Dwayne Bacon

Dwayne Bacon

Bacon with the Charlotte Hornets in 2019
No. 24–Zenit Saint Petersburg
Position	Small forward
League	VTB United League
Personal information
Born	(1995-08-30) August 30, 1995 (age 29) Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	McKeel Academy (Lakeland, Florida) IMG Academy Bradenton, Florida) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
College	Florida State (2015–2017)
NBA draft	2017: 2nd round, 40th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2020	Charlotte Hornets
2017–2020	→ Greensboro Swarm
2020–2021	Orlando Magic
2021–2022	AS Monaco
2022–2023	Panathinaikos
2023–2024	Shanghai Sharks
2024	Leones de Ponce
2024–present	Zenit Saint Petersburg
Career highlights and awards
All-Greek League Second Team (2023) Greek All-Star (2022) Second-team All-ACC (2017) McDonald's All-American (2015) First-team Parade All-American (2015)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

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

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

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

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2020)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2024–present)

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

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
*	Led the league

NBA

Regular season

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

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

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

1. "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.

External links

• Florida State Seminoles bio