Dante Exum (born 13 July 1995) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for Partizan of the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

and the EuroLeague. He chose to bypass college and was ultimately selected by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

with the fifth overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international player ...

. Exum competed at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

as part of the Australian men's basketball team. In the bronze playoff, he scored or assisted on 13 of Australia's points in the pivotal 20-8 run that turned a five-point lead into a 17-point advantage (105-88) with just over a minute remaining.

Early career

Exum was born in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

suburb of East Melbourne to American parents. He played for the

Keilor Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank and Hume local government areas. Keilor recorded a population of 5,906 at the 2021 census. W ...

Basketball Association as a junior, coached by Karish . and attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in conjunction with the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of th ...

. He grew up also playing

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

. In April 2013, Exum participated in the Nike Hoop Summit for the World Select Team, where he recorded 16 points, three rebounds and two assists in a 112–98 win over the USA Junior Select Team. In October 2013, he graduated from Lake Ginninderra and had the option to enroll in college and play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

during the 2013–14 season, but he decided against it. Exum competed for Lake Ginninderra in the Australian National High School Basketball Championships in December 2013, and helped them win the eventual title. On 28 January 2014, it was announced that Exum signed with agents from Landmark Sports and that he would declare for the

Professional career

Utah Jazz (2014–2019)

Exum was selected by the

with the fifth overall pick in the

. He made his NBA debut in the Jazz's season opener on 29 October, scoring five points in 9½ minutes off the bench in a 104–93 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. On 22 January, he scored a career-high 15 points on five 3-pointers in a 101–99 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

. On 1 April, he had a career-high 12 assists in a 98–84 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. He appeared in all 82 games (41 starts) as a rookie and averaged 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 22.2 minutes. Exum became only the 10th rookie in Jazz history to play in all 82 games, scoring in double figures in 13 games and leading the team in assists 11 times. He helped the Jazz to a 24–17 record as a starter and was selected to compete in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA's All-Star Weekend in New York. In August 2015, Exum sustained a tear of the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formati ...

(ACL) in his left knee while playing for Australia in Slovenia. He underwent surgery and subsequently missed the entire 2015–16 season. Exum returned to action in the 2016–17 season. He played in 28 of the first 29 games of the season, but then sat out 10 of 11 games between 21 December and 10 January. On 11 March, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 112–104 loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. In October 2017, Exum underwent shoulder surgery. He made his first appearance of the season on 15 March 2018, finishing with 10 points in a 116–88 win over the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. On 30 March 2018, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 107–97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On 6 July 2018, Exum re-signed with the Jazz. On 27 December 2018, he scored a season-high 20 points in a 114–97 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. Two days later, in his first start of the season, Exum had 13 points and a career-high 13 assists in a 129–97 victory over the New York Knicks. On 7 January 2019, he was ruled out for "a couple of weeks" due to an ankle sprain that he suffered two days earlier against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. His return was delayed after developing a bone bruise from his ankle sprain. He returned to action on 11 March against the Thunder after missing 25 games. Four days later however, he was ruled out indefinitely after sustaining a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2021)

On 24 December 2019, Exum was traded, alongside two second-round picks, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson. On 16 January 2021, Exum was traded to the

in a multi-player, four-team deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers that sent

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA ...

to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

; the Cavaliers received

Taurean Prince Taurean Waller-Prince (born March 22, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears. He was drafted by the Utah ...

and

Jarrett Allen Jarrett Allen (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. Allen was selected 22nd overall by ...

in the deal. He did not appear in any games for Houston during his first season with them due to injury. On 17 September 2021, Exum re-signed with the Rockets. However, he was waived on 16 October.

Barcelona (2021–2022)

On 7 December 2021, Exum signed with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.

Partizan NIS Belgrade (2022–present)

On 10 July 2022, Exum signed with Partizan NIS Belgrade of the

and the EuroLeague.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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, 66 , , 26 , , 18.6 , , .427 , , .295 , , .795 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .483 , , .278 , , .806 , , 1.9 , , 3.1 , , .6 , , .2 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 1 , , 15.8 , , .419 , , .290 , , .791 , , 1.6 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .435 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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, 6 , , 3 , , 19.3 , , .385 , , .182 , , .500 , , 2.8 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 245 , , 72 , , 18.6 , , .407 , , .305 , , .764 , , 1.8 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.7

Playoffs

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National team career

Exum played for Australia's junior national team at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, where he was named to the All-Tournament Team, as well as the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he was again named to the All-Tournament Team. 2013 also marked Exum's debut for the senior national team, playing against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at the

2013 FIBA Oceania Championship The 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men was the 21st edition of the tournament. The tournament featured a two-game series between Australia and New Zealand between 14 and 18 August. It also served as the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania fo ...

. In 2014, he played for Australia at the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, where he averaged 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in six games. Exum was selected for the Australian basketball team at the

Personal life

Exum has an older brother, Jamaar, and a twin sister, Tierra. His father,

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

, played college basketball at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

and won an NCAA championship in 1982, a team which featured Michael Jordan and

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

. His mother also attended North Carolina. Cecil was drafted in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

by the

, and later settled in Australia where he played in the National Basketball League for the

North Melbourne Giants The North Melbourne Giants, previously known as the Coburg Giants, were an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of ...

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

and

Geelong Supercats Geelong Supercats is a NBL1 South club based in Geelong, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is affiliated with Basketball Geelong and Geelong United Basketball. The Supercats play their home gam ...

. Exum is a passionate supporter of the Essendon Football Club, who compete in the Australian Football League. Exum wore Essendon-inspired shoes during the

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- an ...

at the

2017 NBA All-Star Weekend The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was an Exhibition game, exhibition basketball game that was played on February 19, 2017, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 NBA season, 2016–17 season. It was the 66th edition of the NBA All-S ...

References

External links

Dante Exum
at euroleague.net

at FIBA.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Exum, Dante 1995 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian expatriate basketball people in Spain Australian expatriate basketball people in Serbia Australian Institute of Sport basketball players Australian men's basketball players Australian people of African-American descent Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Melbourne Cleveland Cavaliers players Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics National Basketball Association players from Australia Olympic basketball players of Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in basketball People educated at Lake Ginninderra College Shooting guards Small forwards Utah Jazz draft picks Utah Jazz players FC Barcelona Bàsquet players KK Partizan players