Dalano Banton (born November 7, 1999) is a Canadian 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 the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

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 ...

for the

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...

and the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

. Banton's selection with the 46th overall pick in the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA us ...

by the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

made him the first Canadian player to be drafted by the Canadian franchise.

Early life and high school career

Banton grew up in the Mount Olive area in the

Rexdale Rexdale is a neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north-west of the central core, in the district of Etobicoke. Rexdale defines an area of several official neighbourhoods north of Highway 401 (Ontario), Highway 401 and east of Highway ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He began playing basketball as a kid at the North Kipling Community Centre, the Rexdale Community Hub, and a local parking lot. He also attended camps hosted by former Toronto Raptor

DeMar DeRozan DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the T ...

in the neighbourhood. Banton, originally a member of 2019 class,

reclassified ''Reclassified'' is the reissue of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, ''The New Classic'' (2014). It was released internationally on 21 November 2014 by Virgin EMI Records, and in the United States on 24 November 2014 by Def ...

into 2018. He played for Redemption Christian Academy in

Northfield, Massachusetts Northfield is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Northfield was first settled in 1673. The population was 2,866 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts ...

and

MacDuffie School The MacDuffie School is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students in grades 6–12. The school is located on over 250 acres in Granby, Massachusetts, United States, within close distance to ...

Granby, Massachusetts Granby is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,110 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Granby corresponds to th ...

Recruiting

By the end of his high school career, Banton was a consensus four-star

recruit __NOTOC__ Recruit can refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Books *''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...

and was ranked in the top 100 recruits nationally in 2018 by Rivals (No. 80) and 247Sports (No. 92). On November 14, 2017, Banton chose

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

over

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

UMass The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

, 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 ...

College career

As a freshman, Banton played 31 games at Western Kentucky, averaging 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Banton made 12 starts and nearly had a triple-double with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and eight points in a career-high 38 minutes in a win over No. 15

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 ...

. Banton was one of only six players in Division I basketball to have a game with at least eight points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 2018–19. He had three double-figure scoring efforts on the season, including a season-high 11 points against both Belmont and

Saint Mary's St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places: Australia * St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** St Marys railway station, Sydney ** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * St Marys, South Austra ...

, as he also had six assists and three blocks against the Gaels. On April 10, 2019, Banton announced his intent to transfer from Western Kentucky. On May 1, 2019, Banton announced, via Twitter, his commitment to Nebraska. Banton sat out the 2019–20 season after transferring from Western Kentucky and honed his skills on the scout team. Banton played during the Huskers' trip to Italy in August 2019, averaging 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in helping the Huskers post a 4–0 record. On December 17, 2020, Banton recorded just the second triple-double in Nebraska men’s basketball history with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in Nebraska's 110–64 win over

Doane University Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burlingt ...

. He averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Following the season, he declared for the

while maintaining his college eligibility. However, on July 2 he announced he was remaining in the draft.

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2021–2023)

Banton was drafted with the 46th overall pick in the

by the

, making him the first ever Canadian to be drafted by the franchise. On August 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Raptors. Banton chose to wear the number 45 to honour the TTC 45 Kipling bus which regularly served the neighbourhood he grew up in. He made his professional debut on October 20, 2021, in the Raptors' season- and home-opener against the Washington Wizards, and scored his first career points in the NBA with a

buzzer A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (''piezo'' for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, train and confirmation of user input such as a ...

-beating

three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

at the end of the third quarter. On November 13, 2021, Banton scored a season-high 12 points while adding three rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 127–121 loss to 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 Li ...

. On November 24, 2022, Banton scored a career-high 27 points, alongside four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks, in a 115–111 win over the

Boston Celtics (2023–present)

In July 2023, Banton signed a two-year contract with the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 64 , , 1 , , 10.9 , , .411 , , .255 , , .591 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 2 , , 9.0 , , .423 , , .294 , , .708 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 95 , , 3 , , 10.3 , , .416 , , .275 , , .632 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 4 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , — , , .500 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , — , , .500 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 12 , , 15.1 , , .402 , , .216 , , .559 , , 3.0 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, style="text-align:center;" colspan="11",

Redshirt , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 27 , , 22 , , 27.3 , , .411 , , .247 , , .659 , , 5.9 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 9.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 58 , , 34 , , 20.8 , , .408 , , .237 , , .631 , , 4.3 , , 2.9 , , .7 , , .7 , , 6.3

References

External links

Nebraska Cornhuskers bioWestern Kentucky Hilltoppers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banton, Dalano 1999 births Living people Basketball players from Toronto Black Canadian basketball players Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball players Raptors 905 players Small forwards Toronto Raptors draft picks Toronto Raptors players Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players