 Daniels in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 5 – Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2003-03-17)17 March 2003 (age 22) 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 | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | 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 | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Dyson James Daniels (born 17 March 2003) is an Australian professionalbasketball player for theAtlanta Hawks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief" for his defensive and stealing abilities, he was selected by theNew Orleans Pelicans as the eighth overall pick in the2022 NBA draft.[1][2] On April 30, 2025, Daniels became the firstAustralian to win theNBA Most Improved Player award.[3]
Daniels was born on March 17, 2003, inBendigo,Victoria, and started playing basketball at age seven.[4] He attendedBendigo South East College.[5]
Daniels signed with theBendigo Braves, his father's former team, of theNBL1 for the2019 season.[6] Later that year, Daniels joined theNBA Global Academy, a training center at theAustralian Institute of Sport inCanberra.[7] He helped Victoria win a silver medal at the 2021 Australian Under-20 Championships.[8] Along with basketball, Daniels was a talentedAustralian rules footballer in his younger years and represented his home state ofVictoria at several national football championships[9] before giving up the sport to focus solely on basketball.
On 21 June 2021, Daniels signed with theNBA G League Ignite, a developmental team affiliated with theNBA G League.[10] He turned down offers from several college programs and theNational Basketball League Next Stars program.[11] Daniels competed in theRising Stars Challenge at2022 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 the2022 NBA draft.[12]
Daniels was selected with the eighth overall pick in the2022 NBA draft by theNew Orleans Pelicans.[13] 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 thePortland Trail Blazers, forcing Daniels to be ruled as out for the rest of the Summer League.[14] On 9 July 2022, Daniels signed a rookie-scale contract with the Pelicans.[15]
On 6 July 2024, Daniels,E. J. Liddell,Larry Nance Jr., andCody Zeller (via sign-and-trade), a 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), and a conditional 2027 first-round pick were traded to theAtlanta Hawks in exchange forDejounte Murray.[16]
On 8 November, Daniels put up seven steals in a 122–121 loss to theDetroit Pistons.[17] On 15 November, Daniels became the first player sinceMichael Jordan in the1989–90 season to record 15-plus points and five-plus steals in four consecutive NBA games[18] and the first player sinceAlvin Robertson to record at least six steals in four consecutive NBA games.[19] On 23 December, Daniels recorded a career-high eight steals against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[20]
Daniels finished the2024–25 season leading the NBA with an average of 3.01 steals per game, totaling 202 steals. This achievement made him the youngest player in NBA history to record 200 steals in a single season, surpassing Magic Johnson's previous record by 236 days.[21] Daniels' defensive impact extended beyond steals; he also led the NBA in deflections (366) and ranked among the top players in combined steals and blocks ("stocks") with 229.[22]
On 30 April, 2025, Daniels became the first Australian to win theNBA Most Improved Player Award, after becoming the first player since Alvin Robertson in1990–91 to average three steals per game.[23][24] Daniels also finished as the runner-up in the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, earning 25 first-place votes and 197 total points. He was edged out by Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley, who received 35 first-place votes and 285 total points.[25]
On October 20, 2025, Daniels and the Hawks agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension.[26]
Daniels represented Australia at the 2018FIBA 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.[27] On 20 February 2021, a 17-year-old Daniels made his debut for theAustralian senior national team atFIBA Asia Cup qualification.[28] He recorded 23 points, six steals and four assists in an 81–52 win overNew Zealand.[29] 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.[30]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| 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 | .7 | .2 | 3.8 |
| 2023–24 | New Orleans | 61 | 16 | 22.3 | .447 | .311 | .642 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | .4 | 5.8 |
| 2024–25 | Atlanta | 76 | 76 | 33.8 | .493 | .340 | .593 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 3.0* | .7 | 14.1 |
| Career | 196 | 103 | 25.4 | .472 | .327 | .614 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 1.8 | .5 | 8.4 | |
Daniels' father, Ricky Daniels, is from the United States and playedcollege basketball for theNC State Wolfpack before embarking on a professional career.[4] He was a two-timeSouth East Australian Basketball League MVP with theBendigo Braves, and his number was retired by the team.[31] Daniels' older brother, Kai, plays college basketball atRegis University.[32] His younger brother,Dash, is an NBL Next Star[33] player withMelbourne United.[34] Daniels has been nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief" by former Atlanta Hawks teammateLarry Nance Jr.[1]
