Three-time All-SEC men’s basketball guard Ronald Dupree, who helped lead the Tigers to the 2000 NCAA Sweet 16, is a member of the 2025 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction class and will be formally enshrined on Friday, September 19, at the Manship Theater in downtown Baton Rouge.

The other members of the 2025 class are men’s basketball coach John Brady, who directed the Tigers to the 2006 Final Four; men’s golf coach J. Perry Cole, who guided the Tigers to NCAA national championships in 1940 and 1942; gymnast Rheagan Courville Branton, a 23-time All-American and two-time NCAA vault national champion; women’s basketball All-American Cornelia Gayden, the most prolific three-point shooter in school history; and four-time LSU women’s basketball All-American Temeka Johnson, who led the Tigers to Final Fours in 2004 and 2005.

Standing on the court in a polo and khakis, arms crossed left over right, Ronald Dupree absorbs the chaos surrounding him as he watches the LSU men’s basketball players run plays and shout “ball” over the loud squeak of shoes on the glossy hardwood floor.

Over twenty years earlier, the Biloxi, Miss., native set his eyes on LSU and never looked back. Drawn by the roar at Death Valley, he had a mission and a vision to bring the roar to the PMAC.

In his first year, the Tigers advanced to the 2000 NCAA Sweet 16 and won the conference championship. Battling through restricted scholarships and team injuries, the Tigers persisted and reached the second round of the NIT in 2002 and the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

“Individually, I was able to develop and get the time I needed to break out and become an effective player in the SEC,” said Dupree.

Developing an impressive resume and making his mark at LSU from 1999-2003, he averaged 17.5 points per game in 2001 as LSU’s leading scorer and landed second in rebounding with 8.8 boards per game. He kept this momentum, ranking at the top for the Tigers in both rebounds and scoring in his junior and senior seasons.

He is one of only 16 players in LSU history to accumulate 1,000 points, 200 assists and 100 steals in a career, and he is ranked in the Top 10 in school annals in points scored (1,726), rebounds (907), games played (129) and double-figure games (88).

The three-time All-SEC selection is still No. 9 in both career scoring and in career rebounds in the school record book. He is one of only five players to rank in the LSU’s career Top 10 in both scoring and rebounding – the others are Shaquille O’Neal, Rudy Macklin, Bob Pettit and Tasmin Mitchell.

Mission complete.

Dupree always dreamed of playing professional basketball. Although he didn’t get drafted to the NBA, it was just another obstacle along the journey that he was built to face and overcome.

“I was very focused and driven,” Dupree said. “So, it was never ’Will it happen?’ it was ‘When will it happen?’” Dupree said. “I would say it was something that God put in me as a gift. I feel like it was in my heart and my spirit to accomplish.”

Staying driven to the purpose, Dupree carried his talents to the next level, playing six years in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons. He also played for the NBA Developmental League – now the NBA G-League – and professionally overseas in Germany, Italy, Argentina and Israel.

“It’s helped me become a more well-rounded person,” Dupree said on playing internationally. “The food was outstanding; the history, the architecture. That was an experience, and it made me more aware of what life can be outside of the U.S.”

Despite the experiences and memories Dupree gained playing overseas, he dealt with the emotional struggles of being away from home, ultimately leading to his decision to step away from professional basketball.

“I didn’t see my kid from probably late August to December 25th,” said Dupree. “When I went to pick up my wife and (my daughter) Parker from the airport on Christmas, I approached them and Parker didn’t know who I was. It was a gut punch.”

With a heavy heart, he made the courageous decision to stop playing professional basketball as he found a greater purpose – building life beyond the court, rooted in the fulfillment and sense of home he longed for. He transitioned to the other side of the court, charting a path to secure his future and bring him closer to his family.

Upon hanging up his jersey, Dupree came back to LSU to finish school and found fulfillment in coaching. He moved to Nevada for the 2016-2017 season, becoming an assistant coach, before joining the Milwaukee Bucks. While with the Bucks, his player assessment and team scouting initiatives contributed to the team’s NBA Championship in 2021 and its Emirates Cup Championship in 2024.

After Dupree spent years chasing championships professionally, he returned to LSU in April as the general manager of the basketball program, not only to bring the energy back to the PMAC – but to be celebrated. As he walks into the LSU Hall of Fame, he also walks into a new position of leadership to help transform a program he once helped grow.

“Man,” Dupree said euphorically. “It means a ton. It means validation for all the work. This means ‘I did it.’ People appreciate and identify the contributions that I have given and was blessed to be able to give.”

Dupree has earned his place in the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame among many legends – now, he is ready to pack the PMAC and reignite the roar once again.