Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Patrick O'Neal Baldwin Jr. (born November 18, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Milwaukee Panthers. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class.

Early life
Patrick Baldwin grew up in Evanston, Illinois until he was in 8th grade. He was on several basketball teams including the league FAAM (Fellowship of Afro-American Men). In 2017, the summer before his freshman year, the Baldwin family moved to Wisconsin, because his father became the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

High school career
Baldwin played basketball for Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wisconsin. During his freshman year he was part of their 2017–18 team that made the state tournament, losing to senior, Tyrese Haliburton of Oshkosh North 57–56. As a junior, Baldwin averaged 24.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, earning Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year honors. During the second game of his senior season, Baldwin suffered a season-ending ankle injury. He was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.

Recruiting
Baldwin was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. On May 12, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Milwaukee under the coaching of his father over offers from Duke, Arizona State, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, USC and Georgetown. He was also the youngest person ever to receive an offer to play at Duke, receiving the offer in his sophomore year of high school. He became the highest-rated recruit to ever commit to a Horizon League program.

College career
In his college debut, Baldwin posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 75–60 win against North Dakota. On November 23, 2021, he suffered a leg injury in a loss to Bowling Green, forcing him to miss several games. Baldwin suffered an ankle injury on January 5, 2022, in a 63–49 win against Green Bay. Baldwin returned on February 4, 2022 in a 70–60 loss to IPFW, where he shot 5-of-15, and 1-of-6 from 3. He also played the next two conference games against Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky, averaging 30 minutes and 6.5 points while shooting 4-of-19 overall (1-of-11 from 3), before sitting out the rest of the season for undisclosed reasons. Baldwin averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a freshman in an injury-plagued season. On April 22, 2022, Baldwin declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Golden State Warriors (2022–2023)
Baldwin was selected with the 28th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA draft. On July 6, 2022, the Warriors announced that they had signed Baldwin.

Baldwin was assigned to the Golden State G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, on October 24, 2022. He then made his NBA debut on October 30 in a 128–114 loss to the Detroit Pistons, playing only in the final minute of the game.

On December 21, 2022, Baldwin scored a career high of 17 points in a 143–113 blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets, shooting 6-of-10 overall and 5-of-8 from three in 23 minutes of play. This performance was followed by an 11-point showing in a 112–107 victory over the Utah Jazz a week later, shooting 4-of-7 overall and 3-of-5 from three in just 13 minutes. Baldwin was assigned to the G League again on February 5, 2023.

Washington Wizards (2023–present)
On July 6, 2023, the Warriors traded Baldwin, Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins and draft picks to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul.

National team career
Baldwin represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Latvia. He averaged 7.7 points and five rebounds per game, helping the team win the gold medal. He shot 47 percent from the floor, helping the team win the gold medal. He also took National Team July minicamp and was selected for the Nike Hoop Summit Team, but this event was not played due to COVID-19.

Personal life
Baldwin was born in Evanston, Illinois. His father, Pat, was a standout college basketball player at Northwestern, then was head coach at Milwaukee and is currently an assistant at Georgetown. His mother, Shawn, played volleyball at Northwestern.