It's been nearly eight years since Dajuan Wagner last played in an NBA game. He played in one game with the Golden State Warriors in November of 2006. He made his only shot, a 3-pointer, and hit a free throw out of two attempts to give him four points. Nine days later, he'd be waived by the Warriors. He played six games for Prokom in the Polish Basketball League and hasn't really played professional basketball since.
Injuries and illnesses have robbed Wagner of any chance of coming through on the well-documented high school hype and promise he had back in Camden High School in New Jersey. Coming up on a decade since his last NBA appearance, the 31-year old Wagner has worked hard to get back into game shape and is hoping to get another shot at playing in the NBA. From Philly.com:
Lately, Wagner has done more than wonder about what might have happened had he stayed healthy. He has committed to an intensive workout program that he hopes will lead to a resurrection of his career at the age of 31.
A chiseled 200 pounds, the 6-foot-2 Wagner believes he has begun to regain the explosive athletic ability that was as much the source of his success in the sport as his jump shot, ballhandling and court sense.
After another training session on a recent afternoon at the Adrenaline Sports Performance facility in Cherry Hill, where he is part-owner, Wagner said he is determined to push himself to see if he can play again at the highest level of the sport - in the NBA.
Wagner last played in the NBA in November 2006.
"I want to see if I can do it," Wagner said. "I want to try. I still love to play. It's all I've ever known."
Back in high school, Wagner averaged 42.5 points his senior season and was considered a lock to be a force at the next levels. He was Allen Iverson-esque in the way he could capture a crowd in such a small frame on the court. He even scored 100 points in a high school game. He surprised everybody by not jumping straight to the NBA and playing a year at the University of Memphis in 2001. He was the sixth pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2002 and that was the last real highlight of his playing career.
In three seasons with the Cavs, Wagner averaged 9.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting in 21.5 minutes. He sat out the entire 2005-06 season with colitis -- swelling/inflammation of the large intestine -- before his one game stint with the Warriors the next season. He's had various issues like an inflamed liver and pancreas, torn knee cartilage a couple of times, and a bladder infection. All of these ailments helped limit and effectively end what was supposed to be a good career.
We'll see if he actually gets a shot at the NBA again. These comeback attempts typically fall short, but it's great to see he's working so hard to reliving his dream of playing the NBA.
