticut, Clingan led Bristol Central High School to the Division II state championship in 2022. He once posted 51 points and 31 rebounds in a game! He also made a name for himself on the AAU circuit with the Boston Spartans, as MVP of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Boys Basketball Festival, as the Robert Saulsbury All-Star Game and as a four-star recruit. Clingan fielded offers from many top schools. In the end, the choice to stay in his backyard with UConn was the one that Clingan made.
The rest, as they say, was history, as Clingan anchored the first back-to-back national championships since Florida in 2006-07. With .645 FG% and 2.1 BPG across his two title seasons, Clingan was a true force both offensively and defensively for the Huskies.
Drafted by the Blazers with the seventh pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Clingan enters the association as an elite rim defender and all-around defensive presence. Like Walton, Clingan shows promise as a secondary playmaker and certainly has the requisite unselfishness necessary for further development. Possessing soft hands, Clingan has the potential to really fill out his offensive game. If Clingan can do so, then that prowess will meld with his unique physical presence. As such, he will carve out his place as one of the great big men in today’s game.
Clingan’s cards and stickers, which include plenty of parallels and inserts, have been on the market since 2022. Panini (Prizm Draft Picks and National Convention) and Bowman (Best University and Inception University) have great offerings.
NBA Future Watch: Donovan Clingan Basketball Cards, Portland Trail Blazers – More Resources
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