Aussie NBA star Daniels denies making gun gesture
Atlanta Hawks and Australian Boomers star Dyson Daniels denies pretending to spray gunfire towards former teammates after hitting a three-pointer in front of the New Orleans bench during a 126-111 NBA win over the Pelicans.
"I was just telling them all that it was worth three points," the Australian said, noting that when he extended his right arm towards the Pelicans' bench area, his thumb and two other fingers were extended, representing three points.
When told his gesture also appeared to resemble a gun, Daniels said: "It might have looked like it, but I was just telling them it was worth three points. You know, pointing at them all, that's all it was. I was making sure they all knew how many points it was worth."
The NBA has handed down some high-profile fines for gun gestures in the past decade, including $US35,000 ($A53,000) to Josh Jackson in 2017 and $US25,000 to Gerald Green in 2015.
Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games in 2023 for waving an actual gun during a social media video.
Some on the Pelicans' bench appeared to ask officials to assess Daniels a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"I didn't get one, so the ref was right," said the in-form Daniels, who the Pelicans made the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
"I was just out there having fun. I was hoping to hit a three in that corner so I could let the bench know about it. It was a game I had circled on my calendar."
Daniels and Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr were traded last off-season from New Orleans to Atlanta as part of a deal that brought point guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans.
Nance, like Daniels, had some back-and-forth with the Pelicans bench, staring them down after a third-quarter dunk, then blowing them a kiss after a corner three, also in front of the New Orleans bench.
He said that as he went into his shooting motion from behind the three-point arc, Pelicans players were yelling, "Hell, no!"
"One, we're all competitors. And, two, we're friends," Nance said. "You're able to say some things to each other just because we know it's all love.
"Everybody in that locker room I have nothing but love and admiration for. Tonight was a lot of fun. I'm glad we won."
Daniels finished with 16 points in what was also his return from a two-game absence because of a right hip strain that he said was no longer bothering him.
"Even if I wasn't 100 per cent, I was going to make sure I'd be back for this game," Daniels said, noting that it was a tough moment when he first learned New Orleans were trading him.
"It was unexpected. I came into the league here and this was home for me," Daniels said.
"They drafted me. They believed in me. Everyone was great to me. But this is a business; these things happen, so you've got to move on from it.
"I'm happy to be in Atlanta. I'm enjoying my opportunity there."
