Donovan Clingan

Donovan John "The Block Lobster" Clingan (born February 23, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, winning two consecutive national championships from 2023 to 2024.

Early life and high school career
Clingan grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and attended Bristol Central High School, where he led the boys basketball team to a 2022 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Division II state championship. He also played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for Joe Chatman at Team Spartans in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Clingan averaged 27.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game as a junior and was named the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year. Clingan repeated as the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 30.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks per game during his senior season. On July 2, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for UConn over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, and Rutgers.

Clingan grew up and is close friends with current UConn Huskies football running back Victor Rosa. Rosa was Clingan's point guard in high school, and was a record-breaking football player as well.

College career
Clingan entered his freshman season at UConn as the Huskies' backup center behind Adama Sanogo. He was named to the Big East Conference All-Freshman team at the end of the regular season. Clingan scored four points with three rebounds, a block, and two steals in the 2023 national championship game as the Huskies won 76–59. Although he was considered to be a likely selection in the 2023 NBA draft, he decided to return to UConn for his sophomore season.

Clingan entered his sophomore year as UConn's starting center. He suffered a foot injury in a game against Seton Hall on December 20, 2023. Clingan returned on January 17, 2024, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds in 16 minutes of play in a 62–48 win over 18th-ranked Creighton.

On April 12, 2024, Clingan declared for the 2024 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Portland Trail Blazers (2024–present)
On June 26, 2024, Clingan was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2024 NBA Draft. With his college number 32 retired by the Trail Blazers for Bill Walton, Clingan chose 23 as his jersey number. On July 4, he signed with Portland.

Personal life
Clingan's mother, Stacey Clingan, also played basketball at Bristol Central where she set school records for career rebounds and blocks before playing college basketball at the University of Maine. Stacey Clingan died of breast cancer in March 2018. Clingan wore number 32, his mother's number, in Bristol and at UConn.