Branden James Dawson (born February 1, 1993) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the

T1 League The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...

. A native of

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

, he attended

Lew Wallace High School Lew Wallace High School was a four-year (9-12) public high school of the Gary Community School Corporation in Gary, Indiana, United States. Staff The faculty included nearly 65 teachers. History In 1926 the 45th Avenue School of Gary, Indi ...

and played college basketball for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

. In his senior season for Michigan State, he helped his team reach the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

High school career

Dawson played high school basketball for

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...

, under coach Renaldo Thomas. He had to sit out most of his freshman season, being academically ineligible. Dawson was selected for the

2011 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2011 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly ...

following his senior year. In his senior season, Dawson helped his team win the sectional championship; scoring a team-high 13 points, also adding 8 rebounds and 6 steals to his numbers, he helped his Lew Wallace get past Clark. In the regional finals against Western, Dawson had game-highs in scoring and rebounding with 28 and 15 respectively, but his team lost 69–65. As a senior, he averaged 28.7 points, 18.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists for Lew Wallace. Dawson was a five-star recruit according to both

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

and

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

and received a 96 grade by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

College career

Following interest from several schools, receiving offers from Purdue,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, Georgetown and Marquette among others, Dawson verbally committed to Michigan State in August 2010. He had 15 points and 9 rebounds in his first game for the Spartans, an exhibition 85–57 win against Ferris State. Dawson scored 10 points in his competitive debut for Michigan State, a 67–55 loss to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

in the 2011

Carrier Classic The Carrier Classic was a series of college basketball games that were played on the deck of a U. S. Navy aircraft carrier. The first game was held on November 11, 2011 aboard , between Michigan State and North Carolina. President Barack Obama ...

. He scored a season high 16 points on two occasions, against UMKC and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. His freshman season came to an end after he tore his left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

, in a game against

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. He still managed to average 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Dawson had a double-double in the season opener of his sophomore season, having 15 points and 10 rebounds, against

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. In January, Dawson's double-double performance versus Purdue, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, was overshadowed by an alleged physical altercation with Travis Carroll; the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

after reviewing the incident's footage decided not to discipline Dawson. Dawson was involved in a fight with teammate and roommate Adreian Payne, just before an away game at Penn State; both Dawson and Payne were not allowed to start the game by coach

Tom Izzo Tom Izzo (, ); born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has led the Spart ...

. A few days after the incident with Payne, Dawson had a season-high performance in both scoring and rebounding, with 18 and 13 respectively, to help the Spartans overcome

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

49–47. He improved to 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. In January 2014, Dawson broke his right hand, after slamming it on a table during a film session. He posted averages 11.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28.3 minutes per game during his junior season. Dawson returned from injury on March 1, 2014, after missing 9 games, and eventually would lead Michigan State to a

2014 Big Ten men's basketball tournament The 2014 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference held from March 13 through March 16, 2014 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The tournament was the seventee ...

championship, being named Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player. As a senior, he was named second team All-

and Big Ten All-Defensive Team. In 35 games as a senior, Dawson averaged 11.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. as well as the 2015 Final Four as a senior, where they lost to Duke. "This is the main reason why I chose Michigan State," Dawson said. "It was to be part of championships and Final Fours. It means a lot what has happened over my four years here. I’m never going to forget Michigan State." During his four-year career at Michigan State Dawson played in 130 games. starting in 121 of them. He averaged 26.6 minutes a game. He averaged 10.1 points a game, and 6.9 Rebounds a game. Throughout his four-year career, Dawson never made a three-point shot in nine attempts. At the time of his graduation, Dawson was Michigan State's all-time leader in blocked shots, with 142.

College statistics

Source: , - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" , Michigan State , 31 , , 31 , , 20.6 , , .577 , , .000 , , .594 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , .8 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, align="left" , Michigan State , 36 , , 35 , , 26.9 , , .531 , , .000 , , .538 , , 5.9 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , 8.9 , - , align="left" , 2013–14 , align="left" , Michigan State , 28 , , 23 , , 28.3 , , .613 , , .000 , , .656 , , 8.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" , Michigan State , 35 , , 32 , , 30.1 , , .535 , , .000 , , .490 , , 9.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 11.9 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , align="right" , 130 , , 121 , , 26.6 , , .559 , , .000 , , .558 , , 6.9 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , 10.1 , -

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

On June 25, 2015, Dawson was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 56th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, only to be traded to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

for cash considerations later that night. After posting 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game in the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League at ...

, he signed a two-year contract with the Clippers on July 15. During his rookie season, using the flexible assignment rule, Dawson received multiple assignments to the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

and Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. On December 28, he made his NBA debut, recording one blocked shot in three minutes of action against the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. On January 2, 2016, in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Dawson scored his first two NBA points in nine minutes of action. On July 17, 2016, he was waived by the Clippers.

Erie BayHawks (2016–2017)

On September 8, 2016, Dawson signed with the Orlando Magic, but was later waived on October 16 after appearing in two preseason games. On October 29, he was acquired by the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Magic. On March 29, 2017, Dawson was waived by the BayHawks.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2017)

On March 31, 2017, Dawson signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

for the rest of the season. In 8 games played for Hapoel, he averaged 8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Sun Rockers Shibuya (2017–2018)

On August 13, 2017, Dawson signed with the Sun Rockers Shibuya of the Japanese B. League. In 10 games played for the Sun Rockers, he averaged 6.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.

Soles de Mexicali (2018–2019)

On December 19, 2018, Dawson signed with

Soles de Mexicali The Soles de Mexicali (English: ''Mexicali Suns'') is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, playing in the Northern Division of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). The team was founde ...

of the Mexican

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...

(LNBP). On January 9, 2019, Dawson recorded career-highs of 25 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 10-of-18 from the field, along with seven assists in a 111–90 win over Correcaminos UAT Victoria. In 21 LNBP games played during the 2018–19 season, he averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Gigantes de Jalisco (2019)

Dawsen finished out the season with the Gigantes de Jalisco of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA).

Bnei Herzliya (2019)

On November 29, 2019, Dawson signed a two-month contract with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli National League as an injury cover for

Jakim Donaldson Jakim Nestekaya Donaldson (born September 3, 1983), nicknamed "The Machine", is an American professional basketball player, who lastly played for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for Edinboro U ...

. On December 14, 2019, he parted ways with Herzliya after appearing in two games due to an injury.

Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology (2020–2021)

In November 2020, Dawson signed a contract with Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology of

Super Basketball League The Super Basketball League (超級籃球聯賽), often abbreviated as the SBL, is a semi-professional men's basketball league in Taiwan. Current clubs Currently, there are four teams competing in the SBL. They are as follows: * Bank of Tai ...

in Taiwan. On February 7, 2021, Kaohsiung Jeoutai Technology waived Dawson.

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2021–2022)

On February 15, 2021, Dawson signed with

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers Hsinchu JKO Lioneers ( Chinese: 新竹街口攻城獅) is a professional basketball team based in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. They have been part of the P. League+ since the 2020–21 season. The Lioneers were one of the four teams of the inaugural ...

of P. League+ in Taiwan. On February 21, 2021, Dawnson made his P.League+ debut and scored 21 points and 13 rebounds in a game against the league leading

Taipei Fubon Braves The Taipei Fubon Braves () are a professional basketball team, that currently plays in the Taiwanese P. League+, since the league's foundation in 2020. From 2014 to 2019, they played in the semi-professional Super Basketball League (SBL). They ...

. On June 4, 2021, Hsinchu JKO Lioneers announced Dawnson would return to the team the next season.

TaiwanBeer HeroBears (2022–present)

On November 2, 2022, Dawson signed with TaiwanBeer HeroBears of

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 6 , , 0 , , 4.8 , , .400 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .8 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 6 , , 0 , , 4.8 , , .400 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .8

Personal life

Dawson was born on February 1, 1993, to Leon Albritton and Cassandra Dawson. On March 30, 2010, while a junior at high school, Dawson became a father, to a son named My'Shawn. Dawson received a degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

from Michigan State University.

References

External links

*
NBA D-League profile

RealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Branden 1993 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Gary, Indiana Bnei Hertzeliya basketball players Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players Grand Rapids Drive players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players New Orleans Pelicans draft picks Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Small forwards Soles de Mexicali players Sun Rockers Shibuya players 21st-century African-American sportspeople American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan Hsinchu JKO Lioneers players Jeoutai Technology basketball players Super Basketball League imports P. League+ imports TaiwanBeer HeroBears players T1 League imports T1 League All-Stars Gigantes de Jalisco players