Dellavedova played junior basketball for the Maryborough Blazers and Bendigo Braves.[7][8] After playing State basketball for Victoria Country, he attended the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra for three years.[7][9] Prior to leaving for the AIS on a scholarship, he attended Maryborough Regional College.[10] While in Canberra, he attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College. In 2017, he was inducted into the Lake Ginninderra Hall of Fame.[11]
Between 2007 and 2009, Dellavedova played for the AIS in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). He averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 18 games in 2008 and 10.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in nine games in 2009.[12]
Dellavedova in January 2012, shooting against San Diego
Dellavedova was recruited by Randy Bennett and the Saint Mary's College of California in 2009 and signed with the Gaels before the 2009–10 season.[13] He was ranked by ESPN as one of the top junior players in Australia.[14] Dellavedova immediately contributed for the Gaels and started all 34 games as a freshman.[15] In 2009–10, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.[16] That season, the Gaels won 28 games and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament.[15] The Gaels reached the Sweet Sixteen by upsetting Villanova, 75–68. Dellavedova's crucial late free throws iced the game against the Wildcats.[17]
On 16 January 2013, Dellavedova scored 18 points, including a game-winning three-point buzzer-beater, in a 70–69 victory over the BYU Cougars.[18][19] The forty-foot shot soon became known as the "Dellavedagger."[4][20] In 2012–13, Dellavedova was an Academic All-America selection and a Senior CLASS Award finalist.[21][22]
Dellavedova graduated from Saint Mary's in 2013 with a degree in psychology.[20] He finished his college career as Saint Mary's all-time leader in scoring, assists, games played, free throw percentage, and three-point shots.[23]
St. Mary's retired his jersey on 15 February 2014. Dellavedova's #4 was the second retired by the school's men's basketball program, joining Tom Meschery in the rafters of McKeon Pavilion.[24]
In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Dellavedova scored a team-high 19 points to help the Cavaliers defeat the Chicago Bulls and advance to the Conference Finals.[38][39] Following the Cavaliers' Game 3 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Eastern Conference Finals, Dellavedova's aggressive play became a major talking point with some describing him as a "dirty" player. Despite this criticism, teammate LeBron James and NBA great Charles Barkley both defended Dellavedova's style of play.[40] The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 4–0 to advance to the 2015 NBA Finals.[41]
In Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, in the absence of the injured Kyrie Irving, Dellavedova held Stephen Curry to 0-of-8 shooting and four turnovers while guarding him.[42][43] The Cavaliers won Game 2 in overtime, 95–93, for their first victory of an NBA Finals game in franchise history.[44][45] In Game 3, Dellavedova scored a playoff career-high 20 points as the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors to take a 2–1 series lead.[46] After the game, Dellavedova was so dehydrated that he needed an IV,[47][48] and he was quickly taken to the Cleveland Clinic for medical attention.[49][50] The Cavaliers went on to lose the last three games of the series, and Dellavedova shot just 19% from the field in those three games.[48]
2015–16 season
On 27 July 2015, Dellavedova re-signed with the Cavaliers.[51][52] On 19 November 2015, he recorded a then career-high 13 assists in a 115–100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[53] On 20 December, he scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a 108–86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[54] He missed five straight games in February 2016 with a strained hamstring.[55] The Cavaliers returned to the NBA Finals in 2016 with a 4–2 series win over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.[56] In a Finals rematch with the Golden State Warriors, the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to win the championship after being down 3–1 in the series.[57]
Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2018)
Dellavedova with Bucks head coach Jason Kidd in 2016
On 7 July 2016, Dellavedova was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal with the Cavaliers,[58] in which Cleveland received a $4.8 million trade exception and the rights to Albert Miralles, while Milwaukee also received cash considerations.[59] Dellavedova's contract gave him $38 million over four years.[52]
Dellavedova made his debut for the Bucks in their season opener on 26 October 2016, scoring 11 points in 29 minutes as a starter in a 107–96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[60] On 3 December 2016, he scored 12 of his season-high 18 points in the fourth quarter of the Bucks' 112–103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[61] After starting all 30 games to begin the season,[62] he missed five straight games in late December and early January with a strained right hamstring.[63] In 2016–17, he averaged career highs in points (7.6) and assists (4.7) in a career-high 26.1 minutes per game over 76 contests with a career-high 54 starts.[64]
Dellavedova missed 15 consecutive games with left knee tendinitis during November and December of the 2017–18 season.[65] On 1 January 2018, Dellavedova had a season-high 10 assists in a 131–127 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors.[66] A right ankle sprain suffered on 4 February against the Nets[67][68] saw Dellavedova miss 29 straight games, returning to action in the Bucks' regular-season finale against the Philadelphia 76ers on 11 April.[69] He went on to play in six of the Bucks' seven playoff games.[69]
Return to Cleveland (2018–2021)
Dellavedova prepares to shoot a free throw in 2019
On 7 December 2018, Dellavedova was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade that also involved the Bucks and the Washington Wizards.[70] In his return game for the Cavaliers in Milwaukee three days later, Dellavedova received an ovation when he entered the game and finished with 11 points in 16 minutes in a 108–92 loss to the Bucks.[71]
On 7 March 2020, Dellavedova recorded a career-high 14 assists in a 104–102 win over the Denver Nuggets.[72][73]
On 25 November 2020, Dellavedova re-signed with the Cavaliers.[74] He appeared in just 13 games with the Cavaliers during the 2020–21 season as he suffered a variety of ailments, including a concussion, whiplash, an emergency appendectomy, and a neck strain.[75]
Melbourne United (2021–2022)
On 9 July 2021, Dellavedova signed a three-year deal with Melbourne United of the Australian NBL.[76] On 16 January 2022, he scored a career-high 33 points with seven 3-pointers and nine assists in an 88–84 win over the Illawarra Hawks.[77] He averaged 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game during the 2021–22 NBL season. He parted ways with United in July 2022 to return to the NBA.[78]
Dellavedova is well known for his high levels of effort while playing.[13][82] Multiple players, coaches, and commentators have praised his toughness and competitiveness, particularly on defense.[83][84] On account of his aggressiveness, some have cast Dellavedova as reckless or dirty. However, multiple current and former players have spoken in defense of Dellavedova, including LeBron James,[13]Kobe Bryant,[85]Charles Barkley,[40] and Antonio Davis.[86] Dellavedova's offensive strengths includes his three-point shot,[82] his floater,[82] and his passing ability.[15][83]
In July 2024, Dellavedova was named in the Boomers' final squad for the Paris Olympics.[89]
Personal life
Dellavedova's father, Mark, grew up playing Australian rules football and his mother, Leanne, played netball.[90] Both of Dellavedova's sisters, Yana and Ingrid, play basketball as well.[91]
Dellavedova married his long-time girlfriend, Anna Schroeder,[92] on 1 July 2017,[93] after proposing to her on 10 September 2016.[94] Dellavedova met Schroeder at Saint Mary's, where she played volleyball and was an honor roll student.[95] They started dating after his senior year.[95] On 5 July 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, a boy.[96] On 6 November, he announced the birth of his son, Anders Ralph Dellavedova.[97]
He has a second cousin, also named Matthew Dellavedova, who is a tennis player in Australia.[98][99] Dellavedova is good friends with his former Cavaliers teammate, Joe Harris.[100][101]
On 28 March 2015, Dellavedova escorted Jackie Custer, a 17-year-old cancer patient, to Akron Children's Hospital's "A Prom to Remember" event.[104] Custer was asked to choose a celebrity guest to escort her to the event, and chose Dellavedova.[104] Custer stated, "Going to prom with Delly was a night I'll never forget. It was definitely magical, and he's the sweetest guy I've ever met."[104]
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