| Nate Darling | |
| Position: | Shooting guard |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lbs: | 200 |
| League: | NBA G League |
| Team: | San Diego Clippers |
| Number: | 3 |
| Birth Date: | 30 August 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| High School: | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
| College: | |
| Draft Year: | 2020 |
| Career Start: | 2020 |
| Years1: | – |
| Team1: | Charlotte Hornets |
| Years2: | 2021 |
| Team2: | →Greensboro Swarm |
| Years3: | 2021–present |
| Team3: | Agua Caliente / Ontario / San Diego Clippers |
| Highlights: |
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Nathan Joseph Darling (born August 30, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the San Diego Clippers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UAB Blazers and the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. He is the first and only Blue Hens player in NBA history.[1]
Darling attended DeMatha Catholic High School and was teammates with top recruit Markelle Fultz and football star Chase Young.[2]
Darling began his collegiate career at UAB and averaged 2.5 points per game. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.1 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent on three-pointers.[2] Following the season, he decided to transfer to the University of Delaware. On December 14, 2019, Darling scored a game-high 29 points against 20th-ranked Villanova in a 78–70 loss, after which his head coach Martin Ingelsby said he was playing like one of the best guards in college basketball.[3] As a junior, Darling averaged 21 points per game.[4] He earned first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors.[5] After the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft while retaining college eligibility.[6] However, on August 3 he announced he was remaining in the draft and turning professional.[7]
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Darling signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Under the terms of the deal, he will split time between the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.[8] [9] This united him with Canadian assistant coach Jay Triano.
He made his NBA debut on March 13, 2021, against the Toronto Raptors, hitting a three-pointer in the fourth quarter, and became the first Nova Scotia born player in NBA history.[10]
On October 16, 2021, Darling was signed by the Los Angeles Clippers, but was waived shortly thereafter.[11] On October 23, he was selected by the Agua Caliente Clippers fifth overall in the 2021 NBA G League draft.[12]
On February 17, 2023, Darling signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[13] He was waived four days later without having played a game for the NBA team.[14] On February 23, he was reacquired by the Ontario Clippers.[15]
On October 9, 2023, Darling signed with the Los Angeles Clippers,[16] but was waived on October 20, prior to the start of the 2023–24 season.[17] Ten days later, he rejoined the Ontario Clippers.[18]
On September 20, 2024, Darling signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, but was waived on October 12.[19] On October 28, he rejoined the San Diego Clippers.[20]
|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte| 7 || 0 || 3.7 || .286 || .286 || 1.000 || .1 || .1 || .0 || .1 || 1.3|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 7 || 0 || 3.7 || .286 || .286 || 1.000 || .1 || .1 || .0 || .1 || 1.3
|-| style="text-align:left;"|2021| style="text-align:left;"|Charlotte| 1 || 0 || 4.3 || 1.000 || || || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 1 || 0 || 4.3 || 1.000 || || || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17| style="text-align:left;"| UAB| 30 || 1 || 9.4 || .491 || .462 || .500 || .5 || .5 || .1 || .0 || 2.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| UAB| 33 || 31 || 28.0 || .477 || .409 || .830 || 3.0 || 2.8 || .4 || .3 || 10.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Delaware| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Redshirt|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Delaware| 32 || 32 || 38.3 || .446 || .399 || .854 || 3.9 || 2.8 || .8 || .2 || 21.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 95 || 64 || 25.6 || .459 || .408 || .841 || 2.5 || 2.1 || .4 || .2 || 11.4