American professional basketball player Dion Waiters grew up with his stepfather and teenage mother, who had him at the age of 17 and is said to have fallen in love with basketball from an early age, taking advantage of every opportunity to play. It is also known that Waiters played college basketball in Syracuse for only two years before being declared for the 2012 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 4th overall candidate. After his stay in Cleveland, he spent a year and a half at Oklahoma City Thunder and later signed with the Miami Heat 2016, where he is still today.
Dion Waiters Bio
The famous American basketball player was born in Philadelphia, the United States of America, on December 10, 1991, the son of Dion Waiters Sr. and Monique Brown. At the time of his birth, his father was locked up in prison and was not present to witness his birth. Barely a few hours later his grandmother died, so he grew up with his teenage mother alongside his stepfather James Barnes.
Because he was a very active child who loved basketball, Dion found waiters who played basketball at almost any time of day during his childhood. He attended both Bartram High School and South Philadelphia High School but is said to have started playing basketball at Life Center Academy. He graduated from high school with very impressive scores, which according to ESPNU put him in 15th place among the recruits with the best overall score and put him in 2nd place in the ESPN 100 for Best Shooting Guard. Dion Waiters was also ranked 29th best overall recruiter by a website called Rivals.com.
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While the aspiring player studied at Syracuse College, he continued to play basketball in his first season, averaging 6.6 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per game in his first season. In his second season, his average points, assists, and rebounds per game were recorded at 12.6, 2.5, and 2.3 respectively. His efforts were crowned with success when he was named the sixth man of the year in the Great East and also received the honor of third-team All-Big East. In addition, Dion Waiters was named AP Honorable Mention All-American and joined the All-Big East Tournament Team. He was inducted into the 2012 NBA draft as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 4th Overall Pick.
Professional Basketball Career Stats
Dion Waiters began his professional basketball career when he was drafted into the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the fourth overall candidate. While playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he reached a career-high point of 33 points against the Sacramento Kings, one of the very strong teams. The next year he was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge. The following year he also participated in the BBVA Rising Star Challenge, where he showed a brilliant performance with 31 points and 7 assists.
In 2015, Dion Waiters was transferred from Cavaliers to Oklahoma City Thunder on January 5th, but in his debut game for the Thunders, the team had to put up with poor performance as they lost to the Sacramento Kings. In his second game for the team, however, he helped the team to a 99-94 win at Utah Jazz. In 2016 his career with the Thunders ended and he was signed by the Miami Heat on July 26, 2016.
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He made his debut for the team in the opening game of the season, where he scored 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 108-96 win over the Orlando Magic. In his second year, Dion Waiters was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, and in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves he reached a career-high point of 33 points, but the game ended in a 125-122 defeat.
Dion Waiters Injury
The NBA player suffered a left ankle injury that forced him out of a game in January 2018. However, it is claimed that he underwent successful surgery to correct the instability in his left ankle. Due to the injury, he missed the end of last season and there is speculation that he is unlikely to be fit and ready for the team’s season-opening game in October 2018.
In addition, sources reported that the Miami Heat player will not return to action until he is physically fit to continue his basketball career.
Other Facts About Dion Waiters
- It is worth knowing that Dion Waiters is the cousin of the former Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine.
- The talented basketball player has a height of 1,93 m (6 ft 4 inch), which is supplemented by the weight of 98 kg (215 lb).
