Former Kansas forward Gradey Dick’s mom was another standout parent at the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Carmen (Jaspers) Dick might look familiar to some, as the blonde played professional basketball after an accomplished college career at Iowa State in the mid-1980s.
The personal trainer in Wichita, Kan. still has a solid mid-range game and showcases her skills in games of H-O-R-S-E with Gradey and their family, he told The Associated Press during the Jayhawks’ March Madness run this year.
After Gradey — who made The Post’s most outrageous red carpet looks — was selected by the Raptors with the No. 13 overall pick, Carmen praised him for his work ethic leading up to the draft.
“He has worked so hard and deserves this,” Carmen said.
“He’s worked every day to get to this point.”
Carmen also received praise on NBA Twitter, with some gushing over her basketball prowess.
“Gradey Dick’s mom is a baddie,” one person wrote, while another shared two Iowa program covers of Carmen getting buckets while with the Cyclones.
Carmen is second all-time on Iowa State’s career field goal percentage list and averaged 40 points per game as a senior.
She is a member of the ISU 1,000-point club (1,097) and was the 1989 Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year.
Gradey and Carmen shared a sweet moment when NBA commissioner Adam Silver called his name.
The mother-and-son duo hugged, and he embraced his father before shaking hands with Silver on stage.
Gradey has said his mother is an inspiration to him.
“I know a ton,” he told AP of his mother’s career. “Obviously through this year it’s been a lot more with her being on TV (during Kansas games) and everything like that.
“It’s more about hearing about her stats and playing 6-on-6 basketball and the crazy points she put up.”
Carmen is also still in the record books at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
The 77.6 percent she shot from the floor as a sophomore in 1984 is the 10th best in state history — and her 3,321 career points are among the most ever.
Now, it’s time for her son to create his own legacy with the Raptors.
In the summer of 2021, Gradey was a member of the Team USA squad that won gold at the 2021 Under 18 3-on-3 World Cup in Hungary.
