Five-star recruits Robert Dillingham and AJ Johnson are leaving Donda Academy, an unaccredited Christian private school founded earlier this year by Kanye West, in wake of the rapper's antisemitic remarks. The news come just a week after the school reportedly shut down and reopened later.
Dillingham has officially signed with the Overtime Elite league and maintains college eligibility. The Kentucky commit is the No. 13 overall recruit in the 2023 class according to 247Sports' rankings.
247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein describes the 6-foot-2 Dillingham as a "creative guard" whose natural ability helps him excel at consistently making tough plays and shots.
"He's a virtual wizard with the ball in his hands - tight with his handle and looking to shake his defender at every chance possible with a full assortment of tight cross-overs, spins, and complex combination moves," Finkelstein wrote. "He can also be shifty with extreme change of pace as a stop-and-go type creator."
Johnson, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, is transferring to Southern California Academy. He is the No. 2 combo guard in the nation and No. 14 recruit in the class of 2023 according to 247Sports' rankings. Finkelstein describes Johnson as someone who can play with pace, has a tight handle and is "exceptionally fluid in the open floor."
"Johnson is an emerging big guard who is both in the midst of a rapid ascension and yet still possesses a wealth of untapped potential," Finkelstein wrote. "There are tools in place to check all the boxes when it comes to positional size, length, athleticism, playmaking, and skill."
On Oct. 26, reports of Donda Academy shutting down came out, citing an alleged screenshot of an email from the school's principal, Jason Angell.
"At the discretion of our Founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately," the text reads. "...We intend to begin afresh in September of 2023, and we are confident that our scholars will continue to advance as the creative innovators, courageous influencers and academic leaders of the next generation."
Hours later, reports suggested the school might actually stay open.
Also last week, Donda Academy was booted from the Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics, a high school tournament. All of this happened because of antisemitic comments from Kanye West earlier in October.
There have been many repercussions from West's comments. Along with the controversy surrounding his school, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald cut ties with West's sports agency, Donda Sports.
