Darius Myron Washington Jr. (born December 6, 1985,
in Winter Park, Florida) is an American professional
basketball player. A former point guard for the
University of Memphis Tigers basketball team, he is
currently a free agent. He played for the NBA's San
Antonio Spurs and for the D-League's Austin Toros in
2007.
Washington attended Edgewater High School in
Orlando, Florida, where in his senior year, he
played in an ESPN High School Showcase game against
Sebastian Telfair of the Portland Trail Blazers, and
currently on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is also
known for missing two of three free throws in the
Conference USA tournament finals against Louisville
on March 12th, 2005 that would have either tied or
won them the title outright, the only possible way
the Tigers could have made the NCAA Tournament that
year. Despite that setback, in his sophomore season
he helped lead the #1-seeded Tigers to an Elite
Eight appearance in the 2006 NCAA tournament, losing
to eventual runner-up UCLA. He was named to the
All-Conference USA first team and earned an
honorable mention as an All-American by the
Associated Press.
On April 25, 2006, Washington declared himself as an
early entry candidate for the 2006 NBA Draft.
Confident he would be drafted, he signed with a
sports agent on June 26, two days before the draft,
losing his eligibility to play in college. He was
not drafted. Although analyst Dick Vitale and others
believed Washington had a shot to make an NBA roster
as a free agent, he failed to do so after trying out
with several teams during training camp. He was
later drafted by the Austin Toros of the D-League
but instead chose to sign with PAOK BC in Greece and
later on with ČEZ Basketball Nymburk in the NBL
(Czech Basketball League).
Washington signed with the San Antonio Spurs on
August 23, 2007, and was assigned to the D-League in
late November. He played for Austin Toros in the NBA
D-League. He was called up in early December to
replace Tony Parker's spot while he healed from an
injury; however, Washington was waived by the Spurs
on December 28. He signed in January 2008 with
Greece's Aris BC.
