De'Anthony Melton

De'Anthony Melton
Born	(1998-05-28) May 28, 1998 North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Mr. Do Something
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2018–present
Known for	NBA player for Golden State Warriors

De'Anthony Melton (born May 28, 1998), known by the moniker "Mr. Do Something", is an American professional basketball athlete currently playing for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He competed in college basketball with the USC Trojans within the Pac-12 Conference, but did not participate during the 2017–18 season because of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal.

Melton was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft, then traded to the Phoenix Suns prior to his rookie campaign. Following one season with Phoenix, he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in July 2019. After three years in Memphis, Melton was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2022 offseason.

High school career

Melton completed his high school education at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California in 2016, where he led his team to back-to-back state championships and became the school's leading all-time scorer.

During his junior year, he averaged 15.5 points per game and made a decisive block that secured victory in the 2015 state championship. In his senior season, Melton posted averages of 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 steals per contest. Rated as a three-star recruit, he committed to USC on November 20, 2015. His accolades included being a finalist for California Mr. Basketball, earning MaxPreps All-State first team recognition, and receiving both L.A. Times All-Area and Daily News Player of the Year honors.

Freshman year

In his freshman year, Melton appeared in 36 games and started the final 25 contests, averaging 8.3 points, 3.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals each game. On January 25, he delivered a notable performance against UCLA—featuring future #2 NBA draft pick Lonzo Ball—with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and a block. A week later on February 1 versus Washington and future #1 pick Markelle Fultz, he tallied 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, and 2 blocks.

Melton became the first freshman since Dwyane Wade to record at least 300 points, 150 rebounds, 100 assists, 60 steals, and 35 blocks during a season as a starter. These achievements established him as a pivotal contributor for USC’s forthcoming seasons.

Sophomore year

On September 26, 2017, a federal investigation revealed a corruption scheme involving several college basketball figures who provided illicit benefits to influence athletes’ decisions. USC assistant coach Tony Bland was implicated in this scandal, resulting in Melton’s indefinite suspension due to familial ties. Subsequently, on February 21, 2018, Melton withdrew from USC and declared for the 2018 NBA draft.

Phoenix Suns (2018–2019)

Selected with the 46th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2018 NBA draft, Melton showcased strong performances during the 2018 NBA Summer League, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals across five games. His highlight came on July 9 against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 26 points along with grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists.

On August 31, Melton was traded alongside Ryan Anderson to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. He officially signed with Phoenix on September 21 and made his professional debut on October 22. Melton briefly played one game with the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League before returning to Phoenix’s main roster.

He recorded a career-high of 21 points on December 4 against the Sacramento Kings, while also achieving a season-best of ten assists on January 12 versus the Denver Nuggets. After sustaining a right ankle sprain on January 24 that sidelined him for nearly four weeks, Melton returned briefly to G League action on February 20 before resuming NBA play three days later. On March 16, he posted a personal best of eight rebounds during an overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Throughout the 2018–19 campaign, Melton ranked second among rookies in steals per game (1.36) and led all NBA players with at least 700 minutes played in steals per 100 possessions (3.3). His steal rate tied for sixth all-time among rookies who started most of their contests that season.

Memphis Grizzlies (2019–2022)

On July 7, 2019, Melton was traded by the Suns to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Josh Jackson and two second-round draft selections in exchange for Jevon Carter and Kyle Korver. He made his first appearance for Memphis on October 23, contributing two assists in a 120–101 defeat against the Miami Heat. On February 20, 2020, Melton achieved a season-best 24 points, adding six rebounds and three assists during a narrow 129–125 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Melton secured a new deal with Memphis on November 22, 2020, signing a four-year contract worth $34.6 million. On April 19, 2021, he recorded a season-high of 25 points complemented by eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals in a double-overtime defeat to the Denver Nuggets. He played a key role in guiding the Grizzlies to their first playoff appearance since 2017, where they faced the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the opening round. Melton’s playoff debut came on May 23, 2021, when he contributed two rebounds and two assists in a 112–109 victory in Game 1. The series concluded with Memphis losing in five games.

On March 26, 2022, Melton matched his season-high by scoring 24 points while also adding three rebounds, two assists, and three steals in a commanding 127–102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizzlies once again advanced to the postseason but were ousted in the second round by the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors. For the 2021-22 NBA campaign, Melton placed eighth in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year.

Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2024)

Melton was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on June 24, 2022, in exchange for Danny Green and draft rights to David Roddy. He made his debut for Philadelphia on October 18, tallying five points during a 126–117 loss to the Boston Celtics. Throughout the 2022–23 season, Melton averaged 10.1 points and 1.6 steals per game while shooting an efficient 39% from beyond the arc.

In the following season (2023–24), Melton’s availability was limited to 38 games due to a back injury. Despite this setback, he achieved personal bests in free-throw accuracy at 83.5% and scoring average at 11.1 points per game, while maintaining his defensive presence with 1.6 steals per contest.

Golden State Warriors (2024–present)

On July 8, 2024, Melton signed with the Golden State Warriors. Over six games—starting twice—he posted averages of 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists before requiring season-ending surgery to address a partially torn ACL.

Subsequently, on December 15, 2024, Melton was included in a trade package sent to the Brooklyn Nets, alongside Reece Beekman and three unprotected second-round picks, in exchange for Dennis Schröder and a second-round pick in 2025. Due to his ACL injury recovery process, Melton did not participate in any games for Brooklyn.

He returned to sign with the Warriors again on October 1, 2025.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 50 || 31 || 19.7 || .391 || .305 || .750 || 2.7 || 3.2 || 1.4 || .5 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 60 || 8 || 19.5 || .401 || .286 || .769 || 3.7 || 2.9 || 1.3 || .3 || 7.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 52 || 1 || 20.1 || .438 || .412 || .804 || 3.1 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .6 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 73 || 15 || 22.7 || .404 || .374 || .750 || 4.5 || 2.7 || 1.4 || .5 || 10.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 77 || 58 || 27.9 || .425 || .390 || .793 || 4.1 || 2.6 || 1.6 || .5 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 38 || 33 || 26.9 || .386 || .360 || .835 || 3.7 || 3.0 || 1.6 || .4 || 11.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 6 || 2 || 20.2 || .407 || .371 || .625 || 3.3 || 2.8 || 1.2 || .3||10.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |356||148||22.9|| .410|| .369|| .779||3.7||2.8||1.4|| .5||9.1

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2021 | style="text-align:left;" | Memphis | 5 || 0 || 16.7 || .355 || .300 || .600 || 3.2 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 0.8 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2022 | style="text-align:left;" | Memphis | 10 || 0 || 17.0 || .323 || .250 || .750 || 3.1 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 5.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2023 | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia | 11 || 0 || 24.9 || .383 || .388 || .750 || 3.3 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 7.9 |- |- class="sortbottom" |'style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career Totals | 27 || 0 || 19.8 || .352 || .313 || .706 || 3.1 || 1.5 || .9 || .7 || 6.4

Collegiate Statistics

|- |'style="text-align:left;" | 2016–17 |'style="text-align:left;" | 2016–17 USC Trojans men's basketball team |'36' | '25' | '27' | '.437' | '.284' | '.706' | '4' | '4' | '7' | '3' | '5'

External links

• USC Trojans Biography