Kyle Filipowski Drafted By Utah Jazz After His Brother Says He Was Groomed By Mormon Culture

Nick PedoneNick Pedone|published: Thu 27th June, 17:18
credits: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Duke star Kyle Filipowski sliding into the second round was one of the more puzzling stories of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

On the surface, it seemed like a unicorn, a seven-foot prospect with upside that at least warranted a late first-round selection. However, his slide did not last too long. On Thursday afternoon, he was drafted in the second round, No. 32 overall, by the Utah Jazz.

But there might be a legitimate off-court reason that Filipowski slid in the NBA Draft. Something that might have scared some teams off. A major distraction, if you will.

On “The Lowe Post” podcast, Zach Lowe and Jonathan Givony discussed Filipowski’s girlfriend, who is six years older than him. Additionally, he’s reportedly completely cut off his family.


While this seems like just one bizarre podcast clip from two plugged-in basketball personalities, it surely seems like these claims might have some real merit now. 

As it turns out, Filipowski’s older brother, Daniel, also took to X and alleged that his family can’t get in touch with him because his girlfriend groomed him into Mormon culture.

“I’m Kyle’s oldest brother..you all don’t have a clue of the extent of the story that has to do with his girlfriend,” Daniel also said in a post. “There’s a story that has been pushed under the table for nearly two years now.”

According to Filipowski's older brother, his family has not had contact with the NBA Draft prospect in two years after a goodbye email was sent.

Last night, after Filipowski slid out of the first round, his girlfriend was seen comforting him in photos that surfaced on social media. According to reports and social media posts, Filipowski’s longtime girlfriend is named Caitlin Hutchinson. They’ve been dating since high school. 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Hutchinson graduated from the University of Alabama in 2018. 

That’s… quite the age difference when you consider that Filipowski did not enroll in college until 2022. Filipowski is just 20 years old. His girlfriend is said to be 26 years old. There’s probably something more going on here. His family is certainly alleging that there is.

In his two seasons at Duke, Filipowski averaged 16.4 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. He was efficient from three point range as well, shooting 34.8 percent from deep in his career. 

On the floor, he is set to pair very nicely with the Jazz. Off the court, it feels like he will need to answer some difficult questions once this story spreads further. 

Deadspin attempted to reach out to Daniel Filipowski but did not receive an immediate response.


home kyle-filipowski-drafted-by-utah-jazz-after-his-brother-says-he-was-groomed-by-mormon-culture