Bucks Guard Donte DiVincenzo Approves of the 'White Donte' Nickname
Bucks rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo doesn't just have a new set of teammates this season after playing for Villanova from 2015-18. He has a new nickname, too.
DiVincenzo spent a majority of his college career going by "The Big Ragu", a moniker bestowed upon him by FOX announcer Gus Johnson. But after shining in the 2018 Final Four, DiVincenzo is now commonly known around the NBA as "White Donte."
The nickname was created by ESPN's Bomani Jones, who began using #whitedonte on Twitter in April. The nickname stuck and has followed DiVincenzo to Jones' ESPN program High Noon.
"DiVincenzo comes in the game and the first thing I notice is his name is Donte and Donte has an ‘O,’ " Jones told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That is not how it’s spelled by the author of the Inferno. Then I watched him play and that was definitely a visual aesthetic of basketball that we typically associate with black basketball players.
DiVincenzo and his nickname have become common fodder on the program. Jones and co-host Pablo Torre are quick to discuss DiVinczeo's highlights and have featured the rookie guard on High Noon on multiple occasions.
The Villanova product has embraced his nickname and told the Journal Sentinel, "I think it’s all fun and games."
"I am who I am and I’m not trying to act a certain way that I’m not," DiVincenzo said. "I think (Jones) knows that, so he’s having fun with it. I saw they showed a video of me dancing in the circle. Whatever I got to do to hype these guys up. They love it. It’s all fun and games.”
DiVincenzo is averaging 6.4 points per game this season in 18.1 minutes. If the Bucks can continue their push to the top of the Eastern Conference, expect more White Donte clips on High Noon throughout the season.
