Duke Basketball One-And-Done Now Heating Up in Italy

Former Duke basketball guard DJ Steward is off to an encouraging start to his ventures overseas.

Duke basketball guard DJ Steward | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After developing as a pro in the NBA G League following a Duke basketball one-and-done campaign as a full-time starter and double-digit scorer for five-time national champion head coach Mike Krzyzewski, DJ Steward decided to test his notably smooth shooting hand against seasoned professionals in Europe, as the Chicago native signed with Dominiti Energia Trento in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.

Thus far, it sure looks as though the adjustment period was all but nonexistent for the 21-year-old Steward. He's picked up right where he left off last season in the G League, as the top-shelf bucket-getter starred for the Windy City Bulls en route to earning a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, albeit still without receiving his first career minutes in an NBA regular season game.

Feb 16, 2025; Oakland, California, USA; Team Earn Your Leisure guard DJ Steward (1) of the Memphis Hustle jokes with Santa Cruz Warriors mascot Mav'riks prior to a game against Team Braxton at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Two games into Trento's regular season slate, Steward is averaging 19.5 points in 30.0 minutes per outing for his 1-1 squad. He's shooting 42.9 percent from downtown. Plus, he's chipped in 3.0 steals per game, also averaging 3.0 boards and dishing out 4.5 assists.

And it's worth noting that the former five-star prep out of Whitney High School has totaled only three turnovers while serving as a primary playmaker.

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center court logo before the Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

On Saturday, Steward poured in 18 points while tallying two rebounds, four assists, and four steals across 35 minutes on the floor. However, Trento fell to Brescia, 72-63.

A week earlier, in a 109-69 blowout win over Cantu to tip off the team's regular season slate, the 6-foot-2 combo guard sizzled to the tune of 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field, including a 1-for-3 mark beyond the arc.

I 21 punti di DJ Steward e DeVante' Jones e i 15 punti e 6 rimbalzi di Cheickh Niang: l'@AquilaBasketTN batte la @PallCantu in questa prima giornata di Serie A @UnipolCorporate 🏀#TuttoUnAltroSport pic.twitter.com/vD0pZuWKRF

— Lega Basket Serie A (@LegaBasketA) October 5, 2025

As a Blue Devil in the program's subpar 2020-21 season, DJ Steward averaged 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 30.8 minutes per game, knocking down only 34.1 percent of his 3-point attempts for the season but doing so as the Duke basketball squad's most consistent threat from deep.

He declared for the NBA Draft but did not come off the board, leading to G League stints with the Stockton Kings, Vancouver Bandits, Maine Celtics, Windy City Bulls, and Memphis Hustle.

Jan 23, 2021; Louisville, KY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard DJ Steward (2) passes the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during a NCAA basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Utterback-Imagn Images | Courier Journal-Imagn Images

Two years ago, Steward signed a $50,000 contract with the Sacramento Kings. Again, though, he has yet to log his first official NBA minutes.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more updates on former Blue Devils now in the professional ranks and other daily Duke basketball news.