.jpg) Dantas with theMinnesota Lynx in 2019 | |
| No. 12 – Botaş SK | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Turkish Super League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1992-11-17)November 17, 1992 (age 33) Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Brazil |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| WNBA draft | 2012: 1st round, 12th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Lynx |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2010–2011 | COC/Jundiaí |
| 2011–2012 | Real Celta Vigo |
| 2012 | Ourinhos |
| 2013 | Maranhao |
| 2013–2015 | Americana |
| 2014–2015 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2015; 2017 | Atlanta Dream |
| 2019–2023 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2023–2024 | OGM Ormanspor |
| 2024–present | Indiana Fever |
| 2024–present | Botaş SK |
| Career highlights | |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Damiris Dantas do Amaral[1] (born November 17, 1992) is a Brazilianbasketball player for theIndiana Fever of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and forBotaş SK of theTurkish Super League.
Together with the junior Brazilian team, she won the bronze medal at theUnder-19 World Championship in 2011, Chile, and was namedMost Valuable Player at that tournament.[2] That same year, Dantas was also champion of the2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women with thesenior national team,[3] and won a bronze medal at the2011 Pan American Games.[4]
Dantas began to play basketball atJaneth Arcain's basketball institute at the age of 13. Within four years, she had become a professional.[5]
Dantas played for Ourinhos in 2012, Maranhão in 2013, and Americana in 2013–2015.[6]
Dantas was drafted by theMinnesota Lynx in the First Round of the2012 WNBA draft - 12th Overall. Dantas was not expected to play in the WNBA until after the2012 Olympic Games.[7]
She was signed by the Lynx on April 2, 2014.[8] Dantas made her WNBA debut on May 16, 2014, gathering 12 rebounds in a win againstWashington.[9] Dantas became the second rookie in league history to debut with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. WithRebekkah Brunson being sidelined with tendinitis, Dantas became the starter, and soon led the WNBA rookies in rebounds.[10]On August 9, 2015, she made 18 points.[11]
On July 27, 2015, Dantas was traded to the Atlanta Dream as part of the three-team deal.[12] She was suspended for the 2016 WNBA season after she failed to report to training camp, instead using the time to train with the Brazilian National team for the2016 Summer Olympics that the country would host in Rio de Janeiro.[13] Atlanta retained Dantas's rights and they expected her to play with the team during the 2017 season.
On February 8, 2019, Dantas signed with the Minnesota Lynx as a free agent.[14] Dantas missed several games in 2019 due to a calf injury.[15] In 2019, Dantas started all 26 games she played in and recorded career-highs in minutes, points, and assists per game. She continued to expand her game and make herself valuable for the Lynx as she improved her outside shooting to open up the inside play forSylvia Fowles.[16]
Dantas showed up in 2020 for the Lynx as they played in the WNBA Bubble. Over the 22-game campaign, Dantas shot 44.3% from three-point on just over four attempts beyond the arc per game, cementing her spot as one of the WNBA's elite-shooting bigs. She finished the season with averages of 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.[17] Dantas and the Lynx agreed to a multi-year extension in September 2020 after she completed one of her best years in the WNBA. CoachCheryl Reeve stated that, “Damiris has been such an important part of the Lynx culture since she first became a member of our organization in 2014...She has made great strides as a player over the last couple of years and remains an important element in our path forward.”[18]
In one of the final games of the 2021 season, Dantas suffered aLisfranc injury in her right foot, forcing her to end her season early and undergo surgery.[19] The extensive recovery time led to her developing a depression that led to lesser results and ultimately a nervous breakdown at the fifteenth game of the 2022 season. After discussing with Reeve, the coach agreed Dantas was not mentally well to continue playing, sidelining her to spend time with rest and psychological treatment. Dantas attended the Lynx training camp in 2023, ending up waived. To compensate her absence in the WNBA, Dantas led the Brazilian team to the2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup title and played in both Mexico forFuerza Regia and Turkey forOrmanspor.[20][21]
On February 1, 2024 Dantas signed a multi-year contract with the Indiana Fever.[22] Dantas had to miss the opening week of training camp due to an issue with her visa and a family emergency. She returned to Indianapolis for the second week of camp, but a knee injury prevented her from training with the team. The Fever suspended her contract while she recovered from her injury.[23] On June 25, 2024, the Fever activated Dantas.[24]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
Stats current through end of 2025 regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Did not play (Olympic commitment) | ||||||||||||
| 2013 | Did not play | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | Minnesota | 30 | 23 | 21.8 | .511 | 1.000 | .760 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 6.0 |
| 2015 | Minnesota | 16 | 4 | 16.7 | .581 | .667 | .789 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 5.6 |
| Atlanta | 16 | 16 | 24.8 | .383 | .333 | .973 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 8.3 | |
| 2016 | Did not play (Olympic commitment) | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Atlanta | 34 | 2 | 18.0 | .392 | .265 | .767 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 7.7 |
| 2018 | Atlanta | 19 | 0 | 13.4 | .433 | .238 | .722 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 5.4 |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 26 | 26 | 25.6 | .432 | .393 | .731 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 9.2 |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 22 | 22 | 26.6 | .464 | .433 | .727 | 6.1 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 12.9 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 24 | 20 | 23.8 | .377 | .333 | .650 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 7.7 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 15 | 15 | 17.5 | .304 | .262 | .833 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | Did not play | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Indiana | 20 | 0 | 10.5 | .459 | .394 | .667 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 4.5 |
| 2025 | Indiana | 38 | 0 | 11.6 | .348 | .263 | .857 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 4.6 |
| Career | 10 years, 3 teams | 260 | 128 | 18.9 | .418 | .332 | .783 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 7.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Minnesota | 3 | 0 | 8.4 | .500 | — | — | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 28.0 | .615 | .333 | 1.000 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 5.0° | 20.0 | |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 4 | 4 | 34.3 | .471 | .519 | .833 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 18.0 | |
| 2024 | Indiana | 2 | 0 | 16.0 | .500 | .400 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 8.0 | |
| 2025 | Indiana | Did not play (concussion protocol) | ||||||||||||
| Career | 4 years, 2 teams | 10 | 5 | 22.2 | .500 | .474 | .875 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 11.0 | |
Media related toDamiris Dantas at Wikimedia Commons
