| Position | Point Guard-Shooting Guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Team | Türk Telekom |
| Born | December 6, 1985 Winter Park, Florida |
| Nationality | American / Macedonian |
| College | University of Memphis |
| Draft | Undrafted, 2006 |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
| Career history | PAOK Thessaloníki (2006) ČEZ Nymburk (2006–07) Austin Toros (2007) San Antonio Spurs (2007) Aris Thessaloniki (2007–08) Ural Great Perm (2008–09) Galatasaray (2009-10) Lottomatica Roma (2010-11) Piratas de Quebradillas (2011) Türk Telekom (2011-present) |
Darius Myron Washington Jr. (born December 6, 1985, in Winter Park, Florida) is an American and naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player currently playing in Turkey with Türk Telekom.
He is a point guard-shooting guard and played college basketball with the University of Memphis. He has also played with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and the NBA D-League's Austin Toros in 2007.
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An AAU national champion at age 10, Washington attended Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida. In his senior year, he played in an ESPN High School Showcase game against Sebastian Telfair, currently on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He went to University of Memphis, where he earned Conference USA Rookie of the Year and freshman All-American honors on averages of 15.4 points per game and a team-best 3.8 assists. In the final seconds of the 2005 Conference-USA tournament, Washington was given three free throws to overcome a two point lead by the sixth-ranked Louisville Cardinals. Although Washington was a 72-percent shooter, he missed two of the three foul shots.[1]
In his sophomore season at the University of Memphis, Washington helped lead the #1-seeded Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance in the 2006 NCAA tournament, losing to eventual runner-up UCLA. He was named to the All-Conference USA first team and earned an honorable mention as an All-American by the Associated Press.
On April 25, 2006, Washington declared himself as an early entry candidate for the 2006 NBA Draft. Confident he would be drafted, he signed with a sports agent on June 26, two days before the draft, losing his eligibility to play in college. With analysts being skeptical on his reliability to play point guard, he was not drafted. Although analyst Dick Vitale and others believed Washington had a shot to make an NBA roster as a free agent,[2] he failed to do so after trying out with several teams during training camp.
He was later drafted by the Austin Toros of the D-League, but he instead chose to sign with PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek League. In 2007, he led the ČEZ Nymburk team to the Czech Republic League title after leaving PAOK. He played in the ULEB Cup competition during the year with both clubs.
In January 2008, Washington signed a 2 year contract with the Euroleague club Aris Thessaloniki, a team that competes in the Greek League. He was released by Aris after one season. At the end of October 2008, he signed a contract with the Russian Super League club Ural Great Perm.
In July 2009, he signed a contract with Galatasaray Cafe Crown.[3]
In April 2010, he signed with Lottomatica Roma until the end of the season.
In 2011 he joined the Piratas de Quebradillas.[4]
In the summer of 2011, he signed a contract with Türk Telekom.
Washington signed with the San Antonio Spurs on August 23, 2007, and was assigned to the D-League in late November. He played for the Austin Toros in the NBA D-League. He was called up in early December to take Tony Parker's spot on the roster while he healed from an injury; however, Washington was waived by the Spurs on December 28.[5][6] In 18 games for the Spurs, he averaged 2.9 points (on 0.438 FG, 0.333 3PT and 0.539 FT shooting) and 1.1 rebounds in a little over 8 minutes per game.
He played with the Chicago Bulls during the 2008–2009 NBA pre-season, but was waived by the team before the start of the regular season.
Washington was granted Macedonian citizenship, where he is known as Darius Vašington (Дариус Вашингтон in Cyrillic), and he joined the Macedonian national basketball team.[7]