Dion Waiters facts for kids
Waiters with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015
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| Shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 10, 1991 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| High school | Life Center Academy (Burlington, New Jersey) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse (2010–2012) |
| NBA Draft | 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Pro career | 2012–2020 |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2015 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015–2016 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2016–2020 | Miami Heat |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NBA.com | |
Dion Waiters Jr. (born December 10, 1991) is an American basketball player who used to play professionally. He played for eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2020. Dion played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange. He was chosen as the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Waiters also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers, his team won an NBA championship.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Dreams
Dion Waiters was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his mother, Monique Brown, and his stepfather, James Barnes. From a young age, Dion loved basketball. He played the sport whenever he could, no matter the weather or time of day.
High School Journey
Dion attended Bartram High School and South Philadelphia High School as a freshman. He did not play basketball at either school then. After his freshman year, he decided to play for Syracuse University, even though he hadn't played high school basketball yet.
In his sophomore year, Dion went to South Kent School. For his junior and senior years, he played basketball at Life Center Academy. By the end of high school, Dion was considered one of the top basketball recruits. ESPNU ranked him as the 15th best overall player and the 2nd best shooting guard. Rivals.com also ranked him highly, at 29th overall.
College Basketball Career
Freshman Year at Syracuse
During his first year at Syracuse, Dion Waiters played well. He scored about 6.6 points, made 1.5 assists, and grabbed 1.6 rebounds per game. In a tournament game against Marquette, he scored 18 points, shooting very accurately.
Sophomore Year Success
In his second year, Dion's performance improved significantly. He averaged 12.6 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game. He was recognized as the Big East Conference Sixth Man of the Year. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench. He also earned other honors, like being named to the All-Big East team.
Professional NBA Career
Cleveland Cavaliers (2012–2015)
The Cleveland Cavaliers chose Dion Waiters as the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. This was a bit of a surprise to some because he didn't start games in college.
On January 14, 2013, Dion scored a career-high 33 points against the Sacramento Kings. He also played in the Rising Stars Challenge during the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend. He scored 23 points in that game. During his first season, Dion sometimes started games and sometimes came off the bench. He dealt with an ankle injury and knee issues, which caused him to miss 21 games.
After his first season, Dion was ranked as the fourth-best rookie by NBA.com. He also finished fifth in the voting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In February 2014, Dion played in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge again. He scored 31 points and had 7 assists. On March 18, 2014, he achieved his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two different stats) with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2015–2016)
On January 5, 2015, Dion Waiters was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was part of a big trade involving three teams. After a slow start with the Thunder, he quickly improved. On April 15, 2015, he tied his career-high with 33 points in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For the 2015–16 season, Dion mostly played as a backup player for the Thunder. He had a season-high of 25 points on November 10, 2015. When a teammate got injured, Dion stepped up and started some games. He tied his season-high of 25 points again on April 6.
Miami Heat (2016–2020)
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Dion Waiters signed with the Miami Heat on July 26, 2016. He played his first game for the Heat on October 26. On November 26, he scored a season-high 28 points. He later missed 20 games due to an injury.
Dion returned to play on January 4, 2017. On January 21, he tied his career-high with 33 points. Two days later, he scored 33 points again, making a game-winning three-pointer with only 0.6 seconds left! For his great play, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He averaged 23.3 points that week. Dion missed the last 13 games of the season due to an ankle injury.
On July 7, 2017, Dion re-signed with the Heat. On October 30, 2017, he tied his career high again with 33 points. In January 2018, his ankle injury became a big problem, and he needed surgery to fix it.
Dion returned to play for the Heat on January 2, 2019. It was his first game in over a year. He scored 7 points in 6 minutes.
In October 2019, Dion was suspended by the Heat for "conduct detrimental to the team." He later faced further suspensions. On January 24, 2020, Dion made his season debut, scoring 14 points. On February 6, 2020, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, but was waived by them three days later.
Los Angeles Lakers (2020)
On March 6, 2020, Dion Waiters signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played his first game for the Lakers on July 30, 2020, scoring 11 points.
The Lakers made it to the 2020 NBA Finals and played against Dion's former team, the Miami Heat. The Lakers won the championship in 6 games, giving Dion Waiters his first NBA championship!
Taking a Break
Dion's last professional basketball games were in the 2019–20 NBA season. He then took a break from playing for three years. During this time, he faced personal challenges. On July 13, 2023, he held a private workout for NBA scouts. He was hoping to get a chance to play in the league again.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Cleveland | 61 | 48 | 28.8 | .412 | .310 | .746 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 14.7 |
| 2013–14 | Cleveland | 70 | 24 | 29.6 | .433 | .368 | .685 | 2.8 | 3.0 | .9 | .2 | 15.9 |
| 2014–15 | Cleveland | 33 | 3 | 23.8 | .404 | .256 | .783 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .3 | 10.5 |
| 2014–15 | Oklahoma City | 47 | 20 | 30.3 | .392 | .319 | .625 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 12.7 |
| 2015–16 | Oklahoma City | 78 | 15 | 27.6 | .399 | .358 | .713 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.8 |
| 2016–17 | Miami | 46 | 43 | 30.1 | .423 | .395 | .646 | 3.3 | 4.3 | .9 | .4 | 15.8 |
| 2017–18 | Miami | 30 | 30 | 30.6 | .398 | .306 | .739 | 2.6 | 3.8 | .8 | .3 | 14.3 |
| 2018–19 | Miami | 44 | 28 | 25.9 | .414 | .377 | .500 | 2.6 | 2.8 | .7 | .2 | 12.0 |
| 2019–20 | Miami | 3 | 0 | 14.0 | .385 | .471 | .000 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .0 | .7 | 9.3 |
| 2019–20† | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 0 | 23.6 | .425 | .233 | .875 | 1.9 | 2.4 | .6 | .6 | 11.9 |
| Career | 419 | 211 | 28.2 | .412 | .346 | .694 | 2.6 | 2.8 | .9 | .3 | 13.1 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Oklahoma City | 18 | 0 | 27.3 | .417 | .375 | .667 | 2.6 | 2.3 | .6 | .2 | 8.4 |
| 2020† | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 0 | 7.6 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | .4 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 2.0 |
| Career | 23 | 0 | 23.0 | .410 | .350 | .688 | 2.1 | 1.9 | .5 | .2 | 7.0 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Syracuse | 34 | 0 | 16.3 | .411 | .329 | .813 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .1 | 6.6 |
| 2011–12 | Syracuse | 37 | 0 | 24.1 | .476 | .363 | .729 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 1.8 | .3 | 12.6 |
| Career | 71 | 0 | 20.4 | .453 | .348 | .753 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 9.7 | |
Awards and Achievements
- Second-team Parade All-American (2010)
- Jordan Brand All-American (2010)
- Big East Sixth Man of the Year (2012)
- Third-team All-Big East (2012)
- Big East All-Tournament Team (2012)
- NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (February 2013)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2013)
- 2× NBA Rising Star (2013, 2014)
- NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (January 23–29, 2017)
- NBA Champion (2020)
See also
In Spanish: Dion Waiters para niños
