Branden Dawson

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 championship; 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 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

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Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

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. During his rookie season, using the flexible assignment rule, Dawson received multiple assignments to the Bakersfield Jam, Grand Rapids Drive and Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. On December 28, he made his NBA debut, recording one blocked shot in three minutes of action against the Washington Wizards. On January 2, 2016, in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Dawson scored his first two NBA points in nine minutes of action. On July 17, 2016, he was waived by the Clippers.

Erie BayHawks (2016–2017)

On September 8, 2016, Dawson signed with the Orlando Magic, but was later waived on October 16 after appearing in two preseason games. On October 29, he was acquired by the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Magic. On March 29, 2017, Dawson was waived by the BayHawks.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2017–present)

On March 31, 2017, Dawson signed with the Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Ligat HaAl.

Personal life

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.