{"id":48854,"date":"2025-08-06T22:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T22:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/48854\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T22:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T22:10:16","slug":"aussie-nba-star-dyson-daniels-leaves-impact-on-hundreds-of-perth-kids-during-basketball-clinic-at-ace-ballerz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/48854\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie NBA star Dyson Daniels leaves impact on hundreds of Perth kids during basketball clinic at Ace Ballerz"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresh off a record-breaking defensive season, Aussie NBA star Dyson Daniels treated hundreds of local kids in Wanneroo to a day they\u2019ll never forget last Saturday.<\/p>\n

Daniels spent nearly six hours at Ace Ballerz, the family-run indoor basketball centre in Wanneroo, running multiple clinics with kids aged seven to 18, shooting hoops and holding a special Q&A session.<\/p>\n

Nicknamed \u2018The Great Barrier Thief\u2019 for his defensive prowess, the Atlanta Hawks guard and Australian Olympian passed on techniques, encouragement and plenty of advice about discipline and mindset to the kids for both on and off the court.<\/p>\n

The event was the biggest day yet for Ace Ballerz, founded just eight months ago by local mother Alaina Habaybeh at the site of the old Drovers Marketplace.<\/p>\n

Habaybeh said she initially thought it was a hoax when she first received the invitation to host Daniels but the event exceeded all her expectations.<\/p>\n

\"NBACamera IconNBA star Dyson Daniels held a basketball clinic for kids at Ace Ballerz in Wanneroo. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was just someone trying to money-grab a mum of two kids, and it was some sort of AI, bot email,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I, at first, ignored it and then I got a follow-up email but it was personalised, and a random call on a Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew from the beginning that I was out of my league organising the day but everything went according to plan. He was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniels, who is only 22-years-old and comes from Bendigo in Victoria, took the NBA by storm last season, becoming the first Australian crowned Most Improved Player.<\/p>\n

He became the youngest player ever to record more than 200 steals in an NBA season, surpassing the legendary Magic Johnson by 236 days.<\/p>\n

\"DysonCamera IconDyson Daniels teaching participants at Ace some skills. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Daniels\u2019 202 steals during the 2024\u201325 season were the highest by any NBA player in the last 15 years; he also topped the league with 366 deflections and finished second in the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year voting.<\/p>\n

Despite his impressive achievements at such a young age, Habaybeh said she was struck by how humble and easygoing the star was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just was like a normal Australian kid from Wanneroo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t speak down to anyone. I can\u2019t explain to you how natural, friendly and casual his energy was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made the day relaxed, wasn\u2019t high maintenance and really took time to connect with all the kids and answer their questions and make them feel valued.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DysonCamera IconDyson daniels with Isaac Elkhatib (9), Jass Habaybeh (co-owner), Jay Geel (9), Mitch Lozey (10), Shay Page (12), Zakkai Habaybeh (co-owner), Eli Gonzalez (12) and Alaina Habaybeh (co-owner) at the centre. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Speaking on the day, Daniels said he felt very welcomed at Ace and had a fantastic day with everyone who was at the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great being here in Perth for the camp. The chance to try and help young players in the way I was helped at these camps, is something I enjoy doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One key piece of advice Daniels shared with the kids was to put in the work during training so game day becomes the easy part, stressing the importance of preparation.<\/p>\n

He also spoke about the sacrifices his parents made and reminded the kids to always be thankful for their parents\u2019 support.<\/p>\n

But there was one message Habaybeh believes will truly stick with the young players.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said playing in the NBA is great, and while the money is phenomenal and the spotlight is cool, there\u2019s something different about playing for your country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he had to choose one, he said it would be to represent Australia, hands down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think hearing that from Dyson hits differently for the kids rather than hearing it from a teacher or a coach. It really resonated with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DysonCamera IconDyson Daniels playing for the Atlanta Hawks during the second half of the quarterfinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup at Madison Square Garden on December 11, 2024. Credit: Elsa\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jeff Van Groningen, former general manager of multiple NBL teams and now camp and event manager for Dyson Daniels, helped facilitate the visit.<\/p>\n

Van Groningen said the clinic was all about inspiring kids to chase their dreams by starting with the fundamentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a range of ages and abilities that showed up but the whole idea of the day was really to try to assist them and inspire them as they pursue their junior basketball careers,\u201d Van Groningen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really turn a young player into a significantly different player in one day. But what you can do is give them some things to take home with them and then put that to use, and then their work will determine the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to give them some things that they can take with them and then put that to use themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DysonCamera IconDyson Daniels taking questions from the young basketball players. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Van Groningen said the whole day and the hospitality were terrific, and the team felt humbled to be at Ace, especially given that Daniels isn\u2019t far removed in age from the kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t all that long ago that he was in their place and at basketball clinics where others were inspiring him; those things all contributed to his journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for him to give back, but it also comes naturally to him; it doesn\u2019t feel like an effort. It just feels like returning to where he was not all that long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NBACamera IconNBA star Dyson Daniels spent nearly six hours at Ace Ballerz in Wanneroo, running two clinics.. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Given the success of Daniels\u2019 visit, hopes are high that fellow Aussie NBA phenomenon Josh Giddey, from the Chicago Bulls, could be the next to come to Ace Ballerz.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these things are possible down the line,\u201d Van Groningen, who also works with Giddy\u2019s team, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on what next year\u2019s off-season looks like with the Boomers\u2019 commitments and other obligations these guys have, it really comes down to how much time they\u2019ll have in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresh off a record-breaking defensive season, Aussie NBA star Dyson Daniels treated hundreds of local kids in Wanneroo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48855,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,726,503,590,47,46,588,85,45,504],"class_list":["post-48854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-joondalup","tag-nba","tag-north","tag-perth","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-wa-news","tag-wanneroo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}