Derik Queen Bio
Derik Emanuel Queen is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A center who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs around 250 pounds, he completed one season of college basketball at the University of Maryland before entering the 2025 NBA Draft. The Baltimore native was selected 13th overall by the Atlanta Hawks and traded to New Orleans on draft night. He is widely regarded as one of the top players to come out of his high school class.
Early Life and Background
Derik Emanuel Queen was born on December 27, 2004, in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. Growing up in a city with a rich basketball tradition, Queen began developing his game at a young age and quickly emerged as a standout prospect. His size, footwork, and touch around the basket drew attention well before he reached high school.
Queen attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore for his freshman year of high school. He averaged about 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks per game during the COVID-shortened season, leading the Panthers to a 15–1 record and an appearance in the Baltimore Catholic League title game. He scored a season-high 56 points in a 99–55 win over Annapolis Area Christian School on March 12, 2021, and was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year.
Path to Basketball
After his freshman season, Queen transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, one of the premier national basketball programs. He played a supporting role as a sophomore on a team that won its second straight GEICO Nationals title, but his production grew quickly. As a junior, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 61 percent shooting, earning MaxPreps Junior All-American honorable mention recognition.
Off the court, Queen suited up for Team Thrill UAA in grassroots competition. In 2023, he led the program to an Under Armour Association 17U spring championship, recording 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in the title game victory over West Coast Elite. Major recruiting services ranked him as a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. On February 21, 2024, he verbally committed to Maryland, one of the first programs to offer him a scholarship.
Derik Queen Career
High School Career (2020–2024)
Queen’s high school résumé includes standout performances against national competition. While at Montverde, he recorded his first double-double on December 9, 2022, with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a 78–51 win over Oak Hill Academy. He followed that with 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds in a 79–45 win over Milton High School at the Iolani Classic, and he scored a season-high 34 points with 11 rebounds in a 66–62 win over Sunrise Christian Academy at the LaPorte Invitational.
He also guided second-ranked Montverde to an 85–48 win over top-ranked Link Academy on February 3, 2023, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Montverde’s season ended with a 46–45 upset loss to Sunrise Christian in the 2023 GEICO Nationals quarterfinals. As a senior, Queen was selected as a McDonald’s All-American Game Co-MVP and played in the Jordan Brand Classic.
Maryland Terrapins (2024–2025)
Queen enrolled at the University of Maryland in 2024 and stepped directly into a featured role as a freshman. Following his lone college season, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He also landed on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, confirming his status as one of the conference’s top newcomers.
His most memorable college moment came in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, when he hit a fadeaway jump shot at the buzzer to lift Maryland past Colorado State, 72–71. It was his first game-winning shot at any level. Earlier, in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Queen scored 31 points against eventual champion Michigan, the most points ever scored in the tournament by a Maryland freshman, earning him a place on the All-Tournament Team.
New Orleans Pelicans (2025–Present)
Queen was drafted 13th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2025 NBA Draft and was traded the same day to the New Orleans Pelicans for Asa Newell and a future first-round draft pick. On July 5, 2025, he signed his rookie contract. His Summer League debut was cut short when he tore a scapholunate ligament in his left wrist on July 15. He had surgery on July 18 and was expected to miss roughly three months of action.
Once healthy, Queen established himself as a versatile interior piece for New Orleans. On November 20, 2025, he posted a then-career-high 30 points with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in a 125–118 loss to the Denver Nuggets. On December 8, he recorded a 33-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double with four blocks in a 135–132 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first rookie center in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double. He closed his first NBA season with 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per 25 minutes across 81 games and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Driving Style and Strengths
Queen plays a modern, perimeter-friendly center style, using footwork and a soft touch to score from the post and mid-post. He is a willing passer who can operate as a hub in the short roll, and his rebounding on both ends anchors the Pelicans’ interior. His comfort facing up and stepping into the midrange jump shot makes him difficult to defend in space, while his improved court awareness allows him to find cutters and shooters when defenses collapse.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, his buzzer-beating fadeaway against Colorado State in the 2025 NCAA Tournament announced him as a clutch performer. His 30-point triple-double as a rookie against San Antonio placed him in the NBA history book, and his 30-point, 22-rebound season finale against Minnesota on April 13, 2026, showed his two-way impact. He also earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2026.
Derik Queen Career Highlights
NBA Highlights
Queen’s rookie NBA season produced several milestones despite a wrist injury that delayed his Summer League debut. He finished with averages of 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per 25 minutes across 81 games for the New Orleans Pelicans. His 33-point triple-double against the Spurs on December 8, 2025, marked him as the first rookie center to record a 30-point triple-double in league history, and he closed the year with a 30-point, 22-rebound double-double against Minnesota.
Other Performances
Beyond the NBA, Queen earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors during his only season at Maryland. In high school, he was named McDonald’s All-American Game Co-MVP, played in the Jordan Brand Classic, and won an Under Armour Association 17U spring title with Team Thrill UAA in 2023.
Derik Queen Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Queen is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, a city long associated with tough, physical basketball. He attended St. Frances Academy before transferring to Montverde Academy to further his development against elite national competition, a path taken by several top NBA prospects.
Personal Life
Public information about Queen’s immediate family has not been widely confirmed in available sources. He remains focused on his rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans and continues to build his professional career.
2025 Season Performance
Queen’s 2025 storyline began with the NBA Draft, where he went 13th overall and was immediately traded to New Orleans. A torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist during Summer League required surgery on July 18, 2025, and cost him roughly three months. He returned to action during the regular season and quickly delivered signature performances, including a 30-point triple-double that made league history and a season-ending 30-point, 22-rebound double-double against Minnesota.
Over 81 games, Queen averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per 25 minutes while playing a connective role for the Pelicans. His production and efficiency as a rookie center earned him a place on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, reinforcing the Pelicans’ long-term investment. With another full offseason to develop his body and perimeter skills, Queen is positioned as a building block in New Orleans’ frontcourt going forward.
