Dante Exum

Dante Exum
No. 11 – Utah Jazz
Position Point guard / Shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1995-07-13) 13 July 1995
Melbourne, Victoria
Nationality Australian
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Thomas Carr College
(Melbourne, Victoria)
Lake Ginninderra (Canberra, ACT)
NBA draft 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–present Utah Jazz
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Dante Exum (born 13 July 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was considered one of the best prospects for the 2014 NBA draft.[1][2] Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall, Exum plays the point guard and shooting guard positions.

Early life and junior career

Exum was born in the Melbourne suburb of East Melbourne to American parents. He played for the Keilor Basketball Association as a junior[3] and attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College in Canberra where, in conjunction with, also attended the Australian Institute of Sport. Along with basketball, he grew up playing Australian rules football but gave it up to focus on basketball.[4]

In April 2013, Exum participated in the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit for the World Select Team where he recorded 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a 112–98 win over the USA Junior Select Team.[5][6] In October 2013, he graduated from Lake Ginninderra and had the option to enroll in college and play college basketball during the 2013–14 season, but he decided against it.[7]

Exum competed in the Australian National High School Basketball Championships held between December 2013 and January 2014, going on to lead his team to the eventual title.[8][9]

On 28 January 2014, it was announced that Exum signed with agents from Landmark Sports and that he would declare for the 2014 NBA draft.[10]

NBA career

Utah Jazz (2014–present)

On 26 June 2014, Exum was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.[11][12][13] On 11 July 2014, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz and joined them for the 2014 NBA Summer League.[14] On 29 October 2014, he made his NBA debut, recording 5 points, 1 assist and 1 steal in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[15] Three days later, he scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting beyond the arc in 18 minutes of action to help the Jazz defeat the Phoenix Suns.[16] On 22 January 2015, he had a season-best game with 15 points and 5 assists in a 101–99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[17] He helped the Jazz to a 24–17 win/loss record in his 41 games a starter during the 2014–15 season, and was selected to compete in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA's All-Star Weekend in New York.[18]

Exum appeared in one game for the Jazz during the 2015 NBA Summer League before departing the team in order to join the Australian national team for their European tour. On 4 August 2015, Exum sustained a severe knee injury while playing for Australia.[19] Two days later, an MRI determined Exum had sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.[20] He underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ligament on 3 September, ruling him unlikely to play during the 2015–16 season.[21] On 17 October, the Jazz exercised their third-year team option on Exum's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season.[18]

International career

Exum played for Australia in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.[22] Exum averaged 18.2 points and 3.8 assists over nine games at the 2013 FIBA U19 tournament, subsequently being named to the All-Tournament team. He was also selected in the 2013 Boomers FIBA Oceania Championship squad where he played sparingly in both games against New Zealand. In 2014, he competed for the Boomers in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup where he averaged 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in six games.[23]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Utah 82 41 22.2 .349 .314 .625 1.6 2.4 .5 .2 4.8
Career 82 41 22.2 .349 .314 .625 1.6 2.4 .5 .2 4.8

Personal

Exum has a twin sister, Tierra, who is an international elite gymnast.[24] His father, Cecil, played college basketball at the University of North Carolina and won an NCAA championship in 1982, a team which featured Michael Jordan and James Worthy. His mother also attended North Carolina. Cecil was drafted in 1984 by the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, and later settled in Australia where he played in the National Basketball League for the North Melbourne Giants, Melbourne Tigers and Geelong Supercats.[25][26] Exum is a passionate Essendon supporter.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "2014 NBA Big Board: Wiggins leads deepest draft in years". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Chad Ford's Top 100 – 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Former Keilor Thunder basketballer Dante Exum is shooting for NBA selection". HeraldSun.com.au. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  4. ↑ "NBA Draft: Dante Exum happy with decision to play basketball over AFL". ABC.net.au. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "2013 Nike Hoop Summit Game Recap". DraftExpress.com. April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "4.20.2013 – Nike Hoops Summit". youtube.com. April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Dante Exum undecided on college". ESPN.com. August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Australian young gun Dante Exum focus of attention at Australian School Champs". HeraldSun.com.au. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Australian teen Dante Exum set for NBA draft". HeraldSun.com.au. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Dante Exum declares for draft". ESPN.com. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Jazz Selects Exum, Hood in 2014 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Welcome to Utah, Danté Exum and Rodney Hood". NBA.com. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ "BOOMERS EXUM AND BAIRSTOW SELECTED IN NBA DRAFT". Basketball.net.au. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Jazz Signs First-Round Picks Danté Exum and Rodney Hood". NBA.com. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rockets spoil Snyder's NBA coaching debut". NBA.com. October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Utah Jazz's Dante Exum scores 10 in first NBA win". SMH.com.au. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Hayward scores 24, Jazz hold on for 101-99 win over Bucks". NBA.com. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Jazz Exercise Team Options on Four Players". NBA.com. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "NBA: Utah Jazz teammate Joe Ingles backs Dante Exum after reports of season-ending ACL injury". FOXSports.com.au. August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Danté Exum Injury Update (August 6, 2015)". NBA.com. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  21. ↑ "Danté Exum Injury Update". NBA.com. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Chau, Danny (10 July 2013). "Dante Exum, the FIBA U19 World Championships, and the Purest Form of NBA Draft Nerddom". Grantland.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  23. ↑ "2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup – Dante Exum". FIBA.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  24. ↑ "NBA Draft Q&A: Who is Dante Exum?". FOXSports.com. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  25. ↑ "National Basketball Association scouts from US chasing local teenager Dante Exum". Herald Sun. News Corporation. August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  26. ↑ Weiss, Dick (July 7, 2013). "Dick Weiss on Australia’s Dante Exum". BlueStarMedia.org. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Dante Exum kicks AFL footy through basketball hoop". Herald Sun. News Corporation. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2015.

External links

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