DaRon Rodrick Holmes II (born August 15, 2002) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Dayton Flyers The Dayton Flyers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Dayton of Dayton, Ohio. All Flyers intercollegiate sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I level. The football team ...

Early life and high school career

Holmes grew up in

Goodyear, Arizona Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and at the 2020 census had a population of 95,294, up from 65,275 in 2010 and 18,911 in 2000. The city is home to the Goodyear Ballpark, where the Clev ...

and initially attended Millennium High School. He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. Holmes transferred to

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private college preparatory school in Montverde, Florida, United States, located in the Greater Orlando area. The school is widely known for its athletic programs, particularly soccer and basketball. History The school ...

Montverde, Florida Montverde is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Montverde was the location of a Native Ame ...

prior to the start of his senior year. He ultimately moved back to Arizona during his winter break and transferred a second time to AZ Compass Prep School in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

. Holmes was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

over offers from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, Marquette, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

College career

Holmes started all 35 of the Dayton Flyers' games as a freshman and led the team with 12.8 points per game and also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He also set a school record with 81 total blocks in a season. Holmes was named the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

Rookie of the Year, second-team All-Atlantic 10, and to the conference All-Defense team. Holmes entered his sophomore season on the watch list for the Karl Malone Award. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 team. On April 24, 2023, Holmes declared for the

2023 NBA draft The 2023 NBA draft, the 77th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 22, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft consisted of 58 picks instead of the typical 60 for the second ...

while maintaining his college eligibility. He later withdrew from the draft on the day of the deadline and announced that he would return to Dayton for his junior season. On May 30, 2024, Holmes declared for the

2024 NBA draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

. On June 26, he was selected as the 22nd overall pick by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, who subsequently traded him to the

in exchange for the draft rights to

Ryan Dunn Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American stunt performer, television personality, and actor. He was one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show '' Jackass'' and its film franchise. Born in Medina, Ohio, Dunn rose ...

(No. 28), the draft rights to the 56th pick (which they later traded to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

), a 2026 second-round selection and a 2031 second-round selection. As the No. 22 overall pick, he became the fifth Flyer to be an NBA first round draft pick.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2024–present)

Holmes was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the

in the

2024 NBA Draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded for the 28th and 56th overall picks in the 2024 draft alongside second-round picks in 2026 and 2031 and on July 9, he signed with the Nuggets. Three days later, he suffered a torn right

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

in his Summer League debut, ending his season.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 30.7 , , .649 , , .143 , , .586 , , 6.1 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 2.3 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 34.3 , , .590 , , .316 , , .669 , , 8.1 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 1.9 , , 18.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 32.5 , , .544 , , .386 , , .713 , , 8.5 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , 2.1 , , 20.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 102 , , 102 , , 32.5 , , .588 , , .358 , , .671 , , 7.5 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , 2.1 , , 17.1

References

External links

Dayton Flyers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, DaRon II 2002 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Dayton Flyers men's basketball players Montverde Academy alumni Phoenix Suns draft picks Power forwards Basketball players from Maricopa County, Arizona 21st-century American sportsmen