ABA League Scoring Record-Holder Daron Russell Joins U-BT Cluj-Napoca

U-BT Cluj-Napoca has announced the signing of American point guard Daron "Fatts" Russell, marking the return of one of the most dynamic scorers in recent ABA League history. The 27-year-old guard, who previously made headlines with a record-setting performance during his time with Mornar-Barsko zlato, will rejoin the regional competition for the 2025–26 season.

Russell is well known to ABA League fans for his explosive 2022–23 campaign with Mornar, where he averaged 26.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. Most notably, he holds the league's all-time single-game scoring record, having dropped 47 points in a single outing—an achievement that still stands unmatched.

Since his standout season in Montenegro, the Philadelphia native has continued to impress across Europe. He spent the last two years competing in the Turkish Basketball Super League, suiting up for Galatasaray, Manisa BBSK, and most recently Pınar Karşıyaka. In the 2024–25 season, he posted averages of 16.1 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. His season included a 40-point performance against EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce, underscoring his scoring potential on the biggest stages.

Russell also competed in the Basketball Champions League, where he added 17.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game to his résumé.

Russell is the sixth signing of the summer for U-BT Cluj-Napoca after Iverson Molinar, Jeffery Taylor, Ben Altit, Trey Woodbury, and Nathan Mensah.