Lloyd Daniels

Lloyd Daniels
Born	(1967-09-04) September 4, 1967 United States
Other names	Swee'Pea
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Known for	Playing in the NBA for San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors

Lloyd Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Known by the nickname "Swee'Pea", he competed in the NBA across five seasons, representing teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Toronto Raptors.

Early life

Born to Lloyd and Judy Daniels, Daniels faced early adversity when his mother passed away from uterine cancer at age three, and his father became absent due to struggles with alcoholism. Raised primarily by two grandmothers in Hollis, Queens and Brooklyn, he battled undiagnosed dyslexia and academic difficulties, which hindered his exposure in high school basketball.

His talents drew national spotlight near his junior year after he was honored as the most outstanding player at the 1985 Five-Star Camp. Howard Garfinkel, the camp’s director, described him as "the best junior alive, dead, or yet unborn." Daniels was celebrated for his unique blend of passing ability and shooting prowess.

While attending Andrew Jackson High School, Daniels posted averages of 31.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game during his junior year, earning him Parade All-American status. He was widely considered New York City's premier high school basketball talent in two decades, often compared to legends like Connie Hawkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Shortly after completing his junior season, Daniels left high school.

College career

Daniels attracted the interest of UNLV Runnin' Rebels head coach Jerry Tarkanian. Due to NCAA ineligibility, Tarkanian facilitated Daniels’ enrollment at Mt. San Antonio College to enhance his academic standing. However, Daniels participated in only one game before discontinuing to concentrate on improving his reading skills.

On February 9, 1987, Daniels was arrested for buying crack cocaine from an undercover agent. Despite Tarkanian’s reputation for supporting players facing difficulties, this event led him to declare that Daniels would never suit up for UNLV. It emerged that Richard Perry—who had been convicted twice for sports bribery—was initially responsible for connecting Daniels to UNLV. Perry's involvement triggered an NCAA probe that ultimately resulted in Tarkanian’s resignation.

Following these events, Mark Warkentien, an assistant coach under Tarkanian, assumed legal guardianship of Daniels.

Professional career

After undergoing court-mandated rehabilitation, Daniels launched his professional journey with the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), followed by a brief stint with Waitemata in New Zealand. Both engagements were cut short due to substance-related challenges, prompting him to enter a rehab program in Van Nuys, California known for assisting basketball players.

Surviving a near-fatal shooting in 1989, Daniels returned to competitive play in 1991 with the Miami Tropics of the United States Basketball League (USBL), a team managed by John Lucas II that also functioned as a recovery environment for athletes battling addiction. After successful spells in both the USBL and the Global Basketball Association (GBA), Daniels received an invitation to join the San Antonio Spurs training camp in 1992 under new head coach Jerry Tarkanian. On July 21 of that year, he secured a two-year contract with the Spurs.

Throughout his NBA tenure, Daniels represented six franchises: the Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Toronto Raptors. During the 1994–95 season, he played with the Fort Wayne Fury in the CBA and earned All-CBA Second Team recognition. His international career included playing for Italy’s Scavolini Pesaro (1995–96), Greece’s AEK Athens BC, and Turkey’s Galatasaray.

In October 2005, Daniels sought to revive his playing career by trying out for the Strong Island Sound of the American Basketball Association.

Personal life

Daniels is affectionately known by the nickname Swee'Pea, inspired by the character from the Popeye animated series.

On May 11, 1989, he sustained gunshot wounds to his chest and neck in an incident linked to drugs.

He is a father of three children; notably, his son Lloyd competed in collegiate basketball at Lubbock Christian University. Presently, Daniels lives in New Jersey where he is involved in coaching AAU basketball teams.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 77 || 10 || 20.4 || .443 || .333 || .727 || 2.8 || 1.9 || .5 || .4 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 65 || 5 || 15.1 || .376 || .352 || .719 || 1.7 || 1.4 || .4 || .2 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 5 || 0 || 12.6 || .333 || .214 || 1.000 || 1.4 || .8 || .4 || .0 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 25 || 15 || 21.6 || .390 || .267 || .800 || 2.2 || 1.4 || .8 || .4 || 7.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Sacramento | 5 || 0 || 5.6 || .125 || .182 || || .8 || .2 || .2 || .0 || 1.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|New Jersey | 17 || 0 || 16.6 || .330 || .322 || .833 || 2.3 || 1.5 || .5 || .2 || 5.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Toronto | 6 || 0 || 13.7 || .414 || .222 || .800 || 1.2 || .7 || .5 || .3 || 5.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 200 || 29||17.7|| .403|| .316|| .743||2.2||1.6||.5||.3||7.1

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|1993 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 8||0||9.3||.367||.143||.833||1.9||.3||.4||0||3.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1994 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio |4||0||16.5||0.400||0.500||1.000||2.3||.8||0||.3||5.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |12||0||11.7||0.380||0.333||0.875||2.0||0.4||0.3||0.1||4.2