<p>Dante Cunningham (born April 22, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cunningham was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Cunningham, a forward, played college basketball with the Villanova Wildcats.
Cunningham was born in Clinton, Maryland, to Searcy Blankenship and Ron Cunningham. His older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA.
Cunningham began his prep career at St. John's High School in Washington, D.C. While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. One of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham.
As a senior, Cunningham transferred to Potomac High School, which he led to a 27–0 season under Head Coach Rico Reed. He averaged 13 rebounds, 20 points, and four blocked shots per game at Potomac. He was honored as the Washington Post Metropolitan Player of the Year.
At Villanova University, Cunningham played in all 33 games and was a starter in four during his freshman year.
In his Senior year, Cunningham would go on to lead the team in scoring and take home the Big East Most</p>