Dwayne Bacon

Dwayne Bacon
Bacon with the Charlotte Hornets in 2019
No. 24 – Zenit Saint Petersburg
PositionSmall forward
LeagueVTB United League
Personal information
Born (1995-08-30) August 30, 1995 (age 29)
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeFlorida State (2015–2017)
NBA draft2017: 2nd round, 40th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2017–present
Career history
20172020Charlotte Hornets
20172020Greensboro Swarm
2020–2021Orlando Magic
2021–2022AS Monaco
2022–2023Panathinaikos
2023–2024Shanghai Sharks
2024Leones de Ponce
2024–presentZenit Saint Petersburg
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Dwayne Lee Bacon Jr. (born August 30, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He has also played for the Charlotte Hornets and the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bacon played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.

High school career

[edit]
Bacon at the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game

Dwayne Bacon attended the McKeel Academy in his native Lakeland, Florida until transferring to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his junior season. At McKeel Academy, Bacon averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals as a sophomore in 2012–2013. He led McKeel to a 17–8 overall record and to the FHSAA championship tournament regional semifinals in 2013. In his junior season of 2013–2014 at IMG Academy Bacon was IMG's leading scorer. In his only season at IMG he averaged 19.3 ppg and led in assist with 4.0 apg while shooting 42% from the field and 70% from the free throw line in 12 games played.[1] Bacon transferred to the Oak Hill Academy for his senior season.[2] On September 5, 2014. Dwayne Bacon committed to Florida State over offers from Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, and Auburn.[3] In his senior year at Oak Hill, Dwayne Bacon led Oak Hill to an undefeated regular season with a record of 45–0 and averaged 24.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game, and 2.2 steals per game. He was ranked 14th on ESPN 100.[4] Bacon played for the Showtime Ballers AAU program based in Orlando for three seasons.

College career

[edit]

Bacon signed with Florida State on September 5, 2015. As a freshman at Florida State, Bacon received the National Freshman of the week honors from CBS Sports on November 21. He was a three-time ACC rookie of the week (Nov 16, Dec 21 and 28). In his first career game Bacon had 23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist. Bacon achieved his first career win over Charleston Southern with 20 points and 10 rebounds.[1] He appeared in every game during the 2015–16 season for the Seminoles and averaged 15.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over 28.8 minutes per game. On March 23, Bacon announced via Twitter that he would test his draft status for the 2016 NBA draft. He did not hire an agent and retained his amateur status and the ability to return to Florida State for the 2016–17 season.[5] However, on March 28 he announced he will return to college.[6]

During his sophomore season, Bacon was named a member of the All-ACC second team for his work with Florida State that season. After his team was eliminated from the 2017 NCAA tournament, Bacon declared for the 2017 NBA draft (with a commitment that he'd sign with an agent soon afterward) on March 22, 2017.

Professional career

[edit]

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2020)

[edit]

On June 22, 2017, Bacon was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 40th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was later traded to the Charlotte Hornets on draft night.[7] On July 6, he signed with the Hornets.[8] Bacon made his NBA debut on October 18, recording eight points, two rebounds and two assists in a 90–102 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[9] On November 3, he scored a season-high 18 points, alongside seven rebounds, in a 101–108 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[10] Bacon played in 53 games his rookie season and made six starts. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

On March 26, 2019, Bacon scored a season-high 24 points, alongside six rebounds and three steals, in a 125–116 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.[11] During his sophomore season, Bacon only played in 43 games and made 13 starts due to a stint in the NBA G League with the Hornets' affiliate team, the Greensboro Swarm. However, his numbers improved statistically, with him averaging 7.3 points per game.[12]

On November 2, 2019, Bacon scored a season-high 25 points, alongside six rebounds, two assists and two steals, in a 93–87 win over the Golden State Warriors.[13] During his third season, Bacon regressed statistically, averaging only 5.7 points per game. In June 2020, he stated that instead of staying with the Hornets, he would "go elsewhere."[14]

Orlando Magic (2020–2021)

[edit]

On November 24, 2020, Bacon signed with his hometown team, the Orlando Magic.[15] He made his Magic debut on December 23, recording three rebounds and three assists in a 113–107 win over the Miami Heat.[16] On May 7, 2021, Bacon logged a career-high 28 points, alongside four rebounds and two assists, in a 112–122 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[17] During the 2020–21 season, Bacon appeared in all of the Magic's 72 games, made 50 starts, and averaged a career-high 10.9 points per game.[18] On August 8, Bacon was waived by the Magic.[19]

On August 19, 2021, Bacon signed with the New York Knicks.[20] He was waived on October 14.[21]

AS Monaco (2021–2022)

[edit]

On October 26, 2021, Bacon signed with AS Monaco of the French LNB Pro A.[22]

On September 26, 2022, Bacon signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[23] He was waived on October 8.[24]

Panathinaikos (2022–2023)

[edit]

On October 21, 2022, Bacon signed a two-year deal (with several opt-out clauses for the club) with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.[25]

On April 28, 2023, Bacon was prematurely released from the team in the middle of the Greek Basket League play-offs due to a series of disciplinary violations that the player had committed throughout the season.

In 27 EuroLeague games, Bacon averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists (with 1.3 turnovers), playing around 31 minutes per contest. Additionally, in 17 domestic league matches, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists, playing around 24 minutes per contest.

Leones de Ponce (2024)

[edit]

On May 23, 2024, Bacon signed with the Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.[26]

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2024–present)

[edit]

On August 7, 2024, Bacon signed with the Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League.[27]

Career statistics

[edit]
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
 *  Led the league

NBA

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Charlotte 53 6 13.5 .375 .256 .899 2.3 .7 .3 .0 3.3
2018–19 Charlotte 43 13 17.7 .475 .437 .739 2.1 1.1 .3 .1 7.3
2019–20 Charlotte 39 11 17.6 .348 .284 .660 2.6 1.3 .6 .1 5.7
2020–21 Orlando 72* 50 25.7 .402 .285 .824 3.1 1.3 .6 .1 10.9
Career 207 80 19.4 .402 .314 .780 2.6 1.1 .5 .1 7.3

College

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Florida State 34 32 28.8 .447 .281 .714 5.8 1.5 1.0 .0 15.8
2016–17 Florida State 35 35 28.8 .452 .333 .754 4.2 1.7 1.0 .1 17.2
Career 69 67 28.8 .449 .312 .733 5.0 1.6 1.0 .1 16.5

Personal life

[edit]

His younger brother, Raheem, professionally known as "350Heem," was a rap artist. On July 28, 2023, Raheem was shot and killed after his album release party in Lakeland, Florida,[28] which Dwayne attended.[citation needed]

Bacon is dating YouTube star and content creator Nique Brown.[citation needed] He has children with MacKenzie Hyatt.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Dwayne Bacon – Player Profile". Seminoles. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. ^ Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2015). "Oak Hill Academy star Dwayne Bacon hasn't lost but all he wants to be is a winner". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  3. ^ Payne, Terrence (September 5, 2015). "Five-star small forward Dwayne Bacon commits to Florida State". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "Dwayne Bacon – Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Florida State freshman Dwayne Bacon declares for NBA draft". Sports Illustrated. March 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Florida State's Bacon withdraws from NBA draft consideration | NCAA Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  7. ^ "Pelicans Acquire Draft Rights to Frank Jackson". National Basketball Association. June 23, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. ^ Wash, Quinton (July 6, 2017). "Hornets Sign Guard Dwayne Bacon". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons Oct 18, 2017 Game Summary". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs Nov 3, 2017 Game Summary". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "San Antonio Spurs vs Charlotte Hornets Mar 26, 2019 Game Summary". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "Hornets player review: Dwayne Bacon". SB Nation. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "Rozier, Hornets Hold Off Warriors 93–87". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "2019–2020 Hornets report card: Dwayne Bacon". SB Nation. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Savage, Dan (November 24, 2020). "Orlando Magic Sign Free Agent Dwayne Bacon". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Denton, John (December 23, 2020). "FOURNIER HAS LATE SURGE, HELPS MAGIC BEAT HEAT 113–107". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Reed, Steve (May 7, 2021). "HORNETS TOP MAGIC 122–112, INCH CLOSER TO PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Parry, Roy (May 28, 2021). "Dwayne Bacon gave Magic versatility, durability during challenging season". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  19. ^ Brumbelow, Brooke (August 8, 2021). "Orlando Magic Waive Dwayne Bacon". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Ballow, Jonah (August 19, 2021). "Knicks Sign Dwayne Bacon". National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Ballow, Jonah (October 14, 2021). "Knicks Sign Brandon Goodwin". NBA.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "DWAYNE BACON UN NBAER SIGNE À MONACO". asmonaco.basketball (in French). October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  23. ^ "Lakers Sign Dwayne Bacon and Matt Ryan". NBA.com. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Lakers Sign LJ Figueroa and Shaquille Harrison". National Basketball Association. October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  25. ^ "Dwayne Bacon signed with Panathinaikos". October 21, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  26. ^ "Dwayne Bacon se integra a los Leones de Ponce". Leones de Ponce. May 23, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  27. ^ "Дуэйн Бэйкон — игрок "Зенита"". БК «Зенит». August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  28. ^ Lewis, Joneé (August 1, 2023). "'It ended in tragedy': Lakeland rapper shot at album release party, family says". Fox 13. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
[edit]