Daniel Joseph Orton (born August 6, 1990) is an American former 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. He is a 6-foot 10-inch, 265-pound center who played college basketball for the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

High school career

Orton played for Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City. Bishop McGuinness won the class 4A state championship Orton's freshman, sophomore, and junior year. During his senior season, he tore his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his knee, cutting his final season of high school basketball short. He averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks per game as a junior. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Orton was listed as the No. 4 center and the No. 22 player in the nation in 2009. He was recruited to the University of Kentucky by

Billy Gillispie Billy Clyde Gillispie ( ; born November 7, 1959), also known by his initials BCG and Billy Clyde, is an American college basketball and current men's basketball coach at Tarleton State. Gillispie had previously been head coach at UTEP, Texas ...

; however, Gillispie was fired following Orton's senior season. Orton kept his commitment to Kentucky after

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

was hired by the university.

College career

Orton was a reserve on the 2009–10 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, where he averaged 3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 13.2 minutes per game. On May 8, 2010, Orton hired an agent and declared himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft.

Professional career

With the 29th overall picking the first round of 2010 NBA draft, the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

selected Daniel Orton. On July 1, 2010, Orton signed his rookie contract with the Magic. On December 1, 2010, it was announced that Orton would be sent to the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. In his second game for the Thunderbirds, Orton suffered a season-ending knee injury. Orton made his NBA debut on January 27, 2012, in a Magic loss to the New Orleans Hornets. On April 15, 2012, in a win against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, Orton scored a career-high 11 points while also recording 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In 16 games, he averaged 2.8 points per game. He played his first career playoff game against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On August 4, 2012, Orton was signed by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. On October 27, 2012, Orton was released by the

, after losing out to DeAndre Liggins for the final roster spot during the pre-season. However, he was re-signed by the team on October 31, 2012, after the team had sent center Cole Aldrich to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

in a trade that also involved James Harden. The Thunder assigned Orton to the NBA D-League's Tulsa 66ers several times during the 2012–13 season. On October 10, 2013, he was waived by the Thunder. On October 16, 2013, he signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On November 23, 2013, Orton recorded his first double double with 10 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a 98–106 loss to the Indiana Pacers. On January 7, 2014, he was waived by the 76ers. On January 22, 2014, the Tulsa 66ers traded Orton's rights to the Maine Red Claws. In July 2014, he joined the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On September 29, 2014, he signed with the Wizards. However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 16, 2014. The next day, he signed with Shanxi Zhongyu of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

. He was later dismissed by Shanxi in favor of Jeremy Tyler. On December 8, 2014, he signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales for the rest of the 2014–15 CBA season. Following the conclusion of CBA regular season, he terminated his contract with the Blue Whales on February 1, 2015. On February 4, he signed with Purefoods Star Hotshots of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

. In his first game on February 11, he recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds. After his third game against Kia Carnival, he called Kia player-coach (now Senator)

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...

and the game's referees "a joke". He was summoned by PBA commissioner

Chito Salud Angelico Tiu Salud (born June 17, 1962), better known as Chito Salud, is a Filipino lawyer and sports executive who currently serves as team governor of the Converge Fiber Xers in PBA. He was the first president and CEO of the Philippine Basket ...

two days after the incident and was fined by the commissioner's office PHP250,000 due to his comments. Subsequently, he was sent home by Purefoods' team governor Rene Pardo on February 21. On March 11, he returned to the D-League, this time joining the Grand Rapids Drive. On March 26, he was waived by the Drive. He appeared in six games for the Drive, averaging 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. On March 31, he was acquired by the Idaho Stampede, but was deactivated the following day. On August 20, 2015, Orton signed with AEK Athens. However, he was cut from the team a month later before appearing in a game for them. On November 12, 2015, he was acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors. On January 18, 2016, he was waived by the Warriors. On May 24, 2016, Orton signed with Hunan Yongsheng of China for the 2016 NBL season. On April 12, 2019, he signed with Karesi Spor of the Turkish Basketball First League. On November 4, 2021, he signed with Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

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Playoffs

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References

External links

NBA G League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orton, Daniel 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan American men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Grand Rapids Drive players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Koshigaya Alphas players Kumamoto Volters players Kymis B.C. players Leones de Ponce basketball players Magnolia Hotshots players Maine Red Claws players New Mexico Thunderbirds players Oklahoma City Thunder players Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players Philadelphia 76ers players Philippine Basketball Association imports Santa Cruz Warriors players SeaHorses Mikawa players Sichuan Blue Whales players Basketball players from Oklahoma City Toyama Grouses players Tulsa 66ers players Taipei Fubon Braves players Taoyuan Leopards players T1 League imports Super Basketball League imports Hi-Tech Basketball Club players Mayrouba Club players Karesi Spor players 21st-century American sportsmen Hunan Changsha Yongsheng players