The King of Camden: DaJuan Wagner

New Jersey has a rich basketball history that many are unaware of, there have been many
players that have come through the state that have made it to the next level, the NBA. Rick Barry, Bobby Hurley, Kyrie Irving, Karl Anthony Towns, Jay Williams, Andrew Bynum, Luol Deng and Tim Thomas to name a few.  They all made it to the NBA and some had major success but there is one that stood out from the rest.  When he was in high school he was so good his feats were stuff of a legend and that guys name is Dajuan Wagner. He was definitely a legend and a myth to say the least.

3/20/01 Camden, NJ — All USA TODAY prep basketball player of the year Dajuan Wagner, 18, photographed at Camden High School gymnasium. (Photo by Eileen Blass, USA TODAY)

Dajuan Wagner, as many know, hails from Camden, New Jersey which is a city that is highlighted by crime, poverty, and drugs. He was a glimmer of hope for his city and was able to bring people together with his brilliant player. He was considered the “Messiah” and his play was nothing short of amazing. Camden is a basketball rich city that had a few players make the league from that area but few lacked the star power that “Juanny” (his nickname to his friends and family) possessed. He packed gyms all throughout the state, he sold out the gym at
Rutgers University, everyone wanted a glimpse of him and everyone wanted a piece of the man
that was nicknamed the “Messiah” as a youngster by his grandfather.

Wagner attended Memphis under legendary coach John Calipari for one season. He later declared himself eligible for the 2002 NBA draft. Photo Getty Images.

Dajuan averaged 42.5 PPG as a senior in High School, scored 100 points in a game and finished his High School Career with 3,462 points which is the New Jersey State boys basketball record for career points. He was named a McDonalds All American and also was named USA Today High School Player of the Year.  After his legendary high school career was over he headed to Memphis to play for head coach John Calipari. He had a very successful freshman year which was expected and he lead his team to an NIT Championship. He averaged 21 PPG and 3.6 APG and declared for the NBA draft which was expected by many people.

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Wagner with the 6th pick overall in the 2002 NBA draft and he was originally supposed to be the franchise savior before a certain guy nicknamed “The King” arrived in town. Wagner had a pretty successful year as a rookie, averaging 13.4 PPG, 2.8 AST and he seemed like he was going to build upon his promising rookie year but that never happened. He was hampered by injuries and things just started going downhill from there. He was eventually hospitalized with a serious medical condition called ulcerative colitis and he had to have his colon removed. The condition proved to be the main reason why his career in the NBA came to a screeching halt.  After being drafted with expectations that he would be one of the reasons why the cavaliers would be competitive he was eventually released in 2005.  Dajuan rebounded from his illness in 2005 and signed a two year deal with the Golden State Warriors but that only lasted for a short time as he was cut in November after playing in only one game for the team. His contract was bought out for an undisclosed sum.  After his NBA dream seemed to be washed up he signed with a team in Poland and that lasted for only four months as he injured his hip and his knee and afterwards he decided to return back home to New Jersey.

LOS ANGELES – OCTOBER 20: Dajuan Wagner had a brief stint with the Golden State Warriors while attempting a comeback since being hampered by injuries.  He played in one game for the Warriors before he was released.  (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

These days things are much different for Dajuan. He was interested in making a comeback to the NBA about four years ago but that never really materialized.  He currently lives back in New Jersey and is the owner of Adrenaline Sports Performance Center. He still plays in rec leagues around in Jersey and lives in obscurity which is odd for a guy that has been in the spotlight since he was in the 8th grade. No matter what some folks think about him and how his NBA career panned out, they will never be able to say he did not put on a show when he was
healthy. He may have been forgotten by casual basketball fans but to the folks in New Jersey
(especially Camden) he is still the Messiah!