Daniel Baghdadian is an Armenian-Lebanese ex-professional basketball player from Beirut, Lebanon who played with various teams, D1 and D2 in his country and internationally.
He started his basketball career when he was serving in the military. After being in the Navy for 3 years, Daniel had an opportunity to play with the Lebanese Army National Basketball Team D2 and that’s where he decided to elevate his career. After playing 2 years with the Army, his talent and potential started to show. He received interest from several D1 teams in the country of Lebanon to join them and be an asset as a 6 ft. 8 in. PF/Center with a military background. Additionally, he played for several teams in the local league and traveled internationally to more than 5 countries to represent the local club and was also called to join the National Team and travel with them overseas.
After discovering his passion and gift of teaching and coaching basketball, Daniel decided to retire from his 10 year professional basketball career in June of 2024. Especially after pursuing a psychology major, he had an interest to combine that with sports. Daniel had a vision of how he could invest in the lives of athletes and youth in a different and healthy way using sports psychology with the game of basketball. In November 2022, he received a Basketball Coaching Certificate with Athletes in Action Team USA which opened his eyes even more on how to combine different cultures together yet teach the same game. In 2023 he studied basketball coaching for 1 year with the EHCB Euro League Head Coaches Board. Meanwhile, he took the position of Head Coach of one of the largest basketball academies and clubs in Lebanon and globally, called HOMENETMEN, where he coached 250 kids from the ages of 6 to 18 and mentored 6 coaches. He also started a new team and helped them to reach the Final Four in Beirut, Lebanon. In addition, he coached the Homenetmen Beirut Women’s Team. This position lasted for 2 years before he decided to move to the states.
On August 1st, Daniel caught the attention of the Athletes in Action Team USA post grad prep team coaching staff and was invited to be part of the coaching staff. Now he is performing as the offense coordinator, scouting report analyzer, and skills development coach. Specifically, developing the low post game and interaction with the perimeter position players.
Daniel said: “I love coaching athletes from different backgrounds and cultures. We can learn from each other and do so much together. I believe in investing in the athletes and thinking psychologically about teaching the game and the science of understanding the game is essential for me as a coach. My vision is to help athletes reach their maximum potential but to also find their true identity in life, not just in sports, so that they are grounded and don't lose themselves. My goal is to always be a student of the game and to grow as a coach on and off the court and reach higher and higher levels in coaching.”
