Many of you may not be familiar with DJ Wagner, so let me introduce you to him. He is currently ranked the #1 high school basketball recruit in the class of 2023, over players such as Mikey Williams and Lebron James Jr. As a sophomore in high school, he is currently listed as a 6’3″, 185 pound point guard. But that doesn’t answer the question: why was DJ Wagner born to go pro?
There are a few reasons why, but the first begins with his father, Dajuan Wagner. Dajuan was actually a really good player in high school. If there was one thing Dajuan Wagner could do, it was put the ball in the hoop. During his high school career, he scored 3,642 points, which translates to about 910 points a season, which is crazy! In his senior season, he was named a McDonalds All-American, averaged 42.5 points per game, and scored 100 points in a game! Yes, 100 points! All of this led to him being ranked the #1 prospect in the class of 2001. He would sell out so many arenas and became such a New Jersey basketball legend that people gave him the nickname, “The Messiah.”
Dajuan Wagner went to college at the University of Memphis and played under Coach John Calipari for a year, where he averaged 21 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. His scoring was on full display, and John Calipari was so impressed by Wagner that he revoked his scholarship after his freshmen year so that Wagner had no choice but to go pro.
In the pros, things weren’t so hot. He was selected with the #6 overall pick in the 2002 draft, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because of his incredible scoring ability, he was supposed to save the Cleveland Cavaliers. His rookie year was promising, where he averaged 13.4 points per game, but the worst thing that could happen to a basketball player happened to him. Yup, I’m talking about injuries. Not traditional basketball injuries, but medical conditions that hospitalized him. Eventually, he was forced to retire after three years in the league because of Ulcerative Colitis.
While his career may not have gone that well, he still spent time in the NBA, which no doubt has helped DJ Wagner. Dajuan knows how to train for the NBA and how to take his son to the next level. If for some reason Dajuan can’t help DJ, then his grandfather can.
Reason #2 why DJ Wagner was born to go pro is that his grandfather also played in the NBA!
As well as his father, Milt Wagner was also a high school All-American. After high school, he was an NCAA champion in 1986 with Louisville. With a great career at Louisville came the NBA, where he was drafted 35th overall by the Dallas Mavericks. The most notable part of his career came when he was on the 1987-1988 champion Lakers, where he won a championship. From there, he bounced around many different teams and many different pro leagues until he retired in 1999. With 13 years of pro experience under his belt, Milt got into coaching, and coached at Memphis, the University of Texas-El Paso, and Auburn.
So, why is DJ Wagner born to go pro? He has the size of an NBA player, his dad was an NBA player, and his grandfather was an NBA player as well as collegiate coach. He has all the tools, access, and coaching he needs to get to the league, and I have no doubt he will.
Don’t forget to follow the blog, leave a like, and as always, have an awesome day!
Credit to Zagsblog and the NBA for pictures
NBA Blog 