Dion Waiters played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
27 Facts About Dion Waiters
2.
Dion Waiters grew up playing basketball wherever he could, regardless of weather or time of day.
3.
Dion Waiters committed to Syracuse during the summer after his freshman year despite not having played a minute of high school basketball.
4.
Dion Waiters then played basketball at Life Center Academy his junior and senior years.
5.
Dion Waiters was ranked as the 29th best overall recruit by Rivals.
6.
Dion Waiters was named the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, earned third-team All-Big East honors, was named AP Honorable Mention All-American, and was selected to the All-Big East Tournament team.
7.
Dion Waiters was selected fourth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers despite choosing not to work out for any teams before the draft.
8.
Many scouts found it a surprise that Dion Waiters was drafted so high because he did not start in college and played zone defense at Syracuse.
9.
On January 14,2013, Dion Waiters scored a career-high 33 points against the Sacramento Kings, doing so on 12-of-18 shooting.
10.
Dion Waiters was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge game during 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend, along with teammates Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Tyler Zeller.
11.
Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 23 points for Team Shaq.
12.
Dion Waiters was consistently bothered by a sprained ankle and loose cartilage in his knee, forcing him to miss 21 games over the year.
13.
On February 14,2014, Dion Waiters participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.
14.
Dion Waiters finished the game with 31 points and 7 assists.
15.
On March 18,2014, Dion Waiters recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists in a loss to the Miami Heat.
16.
On November 5,2014, Dion Waiters was absent for the US national anthem and was quoted saying that he stayed in the locker room because of his Muslim faith.
17.
Dion Waiters later stated that the report about his religious beliefs having anything to do with him skipping the national anthem was entirely false.
18.
On January 5,2015, Dion Waiters was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Cavaliers in a three-team trade that involved the New York Knicks.
19.
Dion Waiters started in just two games for the team over the first half of the season, playing back up to Andre Roberson.
20.
On June 27,2016, the Thunder tendered a qualifying offer to make Dion Waiters a restricted free agent.
21.
On July 26,2016, Dion Waiters signed with the Miami Heat.
22.
Dion Waiters returned to action on January 4,2017 against the Sacramento Kings after missing 20 straight games.
23.
Dion Waiters finished the game with six three-pointers on eight attempts.
24.
Dion Waiters averaged 23.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
25.
On December 28,2018, Dion Waiters was sent to Miami's NBA G League affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for a rehabilitation assignment.
26.
On February 6,2020, Dion Waiters was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and three days later, he was waived by the Grizzlies.
27.
On March 6,2020, Dion Waiters signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.