Dyson Daniels isn’t quick to forget. After a debut Olympic campaign saw him and his Boomers teammates fall painstakingly short of a maiden podium finish, the spritely talent is already fixated on making amends. “We have unfinished business,” he tells me. “Playing in the Olympics was a dream come true. Obviously, we are disappointed to have not progressed further, but just being there and experiencing it with my team was surreal. I can’t wait for 2028 in Los Angeles.”
At just 21 years old, Daniels speaks with the conviction of a man twice his age, and it should come as no surprise. The son of National Basketball League (NBL) and North Carolina State great Ricky Daniels, the lanky Melbourne native was practically earmarked for sporting glory from birth. The most difficult decision Dyson faced growing up was whether he stick with Aussie Rules, his first great sporting love, or take the gamble and follow in his father’s footsteps. Two seasons into a burgeoning NBA career, it’s fair to say that fortune favours the brave.
When I speak to the basketballer, he is in between destinations, still reeling from a remarkable showing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His outstanding performance, alongside fellow NBA-tenured Boomers Josh Giddey, Patty Mills and Josh Green may have shocked the casual fan, but to the trained eye, it merely confirmed what was already the sport’s worst-kept secret – the game has gone international.
With six of the league’s last seven Most Valuable Player trophies going to athletes hailing from outside of the United States (seven if you count Cameroon-born Joel Embiid), it’s clear that the talent pool has grown. And while the so-called ‘Avengers of Basketball’ might still hold bragging rights in the Olympic realm, it seems that fans, coaches, and talent scouts are finally starting to understand that the centre of the basketball universe might not be in the United States.
“The growth in Australian basketball has been crazy over the last eight to ten years,” Daniels explains of his own experience in the domestic competition. “Obviously the NBL is at an all-time high and is making waves around the world. We have a massive number of Australians in college and we also have the most Aussies ever in the NBA at one time; it definitely says that we are an emerging powerhouse.”
“We have a really exciting next generation of Aussie hoopers. The path has been forged by so many greats like Joe, Patty, Bogut, and Baynes, but now it’s our job to push things further and reach new heights. I think we can.”
The Australian invasion is in full swing and players like Dyson Daniels are leading the charge. It’s hard to put the Aussie star in a box – he’s a lean point-forward with outstanding court vision and defensive presence with a penchant for playing winning basketball. In a very real sense, Daniels is the very encapsulation of the modern game; no set position, no shooting limitations and full freedom to pull up on the fast break. It’s a whole new game from the one that Dyson grew up watching from courtside in Melbourne, but it’s one that is oddly suited to his growing skillset.
“I think for me, it’s just learning and growing each and every day. A common saying in the basketball world is “Get 1 per cent better every day”. Something I pride myself on is my defence and I think I’m proving to people that I’m pretty good on that end of the floor, so now I am trying to show more and more of what I’m capable of doing offensively.”
That’s not to say the road to basketball’s big time has been easy, however. Drafted eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, expectations were high and pressure to perform weighed heavy on Daniels’ slender shoulders. In two years with the New Orleans Pelicans, the raw Aussie talent struggled to cement a permanent place in the lineup, battling for minutes on a nightly basis. To some, that may have been a crushing hit to the ego, but to Dyson, a former G-Leaguer who had clawed his way, tooth and nail, into the NBA, it was fuel to the fire. He knew what he had to do to prove himself, he just needed time.
“One minute you’re being drafted and the next minute you’re out there on the floor playing against LeBron and the Lakers.”
“I think most people struggle as a rookie in the NBA,” he explains. “There are so many things to adjust to and life comes at you fast. I definitely learnt how important it is to have a schedule and routine outside of practices and games. Maximising your time is key.”
For Daniels, finding an outlet outside of sport has proven to be a slightly more challenging foray. As a basketballer, your identity is inherently linked to your on-court endeavours; the flashier the play, the greater the interest from fans and sponsors. If you can light it up from three, you generally wind up on SportsCenter; catch a body and you might nab yourself a Gatorade commercial.
As a defensive specialist still growing into his role on the floor, Daniels describes his playstyle as team-focused, but he still feels the need to express himself. It was out of this drive for creativity beyond the court that VOUSETI; Daniels’ multifaceted streetwear label was born. Inspired by his time away from home and the experiences he’s had traversing the diverse American cultural landscape as an Australian, the initial collection speaks to what Daniels believes is a universal truth.
“VOUSETI stands for connection—YOU AND I. It’s a mix of ‘vous’ (French for ‘you’), ‘e’ (Italian for ‘and’), and ‘I,’ symbolising how we’re all in this together,” he explains. “So, what we’re looking to do with this brand is build a real community where people can feel connected when they wear our stuff.
“I want people to feel like they are part of a family, a community of like-minded people when they wear VOUSETI.”
“VOUSETI is a sports/streetwear brand inspired by my travel, so there’s a big influence from my time in basketball. The brand is about bringing people together through community and style. Our limited first drop captures that vibe, and we can’t wait to dive deeper into the VOUSETI world.”
He won’t have to wait long. With a new NBA season just weeks away, the Australian star has an opportunity to imbue himself with a whole new audience. In the off-season, amidst Olympic qualifiers and collection showings, Daniels officially became a member of the Atlanta Hawks, joining the likes of Trae Young, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanović. With an athletic young core, Atlanta’s lob prospects alone are mouth-watering, with Daniels adding some much-needed defensive presence to the mix, not to mention, a little something for the pre-game analysts.
The NBA’s love affair with streetwear is perhaps sports’ most overt connection. Over the past two decades, basketball has become synonymous with urban style, blurring the lines between hip-hop and sport, and giving birth to a bastion of pop-culture iconography; the Tunnel Fit.
“The NBA tunnel has quickly become as important as the preparation for the actual game for a lot of guys in the league,” Daniels jokes. “I think it’s just a really cool way for guys to express their individuality and creativity outside of the uniform that most people see us in during the season. So I like to have fun with it, but just like with VOUSETI, all my fits are based on comfort.”
It’s with that very mindset that the debut collection arrives. Much like Allen Iverson’s baggy, oversized sweatsuits and T-shirts, Daniel’s first foray into the world of streetwear brings a relaxed sense of individuality to the forefront. Comprising hoodies, varsity jackets and premium essentials, the initial VOUSETI collection is designed to be, much like his on-court persona, a jack of all trades.
“This first range has 22 different pieces with one common theme,” he explains. “Everything is super high quality and we prioritised comfort over everything. From your couch, to a ball game, or out at night, the whole range can seamlessly fit most occasions. (I’m) Super happy with how the products came out.”
“Streetwear has always been something I’ve been interested in, I like to convince myself that I’ve got some swag,” Daniels laughs. “But yeah, ever since moving to America, my love for clothes and putting pieces together has grown.
“A lot of guys have stylists, but I like doing all that on my own. It just felt natural to be able to express some creativity off the court in the form of designing streetwear. I’ve been loving the process.”
To hear the NBA young gun speak, you would think he’s spent years refining the craft. In just two years, Daniels has figured out what takes lesser athletes a lifetime – that while the results on the court may drive him, they don’t define him.
Daniels concedes that his time in the NBA, while short, has made him a household name, but it’s what he chooses to do with it that will ultimately reflect his character. Committed to the ideal of the universal community, the Aussie athlete is building something bigger than basketball.
