DJ Horne
Damariae "DJ" Horne is an American professional basketball player for USC Heidelberg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Illinois State Redbirds, the Arizona State Devils, and the NC State Wolfpack.
Early life and high school
DJ Horne grew up playing on the AAU team Garner Road Bulldogs as well as at Reedy Creek Middle School and Cary High School before transferring to Trinity Christian in Fayetteville for his senior year of high school. At Reedy Creek Middle School, Horne lead the Eagles to an undefeated season and conference championship in 2015Coming out of high school, Horne committed to play college basketball for the Illinois State Redbirds.
College career
Illinois State
On December 31, 2019, Horne scored a career-high 22 points while also notching five steals in a win over 2019–20 [Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team|Northern Iowa]. During his freshman season in 2019–20 he averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while appearing in 30 games with 24 starts. Horne was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team. In 2020–21, he averaged 15.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. After the season, Horne entered the NCAA transfer portal.Arizona State
Horne transferred to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He finished his first season with Arizona State in 2021–22 playing in 30 games with 28 starts where he averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. In the 2022–23 season opener, Horne scored 25 points in a win over 2022-23 [Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's basketball team|Northern Arizona]. During the 2022–23 season, he averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 36% from three. After the season, Horne entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate transfer.NC State
Horne transferred to play for the NC State Wolfpack. On December 12, 2023, he scored 22 points while knocking down six three-pointers in a win over 2023–24 [UT Martin Skyhawks men's basketball team|UT Martin]. On January 16, 2024, Horne scored 21 points in a win over 2023–24 [Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team|Wake Forest], but was surrounded in controversy after being seen giving the opposing players the middle finger. On February 10, 2024, he scored 31 points while knocking down four threes in an 83-79 loss to Wake Forest. In the ACC tournament finals, Horne dropped 29 points in a win over rival 2023–24 [North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team|North Carolina] as he helped the Wolfpack clinch a bid to the 2024 [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2024 NCAA tournament].Professional career
On June 27, 2024, Horne signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the San Antonio Spurs.Heidelberg, German Pro League (2024–)
After appearing in the NBA Summer League 2024 with the San Antonio Spurs, Horne signed in August 2024 with MLP Academics Heidelberg of the easyCredit BBL, the top-tier German league.In his inaugural season, he became one of the team’s main scoring options, averaging around 15 points per game according to German press reports. He recorded several standout performances, including 25 points in March 2025 in a key league win, and 28 points in May 2025 against Würzburg.
Following that season, Horne extended his contract with Heidelberg for 2025–26.