American professional basketball player Darius Denayr Bazley plays for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Basketball players are known for being very tall, so it’s no surprise that their thin bodies make them look like they’re made of wind.
With a height of 6 feet and 8 inches, Bazley is also known as one of the most prominent basketball players. But if we look at his game, we can see that he moves quickly and is hard to catch.
He is well-known for not attending college and instead joining the NBA G League, which also got national attention.
Darius was a five-star recruit and the best player in his state in high school. This made him eligible for McDonald’s All-American awards in 2018.
Instead of joining the NBA G League, Darius chose to take a year off from professional basketball and use that time to get ready for the NBA draft.
While preparing for the NBA draft, Darius also interned at New Balance, which makes and sells shoes.
Darius is only 20 years old and has been called “a rising star” and “the future of the NBA,” so there isn’t much to say about him.
Quick Facts
Full Name |
Darius Denayr Bazley |
Birth Date |
June 12, 2000 |
Age |
22 Years Old |
Birth Place |
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States of America |
Residence |
Springfield, Ohio, United States of America |
Nickname |
Baze |
Religion |
Christianity |
Nationality |
American |
Ethnicity |
Black |
Education |
Finneytown High School Princeton High School |
Horoscope |
Gemini |
Father’s Name |
Not Known |
Mother’s Name |
Lynitta Cowan |
Siblings |
Four (Two brothers and two sisters) |
Siblings Name |
Not Known |
Height |
6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) |
Weight |
94 kg (208 lbs) |
Build |
Lean physique |
Body Measurement |
Chest Size: 40 inches Biceps Size: 15 inches Waist Size: 32 inches |
Shoe Size |
13 (U.S.) |
Eye color |
Light brown |
Hair Color |
Black |
Profession |
Basketball player |
Professional Debut |
2019 |
Merchandise |
|
Club |
Phoenix Suns |
Position |
Small Forward, Power Forward |
Jersey Number |
#7 |
Sexual Orientation |
Straight |
Relationship Status |
Unmarried |
Girlfriend |
Not Known |
Net Worth |
$2.3 million |
Social Media |
Parents, Education & Horoscope
Darius was born in the United States on June 12, 2000, in Brockton, Massachusetts.
He grew up in Brockton for seven years before his family moved to Cincinnati.
Lynitta Cowan is his mom’s name; he has two sisters and two brothers.
Not much is known about his family. Darius is black and a Christian.
He also writes about the gods’ beliefs on Instagram, which shows that he still believes in them.
As of the date of this story, Darius is 20 years old and went to high school in Sharonville, Ohio, at Princeton High School.
Similarly, Darius played at Finneytown High School for his first two years. Later, he decided not to attend college because he wanted to join the NBA G League.
From his Birth Chart, we can see that Darius is a Gemini. Gemini is very curious and likes to try out new things. They can learn quickly and need help figuring out what they want to do. So, these traits fit well with how Darius acts.
Darius chose to take a gap year and do his internship differently because he liked to try new things.
In the same way, he had a hard time deciding between the NBA G League and a job at New Balance.
Darius Bazley | Career in Basketball
When he was in high school, Darius began to play basketball professionally. He played basketball for two years at Finney Town High School, where he was excellent and caught the attention of many schools.
Darius finally got an offer from Ohio State and went to high school at Princeton.
During high school, Bazley was a top student in his state and got five stars from everyone. In 2018, he was also named a McDonald’s All-American.
In Ohio, Darius was named the best player in their junior season.
In July 2016, he attended Princeton High School instead of his old school. Because of the move rule, Darius had to sit out the first 11 games.
In August, 247 Sports said that Bazley was a four-star prospect for Ohio State. On January 11, he finally played his first game for Princeton.
After he joined Princeton, he had 11 points, ten boards, five assists, and three steals in a game that Princeton lost.
Bazley said he joined Ohio to be on a big show and get attention. Two months after he joined Ohio, he signed a letter of intent to go to Syracuse in November.
On January 19, he scored 24 points in a big win for Princeton against Romeo Langford and New Albany High School in a game seen all over the country.
In April, Bazley also participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit.
Darius Bazley | Professional Career
It was big news nationwide when Darius decided to join the NBA G League instead of the college he had signed up for.
At the time, Syracuse had signed him. He also hired sports agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group for NBA G league training.
Later, he chose to train on his while also doing an internship for New Balance for the 2019 NBA draft season.
Aside from that, the player’s defense improved significantly during the 2020-21 season. He also seemed to be a very active player, and he scored 26 points, which was his best game ever.
The Utah Jazz picked him with the 23rd overall pick in the draft. He was then moved to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bazley played for the Thunder for four years before being sent to the Phoenix Suns in a trade in 2023.
Internship at New Balance
Bazley took a year off and, in October, signed a five-year deal to promote the New Balance brand.
For the exclusive contract to make sense, Bazley must meet specific standards, like winning Rookie of the Year or final MVP.
Now, Bazley will play his first season with Oklahoma City. But he says his Career at New Balance helped him get to where he is now.
After getting into the basketball market in the 1980s and getting James Worthy’s endorsement, New Balance is making basketball shoes for the first time in forty years.
He wants to keep working for New Balance even after his deal ends. Both Bazley and New Balance have gotten good things out of their deal.
After adding Darius Bazley, they added Kawhi Leonard and the OMN1S product sold out quickly after it was made.
Darius Bazley | New Balance Internship Highlights
Darius told the New York Times, “This is my Risk. I skipped college to do a job with New Balance. I’ll do it this way, and even if others say I won’t win, I will.”
In an interview with ESPN, sports agent Rich Paul said, “Darius Bazley did the right thing by taking that job.
As he may know, the company’s business prospects are directly related to sports.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Darius said his internship at New Balance was a great chance.
Now, he wants to go back to school, possibly to get a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and he has learned a lot about how the business world works.
Darius Bazley | Body Measurement & Playing Style
Darius is 6 feet 8 inches tall, which is very tall. He looks like he was made to play basketball. He weighs 94 kg and has a slim body.
His chest is 40 inches wide, his arms are 15 inches wide, and his waist is 32 inches wide.
Because of this, he needs 13 sizes of shoes. He has light brown eyes and black hair, just like her.
Darius plays small forward and power forward. He is known for being the fastest player on the court, finishing plays cleanly, and shooting well.
Rich Paul, a sports agent, often says he looks like the late Kobe Bryant. As a forward, his height has helped him as well.
Earnings, Net Worth, and Endorsements
Darius hasn’t been a professional basketball player for over two years but already has a lot of money.
Different sources say that he is worth about $2.3 million.
Players in high school don’t get rewards very often, so this is how much he saved up in two years.
In addition to playing hoops, he signed a deal with New Balance to be an endorser. The deal is worth up to $14 million, with $1 million guaranteed.
Darius has done well in his work and made more money in a short amount of time. He is only 20 years old.
Rich Paul, who is LeBron James’ agent, also manages him. The person is in good hands because of this.
Not only that, but Darius has played hoops with LeBron and his son, and other rookies at his house.
Darius Bazley | Social Media Presence
Darius Bazley uses social media less than he can. He has more than 100,000 people following him on Instagram as @dariusbazley.
In his posts, Darius usually shows off his smart clothes and shares some posts about basketball.
On top of that, some things promoted the New Balance shoe.
Darius is also on Twitter as @Bazley Darius and has over 16,000+ followers. On the other hand, he writes and tweets about basketball stuff on Twitter but not on Instagram.
A short documentary called “Gap Year” appeared on YouTube two weeks ago. In it, many sports experts talked about Darius Bazley’s choice to take a gap year and the pros and cons of that decision. So, where could he go from there?
Darius has explained why he picked this internship and how it has helped him.
Here is the trailer for the documentary Gap Year, which is based on what happened to basketball player Darius Bazley in real life. Please check it out!