The Ducks big man will get his shot at the pros after his waiver request for another year of eligibility was rejected by the NCAA.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Former Oregon center N'Faly Dante, after going undrafted in this year's NBA draft, signed a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Dante played five seasons with the Ducks, and this past season had a career year, averaging 17 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. In Oregon's final game this season against Creighton, Dante put up a monster 28 points and 20 rebounds in a double-overtime loss.

Dante struggled with injuries during his time as a Duck, including a torn ACL in 2020.

Two-way contracts pay a player one salary for their time split between the NBA G League and the NBA. They pay about half the amount of an NBA base contract and don't count against the salary cap for a team. Only players who have played three years or less in the NBA are eligible to sign two-way deals.

Follow KGW on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube  

Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV: How to add app to your device here 

See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections