Dyson Daniels

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Lore & Background

Daniels' path to the NBA began in Bendigo, Victoria, where he started playing basketball at age seven. He signed with the Bendigo Braves, his father's former team, in the NBL1 for the 2019 season before joining the NBA Global Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. After turning down offers from college programs and the NBL Next Stars program, he signed with the NBA G League Ignite on 21 June 2021. In 26 G League games, he averaged 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. He competed in the Rising Stars Challenge at 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend and declared for the 2022 NBA draft on 16 April 2022. Selected eighth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, he signed a rookie-scale contract on 9 July 2022. On 6 July 2024, Daniels was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans.

In Their Own Story

The 2024–25 season was Daniels' breakout campaign. On 8 November, he put up seven steals in a 122–121 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On 15 November, he 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, and the first since Alvin Robertson to record at least six steals in four straight games. On 23 December, he recorded a career-high eight steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Daniels finished the season leading the NBA with an average of 3.01 steals per game, totaling 202 steals — making him the youngest player in NBA history to record 200 steals in a single season, surpassing Magic Johnson's previous record by 236 days. He also led the NBA in deflections (366) and ranked among the top players in combined steals and blocks with 229. On 30 April 2025, Daniels became the first Australian to win the NBA Most Improved Player award, after becoming the first player since Alvin Robertson in 1990–91 to average three steals per game. He also finished as runner-up in the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, earning 25 first-place votes and 197 total points, edged out by Evan Mobley.

Reader's Guide

Daniels is a defensive specialist whose primary role is disrupting opposing offenses with his steals and deflections. In the 2024–25 season, he led the NBA in steals per game (3.01) and deflections (366), and his 229 combined steals and blocks placed him among the league's elite. Offensively, he developed into a reliable playmaker, as shown in his playoff debut for the Hawks on 18 April 2025, when he recorded four points, nine rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals in a 113–102 Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. On 28 April, he scored a playoff career-high 17 points alongside five assists in a 126–97 Game 5 loss. The Hawks lost the series in six games. On 20 October 2025, Daniels and the Hawks agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 2025–26 season, during which the Hawks finished 46–36 and clinched the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Did You Know?

• Daniels' nickname 'the Great Barrier Thief' was coined by former Atlanta Hawks teammate Larry Nance Jr.
• He is the first Australian to win the NBA Most Improved Player award (2025).
• In the 2024–25 season, he became the youngest player in NBA history to record 200 steals in a single season, beating Magic Johnson's record by 236 days.
• Daniels made his debut for the Australian senior national team at age 17 on 20 February 2021, recording 23 points, six steals and four assists in an 81–52 win over New Zealand.
• His father, Ricky Daniels, played college basketball for NC State and was a two-time SEABL MVP with the Bendigo Braves, who retired his number.