 Dawson's debut with Hsinchu JKO Lioneers of P.League+ in Taiwan | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1993-02-01)February 1, 1993 (age 32) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lew Wallace (Gary, Indiana) |
| College | Michigan State (2011–2015) |
| NBA draft | 2015: 2nd round, 56th overall pick |
| Selected by theNew Orleans Pelicans | |
| Playing career | 2015–2024 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2015 | →Bakersfield Jam |
| 2015–2016 | →Grand Rapids Drive |
| 2016 | →Erie BayHawks |
| 2016–2017 | Erie BayHawks |
| 2017 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 2017–2018 | Sun Rockers Shibuya |
| 2018 | Cañeros del Este |
| 2018 | San Sebastián |
| 2018 | Las Fieras de La Villa |
| 2018–2019 | Soles de Mexicali |
| 2019 | Gigantes de Jalisco |
| 2019 | Metropolitanos de Mauricio Báez |
| 2019 | Cañeros del Este |
| 2019 | La Mattica |
| 2019 | Bnei Herzliya |
| 2020 | Plaza Fernando Valerio |
| 2020–2021 | Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology |
| 2021–2022 | Hsinchu JKO Lioneers |
| 2022–2023 | TaiwanBeer HeroBears |
| 2023 | Spartans Distrito Capital |
| 2023 | Club Rafael Barias |
| 2024 | CDP Domingo Paulino Santiago |
| 2024 | Indios de San Francisco de Macorís |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Branden James Dawson (born February 1, 1993) is an American former professionalbasketball player. A native ofGary, Indiana, he attendedLew Wallace High School and played college basketball for theMichigan State Spartans. In his senior season for Michigan State, he helped his team reach theFinal Four of the NCAA tournament.
Dawson played high school basketball forLew Wallace, under coach Renaldo Thomas.[1] He had to sit out most of his freshman season, being academically ineligible.[1] Dawson was selected for the2011 McDonald's All-American Boys Game following his senior year.[2] In his senior season, Dawson helped his team win the sectional championship; scoring a team-high 13 points, also adding 8 rebounds and 6 steals to his numbers, he helped his Lew Wallace get pastClark.[3] In the regional finals against Western, Dawson had game-highs in scoring and rebounding with 28 and 15 respectively, but his team lost 69–65.[4] As a senior, he averaged 28.7 points, 18.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists for Lew Wallace.[5] Dawson was a five-star recruit according to bothRivals.com andScout.com and received a 96 grade byESPN.[6][7][8]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branden Dawson SF | Gary, Indiana | Lew Wallace High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 4, 2010 | |
Star ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:14, 4 (SF) Rivals:20, 7 (SF) 247Sports:17, 4 (SF) ESPN:23, 5 (SF) | ||||||
Sources:
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Following interest from several schools, receiving offers fromPurdue,Indiana,UCLA,Georgetown andMarquette among others, Dawson verbally committed toMichigan State in August 2010.[9][10] He had 15 points and 9 rebounds in his first game for the Spartans, an exhibition 85–57 win againstFerris State.[11][12] Dawson scored 10 points in his competitive debut for Michigan State, a 67–55 loss toNorth Carolina in the 2011Carrier Classic.[13][14] He scored a season high 16 points on two occasions, againstUMKC andMinnesota.[15][16][17][18] His freshman season came to an end after he tore his leftanterior cruciate ligament, in a game againstOhio State.[19][20] He still managed to average 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a freshman.[5]
Dawson had a double-double in the season opener of his sophomore season, having 15 points and 10 rebounds, againstConnecticut.[21] In January, Dawson's double-double performance versusPurdue, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, was overshadowed by an alleged physical altercation with Travis Carroll; theBig Ten after reviewing the incident's footage decided not to discipline Dawson.[22][23] Dawson was involved in a fight with teammate and roommateAdreian Payne, just before an away game atPenn State; both Dawson and Payne were not allowed to start the game by coachTom Izzo.[24][25] A few days after the incident with Payne, Dawson had a season-high performance in both scoring and rebounding, with 18 and 13 respectively, to help the Spartans overcomeWisconsin 49–47.[5][26] He improved to 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[5]
In January 2014, Dawson broke his right hand, after slamming it on a table during a film session.[27][28] He posted averages 11.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28.3 minutes per game during his junior season.[5] Dawson returned from injury on March 1, 2014, after missing 9 games, and eventually would lead Michigan State to a2014 Big Ten men's basketball tournament championship, being namedBig Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player.[29]
As a senior, he was named second team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Team.[30] In 35 games as a senior, Dawson averaged 11.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[5] as well as the2015 Final Four as a senior, where they lost to Duke. "This is the main reason why I chose Michigan State," Dawson said. "It was to be part of championships and Final Fours. It means a lot what has happened over my four years here. I'm never going to forget Michigan State."[31]
During his four-year career at Michigan State Dawson played in 130 games. starting in 121 of them. He averaged 26.6 minutes a game. He averaged 10.1 points a game, and 6.9 Rebounds a game. Throughout his four-year career, Dawson never made a three-point shot in nine attempts.[32] At the time of his graduation, Dawson was Michigan State's all-time leader in blocked shots, with 142.[33]
| 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 |
Source:[5]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Michigan State | 31 | 31 | 20.6 | .577 | .000 | .594 | 4.5 | .9 | .9 | .8 | 8.4 |
| 2012–13 | Michigan State | 36 | 35 | 26.9 | .531 | .000 | .538 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 1.6 | .9 | 8.9 |
| 2013–14 | Michigan State | 28 | 23 | 28.3 | .613 | .000 | .656 | 8.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .9 | 11.2 |
| 2014–15 | Michigan State | 35 | 32 | 30.1 | .535 | .000 | .490 | 9.1 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 11.9 |
| Career | 130 | 121 | 26.6 | .559 | .000 | .558 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 10.1 | |
On June 25, 2015, Dawson was selected by theNew Orleans Pelicans with the 56th overall pick in the2015 NBA draft, only to be traded to theLos Angeles Clippers for cash considerations later that night.[34] After posting 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game in the2015 NBA Summer League, he signed a two-year contract with the Clippers on July 15.[35][36] During his rookie season, using the flexible assignment rule, Dawson received multiple assignments to theBakersfield Jam,Grand Rapids Drive andErie BayHawks of theNBA Development League.[37] On December 28, he made his NBA debut, recording one blocked shot in three minutes of action against theWashington Wizards.[38] On January 2, 2016, in a win over thePhiladelphia 76ers, Dawson scored his first two NBA points in nine minutes of action.[39] On July 17, 2016, he was waived by the Clippers.[40]
On September 8, 2016, Dawson signed with theOrlando Magic,[41] but was later waived on October 16 after appearing in two preseason games.[42] On October 29, he was acquired by theErie BayHawks of theNBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Magic.[43] On March 29, 2017, Dawson was waived by the BayHawks.[44]
On March 31, 2017, Dawson signed withHapoel Tel Aviv of theIsraeli Premier League for the rest of the season.[45] In 8 games played for Hapoel, he averaged 8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
On August 13, 2017, Dawson signed with theSun Rockers Shibuya of the JapaneseB. League.[46] In 10 games played for the Sun Rockers, he averaged 6.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.
On July 15, 2019, Dawson signed withCañeros del Este of theLiga Nacional de Baloncesto.[47]
On December 19, 2018, Dawson signed withSoles de Mexicali of the MexicanLiga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP).[48] On January 9, 2019, Dawson recorded career-highs of 25 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 10-of-18 from the field, along with seven assists in a 111–90 win overCorrecaminos UAT Victoria.[49] In 21 LNBP games played during the 2018–19 season, he averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Dawson finished out the season with the Gigantes de Jalisco of theCircuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA).[50]
In July 2019, Dawson joined Metropolitanos de Mauricio Báez from theTorneo Superior de Baloncesto.[51]
On September 3, 2019, Dawson returned toCañeros del Este of theLiga Nacional de Baloncesto.[52]
On November 29, 2019, Dawson signed a two-month contract withBnei Herzliya of theIsraeli National League as an injury cover forJakim Donaldson.[53] On December 14, 2019, he parted ways with Herzliya after appearing in two games due to an injury.[54]
On March 3, 2020, Dawson signed withCocodrilos de Caracas of theSuperliga Profesional de Baloncesto.[55]
In November 2020, Dawson signed a contract withKaohsiung Jeoutai Technology ofSuper Basketball League in Taiwan.[56]
On February 7, 2021, Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology waived Dawson.[57]
On February 15, 2021, Dawson signed withHsinchu JKO Lioneers ofP. League+ in Taiwan.[58] On February 21, 2021, Dawnson made his P.League+ debut and scored 21 points and 13 rebounds in a game against the league leadingTaipei Fubon Braves. On June 4, 2021, Hsinchu JKO Lioneers announced Dawnson would return to the team the next season.[59]
On November 2, 2022, Dawson signed withTaiwanBeer HeroBears ofT1 League.[60] On April 4, 2023,TaiwanBeer HeroBears terminated the contract relationship with Dawson.[61]
On April 22, 2023, Dawson signed withSpartans Distrito Capital of theSuperliga Profesional de Baloncesto.[62]
On September 10, 2023, Dawson signed with Club Rafael Barias of theTorneo Superior de Baloncesto.[63]
On July 24, 2024, Dawson signed withIndios de San Francisco de Macorís of theLiga Nacional de Baloncesto.[64]
On January 27, 2025, Dawson retired from professional basketball.[65]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | L.A. Clippers | 6 | 0 | 4.8 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .2 | .8 |
| Career | 6 | 0 | 4.8 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .2 | .8 | |
Dawson was born on February 1, 1993, to Leon Albritton and Cassandra Dawson.[5][66] On March 30, 2010, while a junior at high school, Dawson became a father, to a son named My'Shawn.[67][68] Dawson received a degree insociology fromMichigan State University.[69]
