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Branden Dawson

Dawson playing for Michigan State in the 2011 Carrier Classic
No. 22 – Los Angeles Clippers
Position	Small forward / Power forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1993-02-01) February 1, 1993 (age 31) Gary, Indiana
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school	Lew Wallace (Gary, Indiana)
College	Michigan State (2011–2015)
NBA draft	2015: 2nd round, 56th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career	2015–present
Career history
2015–present	Los Angeles Clippers
2015	→Bakersfield Jam (D-League)
2015	→Grand Rapids Drive (D-League)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Big Ten (2015) Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2015) Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2012) McDonald's All-American (2011) Third-team Parade All-American (2011)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Branden Dawson (born February 1, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Gary, Indiana, he attended Lew Wallace High School and played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. 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, 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 following his senior year. In his senior season, Dawson helped his team win the sectional champioship; 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 and Scout.com and received a 96 grade by ESPN.

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Branden Dawson SF	Gary, IN	Lew Wallace High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 4, 2010
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 14, 4 (SF)   Rivals: 20, 7 (SF)  247Sports: 17, 4 (SF)  ESPN: 23, 5 (SF)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Michigan State Commit List for 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01. "ESPN – Michigan State Spartans Basketball Recruiting 2011". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01.

College career

Following interest from several schools, receiving offers from Purdue, Indiana, UCLA, 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 in the 2011 Carrier Classic. He scored a season high 16 points on two occasions, against UMKC and Minnesota. His freshman season came to an end after he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament, in a game against Ohio State. 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. 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 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. 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 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. As a senior, he was named second team All-Big Ten 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. He led Michigan State to the 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:

Professional career

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 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, he signed a two-year contract with the Clippers on July 15. On November 5, 2015, using the flexible assignment rule, the Clippers assigned Dawson to the Bakersfield Jam, the D-League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns. On November 30, he was recalled by the Clippers. On December 4, he was reassigned to the D-League using the flexible assignment rule again, but this time to the Grand Rapids Drive, the affiliate team of the Detroit Pistons. On December 25, he was recalled by the Clippers.

Personal

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 from Michigan State University.

References

1. ^ Hanlon, Steve (November 20, 2009). "Lew Wallace's Branden Dawson is a nationally ranked recruit". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
2. Moll, Allen (February 15, 2011). "2011 McDonald's All American Rosters Announced". The Hoop Doctors. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
3. Trembacki, Paul (March 5, 2011). "Depth charges Lew Wallace boys basketball team to repeat title". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
4. Honeycutt, Paul (March 12, 2011). "Wallace falls short in dramatic finish". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
5. ^ "Branden Dawson Bio". Michigan State Athletics. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
6. "Branden Dawson". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
7. "Branden Dawson". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
8. "Branden Dawson - Basketball Recruiting". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
9. "Welcome Aboard: Branden Dawson". SB★NATION. August 4, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
10. Biggers, Adam (August 4, 2010). "Branden Dawson Commits to Michigan State". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
11. "And So It Begins: Michigan State 85 - Ferris State 58". SB★NATION. November 1, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
12. "Spartans Top Ferris State, 85-58, In Exhibition Opener". Michigan State Athletics. October 30, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
13. "MSU Falls To No.1 UNC In Carrier Classic, 67-55". Michigan State Athletics. November 11, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
14. "UNC basketball beats Michigan State aboard aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson with President Barack Obama in attendance". Daily News (New York). November 11, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
15. "No. 19 Spartans Make It Ten Straight, Rout UMKC 89-54". Michigan State Athletics. December 19, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
16. Howell, Brandon (December 20, 2011). "Branden Dawson leads Spartans to 89-54 rout of Missouri-Kansas City". mlive.com. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
17. "Coach Izzo gets his 400th win". Michigan State Athletics. January 25, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
18. "No. 10 Michigan St. tops Minnesota 68-52 for Izzo's 400th". Chicago Tribune. January 25, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
19. Katz, Andy (March 5, 2012). "Branden Dawson has torn ACL". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
20. Tjarks, Jonathan (March 4, 2012). "Branden Dawson Injury: Torn ACL Will End Michigan State Freshman's Season". SB★NATION. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
21. "Spartans Drop Season Opener To Huskies, 66-62". Michigan State University Athletics. November 9, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
22. Daniel Martin (January 9, 2013). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson denies that he punched Purdue's Travis Carroll". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
23. Leung, Diamond (January 8, 2013). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson 'bummed out' by negative reaction from Purdue fans". mlive.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
24. Katz, Andy (January 17, 2013). "Tom Izzo benches two starters". ESPN. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
25. Rexrode, Joe (January 16, 2013). "Punches thrown by Michigan State players in Penn State Inn fight". USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
26. Bielawski, Sean (January 22, 2013). "Michigan State vs. Wisconsin: Are Spartans Suddenly the Big Ten Favorite?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
27. Rexrode, Joe (January 24, 2014). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson out with broken bone in right hand". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
28. Van Stratt, Gillian (January 23, 2014). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson breaks bone in hand, out 4-to-5 weeks". mlive.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
29. Austin, Kyle (March 9, 2015). "Three Michigan State players named All-Big Ten; Branden Dawson named second-team, all-defensive team". mlive.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
30. Oren, Paul (April 5, 2015). "NBA Draft is next step for Lew Wallace grad Branden Dawson". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
31. "2014–15 Individual Career History". Michigan State Athletics. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
32. Couch, Graham (April 9, 2015). "Valentine, Trice, Dawson belong in MSU's top 50". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
33. "CLIPPERS ACQUIRE RIGHTS TO BRANDEN DAWSON". NBA.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
34. Bolch, Ben (July 15, 2015). "Clippers sign second-round draft pick Branden Dawson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
35. "CLIPPERS SIGN BRANDEN DAWSON". NBA.com. July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
36. "L.A. CLIPPERS ASSIGN WILCOX AND DAWSON TO BAKERSFIELD". NBA.com. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
37. "L.A. CLIPPERS RECALL WILCOX AND DAWSON FROM BAKERSFIELD". NBA.com. November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
38. "L.A. CLIPPERS BRANDEN DAWSON ASSIGNED TO GRAND RAPIDS". NBA.com. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
39. Leung, Diamond (February 18, 2012). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson has matured thanks to family in Gary and East Lansing". mlive.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
40. Leung, Diamond (February 8, 2013). "Michigan State's Branden Dawson challenged with balancing basketball, fatherhood". mlive.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
41. Rexrode, Joe (March 1, 2015). "MSU's Dawson finds motivation in role as father". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
42. Mayo, David (May 15, 2015). "For ex-MSU standout Branden Dawson, NBA Draft Combine invitation was a godsend". mlive.com. Retrieved June 9, 2015.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
• NBA D-League profile
• Michigan State bio

• 1993 births
• Living people
• African-American basketball players
• Bakersfield Jam players
• Basketball players at the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
• Basketball players from Indiana
• Grand Rapids Drive 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
• Sportspeople from Gary, Indiana