Dyson Daniels

Dyson James Daniels (born 17 March 2003) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted eighth overall in the 2022 NBA draft.

Dyson Daniels

Daniels in 2022
No. 5 – Atlanta Hawks
Position	Shooting guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2003-03-17) 17 March 2003 (age 21) Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school	Bendigo South East College (Bendigo, Australia)
NBA draft	2022: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career	2019–present
Career history
2019	Bendigo Braves
2021–2022	NBA G League Ignite
2022–2024	New Orleans Pelicans
2024	→Birmingham Squadron
2024–present	Atlanta Hawks
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Australia FIBA Oceania U15 Championship 2018 Papua New Guinea

Early life and career

Daniels was born in Bendigo, Victoria and started playing basketball at age seven.^[1] He attended Bendigo South East College.^[2]

Daniels signed with the Bendigo Braves, his father's former team, of the NBL1 for the 2019 season.^[3] Later that year, Daniels joined the NBA Global Academy, a training center at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.^[4] He helped Victoria win a silver medal at the 2021 Australian Under-20 Championships.^[5] Along with basketball, Daniels was a talented Australian rules footballer in his younger years and represented his home state of Victoria at several national football championships^[6] before giving up the sport to focus solely on basketball.

Professional career

NBA G League Ignite (2021–2022)

On 21 June 2021, Daniels signed with the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team affiliated with the NBA G League.^[7] He turned down offers from several college programs and the National Basketball League Next Stars program.^[8] Daniels competed in the Rising Stars Challenge at 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend and helped his team win the title. In 26 games in the G League, he averaged 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. On 16 April 2022, Daniels declared for the 2022 NBA draft.^[9]

New Orleans Pelicans (2022–2024)

Daniels was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.^[10] Daniels joined the Pelicans' 2022 NBA Summer League roster. However, Daniels suffered a right-ankle sprain in the second quarter in the Pelicans' Summer League opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, forcing Daniels to be ruled as out for the rest of the Summer League.^[11] On 9 July 2022, Daniels signed a rookie-scale contract with the Pelicans.^[12]

Atlanta Hawks (2024–present)

On 6 July 2024, Daniels, E. J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller (via sign-and-trade), a 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), and a conditional 2027 first-round pick were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dejounte Murray.^[13]

On 8 November, Daniels put up a career-high seven steals in a 122–121 loss to the Detroit Pistons.^[14] On 15 November, Daniels became the first player since Michael Jordan in the 1989–90 season to record 15-plus points and five-plus steals in four consecutive NBA games^[15] and the first player since Alvin Robertson to record at least six steals in four consecutive NBA games.^[16]

On 23 December, Daniels recorded a career-high eight steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[17]

National team career

Daniels represented Australia at the 2018 FIBA Oceania Under-15 Championship in Papua New Guinea. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.^[18] On 20 February 2021, a 17-year-old Daniels made his debut for the Australian senior national team at FIBA Asia Cup qualification.^[19] He recorded 23 points, six steals and four assists in an 81–52 win over New Zealand.^[20] He helped Australia to beat France in a preparation game for the 2024 Olympic Games, scoring a reverse layup on the buzzer to win the game.^[21]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2022–23	New Orleans	59	11	17.7	.418	.314	.650	3.2	2.3	0.7	0.2	3.8
2023–24	New Orleans	61	16	22.3	.447	.311	.642	3.9	2.7	1.4	0.4	5.8
Career		120	27	20.0	.435	.312	.645	3.5	2.5	1.1	.3	4.8

Play-in

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2024	New Orleans	2	0	6.1	.000	.000	—	2.5	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		2	0	6.1	.000	.000	—	2.5	.0	.0	.0	.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2024	New Orleans	3	0	5.7	.333	.000	—	.7	.0	.7	.0	1.3
Career		3	0	5.7	.333	.000	—	.7	.0	.7	.0	1.3

Personal life

Daniels' dad, Ricky Daniels, is from the United States and played college basketball at NC State before embarking on a professional career.^[1] He was a two-time South East Australian Basketball League MVP with the Bendigo Braves, and his number was retired by the team.^[22] Daniels' older brother, Kai, plays college basketball at Regis University.^[23] His younger brother, Dash, is a future NBL player with Melbourne United.^[24] Daniels has been nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief" by Hawks teammate Larry Nance Jr.^[25]

See also

• List of NBA single-season steals per game leaders

References

1. "Boomers' phenom will have you shouting "Damn, Daniels!"". FIBA. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
2. "Dyson Daniels". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
3. Iles, Kieran (26 February 2019). "Dyson Daniels keen to forge his own identity with Bendigo Braves". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
4. Garlepp, Josh (1 March 2020). "Dyson Daniels is the NBA Global Academy's latest star, with an admirable goal in mind". Fox Sports. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
5. Bourke, Adam (8 May 2021). "Daniels dominates for Victoria at national championships". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
6. Tuckerman, Raelee (3 June 2015). "Dyson sports Big V". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
7. "International Standout Dyson Daniels Signs With NBA G League Ignite". NBA G League. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
8. Givony, Jonathan (20 June 2021). "NBA's G League Ignite sign first highly touted international prospect in Australia's Dyson Daniels". ESPN. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
9. "Australian guard Dyson Daniels, the No. 10 prospect in the ESPN 100, to enter the 2022 NBA draft". ESPN. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
10. "New Orleans Pelicans select Dyson Daniels with 8th pick in 2022 NBA Draft". NBA.com. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
11. Mosley, Kyle T. (10 July 2022). "Pelicans Dyson Daniels Injured in His First Summer League Game". SI.com. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
12. "Pelicans sign Dyson Daniels". NBA.com. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
13. "Hawks Acquire Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and 2 Future First-Round Draft Picks". NBA.com. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
14. "Hawks' Trae Young, Bulls' Nikola Vucevic look to get teams on track". Reuters. Field Level Media. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
15. "Dyson Daniels equals Michael Jordan record as the Australian's stunning start to the NBA season continues". abc.net.au. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
16. McMurtry, Andrew (19 November 2024). "'No notes': Dyson Daniels' nickname takes over NBA after clutch scenes". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
17. McKern, James (24 December 2024). "Dyson Daniels rewrites record books with historic feat". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 December 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
18. "Dyson Daniels (AUS)'s profile – FIBA U15 Oceania Championship 2018". FIBA. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
19. Ward, Roy (19 February 2021). "'He's kind of unique, a throwback': Dyson Daniels follows in Ben Simmons' footsteps in making Boomers debut". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
20. Kidane, Benyam (20 February 2021). "Dyson Daniels leads young Aussie Boomers to impressive win over New Zealand in FIBA Asia Cup qualifier". Sporting News. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
21. "Epic Boomers win completes near-perfect Paris preparation". Nine. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
22. "Dyson Daniels to emulate his father, Ricky, and play for Braves". Bendigo Advertiser. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
23. "Dyson Daniels". Pro Insight. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
24. "Daniels Dashes to NBL Next Stars". NBL Official Website. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
25. Kidane, Benyam (20 November 2024). "Dyson Daniels embracing 'Great Barrier Thief' nickname as Hawks guard continues to make history". sportingnews.com. Retrieved 3 December 2024.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference