HALIFAX -- Bedford, N.S. resident Nate Darling has taken a major step toward becoming the first Nova Scotian born player to play in the NBA.
Darling wasn’t selected in Wednesday night’s NBA draft, but just hours after the draft ended, reports surfaced that he was set to sign a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
The two-way contract means the six-foot-five-inch guard could split his time playing in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. for the Hornets' minor league affiliate in the NBA G League.
Darling, who played college basketball at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of Delaware, declared himself eligible for the NBA draft after a breakout 2019-20 season in Delaware.
The 22-year-old shooting guard was one of the top scorers in the NCAA, leading Delaware with 21 points per game, and was named a CAA conference first team all-star.
Darling set a University of Delaware record by hitting 107 three-pointers last season, and his 672 points were just seven shy of the school record.
Darling played his high school basketball south of the border at DeMatha Catholic High School, a basketball powerhouse in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he played with former NBA first overall pick Markelle Fultz.
While in high school, Darling had national and international success representing both Nova Scotia and Canada. In 2015, he scored 50 points to lead Basketball Nova Scotia to an upset over Ontario in the championship game of the U-17 Canada Basketball Championships in Halifax.
He also teamed with Nova Scotian NBA hopeful Lindell Wigginton on the Team Canada U19 team that won a historic gold medal at the 2017 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, and helped Team Canada win a silver medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Basketball Championship.
The Hornets, owned by legendary NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, finished 23-42 last season.
