# Lloyd Daniels

Lloyd "Swee'Pea" Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

## Early life

Daniels grew up in Brooklyn, and was raised by his relatives from the age of three after his mother died and his father abandoned him. By his senior year of high school, he had attended multiple high schools in three states and could only read at a third-grade level.

## College career

Daniels attended UNLV and was slated to play on the basketball team under coach Jerry Tarkanian. Later one of Tarkanian's assistants, Mark Warkentien, became Daniels' legal guardian.
Daniels enrolled at Mt. San Antonio College, a junior college near Los Angeles, to improve his academics. He played one game for Mt. San Antonio's basketball team but later quit to focus on improving his reading proficiency. However, on February 9, 1987, Daniels was arrested for buying crack cocaine from an undercover policeman. Although Tarkanian was known for taking in troubled players, this incident led Tarkanian to announce that Daniels would never play for UNLV. It later emerged that Daniels had first been led to UNLV by Richard Perry, who had been convicted twice for sports bribery. Perry's involvement resulted in an NCAA investigation that ultimately forced Tarkanian to resign.

## Professional career

In the 1986–87 recruiting cycle, Daniels was considered a talented player from New York City and compared to players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Connie Hawkins. John Valenti and Ron Naclerio wrote that Daniels was known for combining passing and shooting abilities.
Daniels played professionally for several teams over the next six years and went through drug rehabilitation three times. In 1988, he was released from the Continental Basketball Association's Topeka Sizzlers. He then signed with Waitemata in New Zealand and later played in the GBA and the USBL. He also played overseas in Greece with AEK Athens BC and in Turkey with Galatasaray. After Jerry Tarkanian became head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Daniels signed with the team.
Daniels played for six NBA teams: the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Toronto Raptors. Daniels played for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA during the 1994–95 season and was selected to the All-CBA Second Team. He also played in Italy with Scavolini Pesaro during the 1995–96 season. In October 2005, Daniels tried out for the Strong Island Sound of the American Basketball Association.

## Personal life

Daniels' nickname, Swee'Pea, is a reference to the Popeye cartoon character of the same name. He lives in New Jersey where he coaches AAU basketball.

## NBA career statistics
### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1992–93 | San Antonio | 77 | 10 | 20.4 | .443 | .333 | .727 | 2.8 | 1.9 | .5 | .4 | 9.1 |
| 1993–94 | San Antonio | 65 | 5 | 15.1 | .376 | .352 | .719 | 1.7 | 1.4 | .4 | .2 | 5.7 |
| 1994–95 | Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 12.6 | .333 | .214 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .8 | .4 | .0 | 4.6 |
| 1994–95 | L.A. Lakers | 25 | 15 | 21.6 | .390 | .267 | .800 | 2.2 | 1.4 | .8 | .4 | 7.4 |
| 1996–97 | Sacramento | 5 | 0 | 5.6 | .125 | .182 | — | .8 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 1.2 |
| 1996–97 | New Jersey | 17 | 0 | 16.6 | .330 | .322 | .833 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .5 | .2 | 5.4 |
| 1997–98 | Toronto | 6 | 0 | 13.7 | .414 | .222 | .800 | 1.2 | .7 | .5 | .3 | 5.7 |
| Career | Career | 200 | 29 | 17.7 | .403 | .316 | .743 | 2.2 | 1.6 | .5 | .3 | 7.1 |

### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1993 | San Antonio | 8 | 0 | 9.3 | .367 | .143 | .833 | 1.9 | .3 | .4 | .0 | 3.5 |
| 1994 | San Antonio | 4 | 0 | 16.5 | .400 | .500 | 1.000 | 2.3 | .8 | .0 | .3 | 5.5 |
| Career | Career | 12 | 0 | 11.7 | .380 | .333 | .875 | 2.0 | .4 | .3 | .1 | 4.2 |