The Lloyd “Sweet Pea” Daniels Story
In the ’80s there once was a basketball prodigy from Brooklyn, New York who people called Sweat Pea. Lloyd “Sweat Pea” Daniels was a certified killer on the court and the most sought after recruit in New York City since Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He was said to be NBA ready by the age of 16 and at 6’8 he could do it all on the court. He had both the passing ability of Magic Johnson and the shooting ability of Larry Bird in one package. He is a New York City legend who put in some heavy work on the court and everybody should at least know who he is and the perils that he once faced.
Lloyd “Sweet Pea” Daniels was said to have a pro game by age 16. He was one of the best players ever to come out of NYC. (Photo courtesy of The Sporting News/Sporting News via Getty Images)
We all know Tom Konchalski for being The Godfather of HS basketball scouting. When I interviewed him the first question I asked him was “Tom, you’ve probably seen millions of HS basketball players at this point… but who was the best player you have EVER seen?” The answer I got shocked me a little because this man has seen Jordan, Kobe and even LeBron James up close and personal. He said without hesitation… “Sweet Pea!!”. His potential was through the roof and he should have probably been the best player ever to play basketball. It’s no secret that drugs destroyed that potential and crushed all the hopes and dreams that Daniels had of being one of the greats.
Jerry Tarkanian always wanted to coach Daniels. So when he got hired as the Spurs head coach he gave him an opportunity and signed him to a free agent deal. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
Lloyd was a baller and relied heavily on his athletic ability rather than prioritizing getting an education. He went to 5 high schools in 3 states and was said to read at a 3rd-grade level. He often got in trouble and was literally a walking time bomb at an early age. There was one man who was known to give players like Daniels a second chance, and that was Jerry Tarkanian, the Head Coach of UNLV. Daniels attended UNLV but would never get to play a game. He got caught buying crack cocaine from an undercover cop in 1987 and life really has been a downward spiral after that.
Sweet Pea was the best player I ever saw! He had a natural gift to play Basketball… His demons got the best of him.
– Tom Konchalski
Daniels bounced around the CBA for a few years and ultimately got let go due to his drug issues and being out of shape. He tried to go overseas and play but got kicked off the team for heavy drinking. He was in and out of drug rehabs and things really got bad in 1989 when he got shot 3 times in the chest and survived. It was later reported that he was shot because he stole crack from a drug dealer and had to face the consequence of his actions in the streets. He’s said to still have bullet fragments from that shooting in his shoulder today. Daniels knew that if he didn’t turn his life around he would be dead. After a few years of getting his priorities in order, he gave the overseas lane another try. This time he would play in Greece and Turkey where he would do pretty well.
Daniels had a stint with the NJ Nets in ‘96. (Photo courtesy of NY Daily News)
Around the same time, Jerry Tarkanian would be named head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Tarkanian always had faith in Daniels and no matter what difficulties he encountered Tarkanian vowed to give him a chance to play one day. The New York Knicks were also in the picture and flew Daniels in for a tryout. The Knicks reportedly turned Daniels down after he didn’t play well in that tryout. Daniels would sign as a free agent with Spurs that year (1992-93) and would be their starting point guard in summer league play. When he played the Knicks that year he torched them for 30 points, dispelling the notion that he wasn’t an NBA caliber player. He wanted to show the Knicks scouts and the NBA that he was one of the best players in the world and now had the chance to show it. In only his second game of the season he would drop 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 3 block shots, demonstrating his skill and versatility.
Lloyd Daniels was supposed to go down as one of the best to ever play. He was highly respected by his peers and everyone who got a chance to know him. (Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Current)
Twenty games into the season that year Tarkanian would be fired from his Head Coach position and Daniels’ playing time took an immediate hit. The following year he was let go from the Spurs and would bounce around the league trying to find a home. He got a few more opportunities here and there but the best of Lloyd Daniels’ playing career was in the rearview mirror. I remember hearing all of the stories of Lloyd Daniels and always wondered what he would’ve been had he never experimented with drugs.
Today, we honor Lloyd Daniels. Not because of what he did off the court but for his contributions to the Basketball culture. We praise Lloyd for the resilience he has had to fight drug addiction and fulfill his goal of making it to the NBA. Today Daniels coaches AAU basketball in New Jersey and has been a role model for the youth. He tells them not to be like him… to be better than him!! Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!! ?