Lloyd Daniels

Who is Lloyd Daniels?

Lloyd Daniels is a retired American professional and semi-professional basketball player.

The 6'7" shooting guard was one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation during the 1986-87 recruiting cycle. At the time, he was considered the most talented player from New York City since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, he'd attended five high schools in three states, and could not read above a third-grade level.

He eventually wound up at UNLV and was slated to play for legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian. One of Tarkanian's assistants, Mark Warkentien, became Daniels' legal guardian, and got him admitted to a California junior college to improve his academics. 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 was too much even for him, and he announced days after the arrest 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.