The year 2023 has been a rollercoaster for the Australian-born basketball player Dante Exum. It went from a celebration of pregnancy reveal with his girlfriend & re-entry into the NBA to mourning the loss of his father.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard played for the Partizan NIS Belgrade in the 2022-23 season & led them to the ABA League trophy.
In the midst of the celebration of the championship triumph, Exum’s girlfriend joined him with another celebration- of pregnancy & gender reveal.
Moreover, on July 1, 2023, the Mavericks offered him a minimum deal for the 2023-24 season, marking Dante Exum’s entry into the NBA for the second time.
But shortly after, it would follow the sad news of Exum’s father, Cecil, fighting for his life in ICU. On July 3, 2023, his dad Cecil Exum, a former NBA player, passed away.
The Australian-born followed his father’s footsteps into basketball & sought his way into the NBA.
He was the 5th overall pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA draft- the same year draftee as Andrew Wiggins (#1 pick), Jabari Parker (#2), Joel Embiid (#3), and Aaron Gordon (#4).
Having played as the Jazzman (2019- 2021), he was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-21) before going for the Euro League teams.
Dante Exum Girlfriend Is Pregnant: Who Is She?
The former Utah Jazz player kept his relationship profile low-key until mid-2023.
Clearing the vague claims of him being single, Exum introduced his girlfriend to the basketball world in a flashy way possible.
As Dante Exum led the Serbian basketball team Partizan NIS Belgrade to the 2023 ABA League championship, his girlfriend joined him on the court for a celebration.
Fans speculations identified that the NBA star’s girlfriend goes by the name Jessica Corey.
The celebration of the victory was yet incomplete as Dante’s sweetheart was to add another exciting news to fans.
The victory night would be a double bonus for the basketball star as she revealed that they are expecting a child.
Furthermore, the pregnancy news brought even more smiles with the gender reveal: a baby girl is on the way
The couple flaunted a sonography of the to-be-born daughter as they shared a kiss on the confetti-showering basketball court. What more could he ask for?
Athletic Blood Runs In The Exum Family- Parents & Siblings
Dante Exum, born on July 13, 1995, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is one of three children to Cecil Exum (late) and Desiree Exum.
He has an older brother named Jamaar and a twin sister named Tierra, a college track athlete who’s 18 minutes younger.
Both his parents & sister grew up with athletic enthusiasm.
Although nothing much on his brother Jamaar’s career is known, it won’t be a surprise if he had pursued a career in sports or tracks.
Dante’s late father, Cecil, was a basketball player. He was an alumnus of the University of North Carolina & led the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship in 1982.
It was at college where he met Dante’s mother, Desiree, a former high school track star & alumna of the UNC.
Then, Cecil sets sight on his NBA journey as the ninth round pick of the Denver Nuggets in the 1984 NBA draft.
However, he sustained a knee injury before the trails & never landed in the NBA, and opted for the NBL instead.
So, he went to the Australian NBL & played eight seasons (1989-1996) with the teams: North Melbourne Giants, Melbourne Tigers, and Geelong Supercats.
Mother Works In The IBM
Dante’s mom Desiree, a 1983 graduate of the University of North Carolina, describes herself as semi-retired on her LinkedIn profile.
Unlike the NBA star’s father, his mother didn’t pursue an athletic career but joined IBM in Australia.
She would later join IBM based in Singapore, where she is an AP demand & supply planner.
Death Of Dante Exum’s Father Cecil Exum
On July 1, 2023, the news of Dante’s father Cecil struggling for life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) came up.
As reported, his father was having lung problems, so he was admitted to a hospital in the United States a few months earlier.
That was the reason he was not at the ABA League finals when his son Dante marked his name in the victorious trophy.
Sadly, on June 3, 2023, Cecil Exum passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 60.
Heartfelt condolences to the family!
