Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, a 22-year-old Australian who led the NBA in steals, was voted the 2025 NBA Most Improved Player, the league announced on Wednesday.
And his career-best season figures put him among such NBA legends as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Daniels became the second Hawks player to capture the award after Alan Henderson in 1998, taking 44 first-place votes in balloting by a global media panel. Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers was second and Detroit's Cade Cunningham third.
Nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief" for his ball-swiping skills, Daniels was the runner-up for NBA Defensive Player of the Year after an NBA-best 229 steals this season -- the most steals in an NBA season since Gary Payton in 1995-96.