DaRon Holmes II

DaRon Rodrick Holmes II (born August 15, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Dayton Flyers.

Early life and high school career
Holmes grew up in Goodyear, Arizona and initially attended Millennium High School. He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. Holmes transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida prior to the start of his senior year. He ultimately moved back to Arizona during his winter break and transferred a second time to AZ Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona. Holmes was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Dayton over offers from Arizona, Marquette, and California.

College career
Holmes started all 35 of the Dayton Flyers' games as a freshman and led the team with 12.8 points per game and also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He also set a school record with 81 total blocks in a season. Holmes was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year, second-team All-Atlantic 10, and to the conference All-Defense team.

Holmes entered his sophomore season on the watch list for the Karl Malone Award. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 team.

On April 24, 2023, Holmes declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He later withdrew from the draft on the day of the deadline and announced that he would return to Dayton for his junior season.

On May 30, 2024, Holmes declared for the 2024 NBA draft. On June 26, he was selected as the 22nd overall pick by the Phoenix Suns, who subsequently traded him to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28), the draft rights to the 56th pick (which they later traded to the New York Knicks), a 2026 second-round selection and a 2031 second-round selection. As the No. 22 overall pick, he became the fifth Flyer to be an NBA first round draft pick.

Denver Nuggets (2024–present)
On June 26, 2024, Holmes was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2024 NBA Draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded for the 28th and 56th overall picks in the 2024 draft alongside second-round picks in 2026 and 2031 and on July 9, he signed with the Nuggets. Three days later, he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in his Summer League debut, ending his season.