Lawson grew up in Brampton, Ontario and attended GTA Prep in Mississauga, a basketball academy based out of Mississauga Secondary School where he was coached by David Cooper. In his grade 12 season, Lawson was named a National Preparatory Association First Team All-Star and led the team to second place in the NPA championships.[1] Originally set to graduate in 2019 and ranked 40th in his class by 247Sports as well as fourth-best Canadian prospect by North Pole Hoops, Lawson reclassified for the class of 2018.[2] Lawson committed to playing college basketball for South Carolina over offers from Tulane and Creighton. South Carolina head coach Frank Martin began recruiting Lawson after a late night workout in Columbia on the trip back from a tournament.[3]
College career
Lawson in February 2019
Lawson averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 29 games played and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team.[4][5] He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on November 19, 2018, after averaging 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists over a three-game stretch against Norfolk State, Providence and George Washington.[6] Following the season he initially entered his name into the 2019 NBA draft, but decided to withdraw and return to South Carolina for his sophomore season.[7][8]
Lawson was named to the preseason first team All-SEC and to the Jerry West Award watchlist going into his sophomore year.[9][10] He was also named the 41st-best collegiate basketball player going into the 2019–20 season by CBS Sports and the 29th-best prospect for the 2020 NBA draft by ESPN.[11][12] Lawson scored a season-high 28 points on November 15, 2019, in a 90–63 win against Cleveland State.[13] Lawson led the team during the season in total points with 416 and points per game at 13.4 while also averaging 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[14] Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent.[15] Lawson decided to withdraw from the draft and return to South Carolina on July 29.[16] On January 6, 2021, Lawson scored a career-high 30 points in a 78–54 win over Texas A&M.[17] As a junior, he averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Second Team. On April 19, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft and signed an agent.[18]
On November 3, 2022, Lawson was named to the opening night roster for the College Park Skyhawks.[28] On November 16, Lawson signed another two-way contract with the Timberwolves,[29] but was waived on December 8.[30] Two days later, he returned to College Park.[31]
Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends (2022–2024)
On December 26, 2022, Lawson signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks, splitting time with their NBA G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.[32] It was converted to a standard-contract on March 4, 2024.[33] Lawson reached the 2024 NBA Finals where the Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.[34] On October 8, he was waived by the Mavericks[35][36][37] and three days later, he signed another two-way contract.[38] However, he was waived once again on October 18.[39][40]
On December 11, 2024, Lawson signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors.[42] On March 10, 2025, Lawson scored a career-high 32 points with 12 rebounds against the Washington Wizards.[43] He posted 28 points in 36 minutes off the bench against the Philadelphia 76ers two days later, shooting 10-20 from the field and 4-9 from three in a 118-105 victory.[44][45] On April 12, Lawson and the Raptors converted his two-way contract into a two-year, non-guaranteed contract.[46] He made 26 appearances (two starts) for Toronto during the 2024–25 NBA season, averaging 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
On October 16, 2025, Lawson was waived by the Raptors.[47] Two days later, he re-signed with the team on a two-way contract.[48]
In the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, Lawson averaged a team-best 16.7 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in seven games as Canada advanced to the quarterfinals.[51] He also had the highest scoring performance of the tournament with a 31-point game against Senegal.[52]
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