Daniel Gafford

Daniel Gafford (born October 1, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Daniel Gafford
Gafford with Arkansas in 2019
No. 12 – Chicago Bulls
PositionPower forward / Center
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-10-01) October 1, 1998
El Dorado, Arkansas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High schoolEl Dorado (El Dorado, Arkansas)
CollegeArkansas (2017–2019)
NBA draft2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentChicago Bulls
2019→Windy City Bulls
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-SEC (2019)
  • SEC All-Defensive team (2019)
  • SEC All-Freshman team (2018)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Gafford was a four star recruit in high school, and received offers in 2015 from several schools, including Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Florida. On August 1, 2015, Gafford committed to Arkansas.[1] Gafford also played football growing up and was a wide receiver until ninth grade at El Dorado High School. He also was in the marching band and credits that to the development of his skill set.[2]

College career

In his first start for the Razorbacks, Gafford finished a perfect 8 for 8 shooting, along with 7 rebounds and 6 blocks against Minnesota.[3] Gafford posted 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks against No. 14 Auburn.[4] After a freshman season where he averaged 11.8 points 6.2 rebounds per game, Gafford announced that he would return to Arkansas for his sophomore year rather than declare for the 2018 NBA Draft.[5] After his freshman season, Gafford was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.[6] On March 18, 2019, after Gafford's sophomore season, it was announced that Gafford would skip the 2019 National Invitation Tournament to prepare for the 2019 NBA draft.[7] Gafford improved his statistics during his second year at Arkansas, averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He was named to the 2019 SEC All-Defensive Team, as well as a 1st Team All-SEC pick. Gafford was known for his thunderous dunks, especially alley-oops, and his shot blocking ability. He was a crowd favorite during Razorback home games at Bud Walton Arena.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2019–present)

Gafford was selected 38th pick overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2019 NBA Draft.[8] On July 8, 2019, the Chicago Bulls announced that they had signed with Gafford.[9] On October 26, 2019, Gafford made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in an 84–108 loss to the Toronto Raptors with a rebound.[10] He was assigned to the Windy City Bulls for opening night of the NBA G League season. Gafford began to see more playing time for the Bulls in January 2020 and received more lobs and blocked shots. On January 16, 2020, it was announced that Gafford would miss two to four weeks with a dislocated thumb.[11]

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
2019–20 Chicago 43714.2.701–.5332.5.5.31.35.1
Career 43714.2.701–.5332.5.5.31.35.1

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Arkansas 352622.6.605–.5286.2.7.52.211.8
2018–19 Arkansas 323228.7.660–.5918.6.7.91.916.9
Career 675825.5.635–.5627.4.7.72.114.5

References
  1. Harper, Doc (August 1, 2015). "Arkansas Basketball Recruiting: Daniel Gafford Commits to the Razorbacks". Arkansas Fight. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  2. "High-flying Daniel Gafford a force for surging Arkansas". USA Today. December 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  3. Hutchinson, Andrew (December 9, 2017). "Gafford shines in first start". 247Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  4. Stone, Chris (March 2, 2018). "NBA Draft watch: Arkansas' Daniel Gafford has potential to thrive as traditional big man". Sporting News. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  5. "Daniel Gafford to return to Arkansas rather than head to NBA". espn. March 26, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  6. Hutchinson, Andrew (March 6, 2018). "3 Hogs honored by SEC coaches". 247 Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  7. Boone, Kyle (March 18, 2019). "Arkansas star Daniel Gafford, projected first-round pick, skipping NIT to prepare for NBA Draft". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  8. Smith, Sam (June 21, 2019). "JOHN PAXSON PLEASED WITH BULLS' DRAFT NIGHT ADDITIONS". NBA.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  9. "BULLS SIGN DANIEL GAFFORD". NBA.com. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  10. "Siakam, Anunoby lead Raptors over Bulls 108-84". ESPN.com. October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  11. Taylor, Cody (January 16, 2020). "Bulls rookie Daniel Gafford out 2-4 weeks with a dislocated thumb". Rookie Wire. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
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