Damiris Dantas Bio
Damiris Dantas do Amaral is a Brazilian professional basketball player who plays for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Botaş SK of the Turkish Super League. Standing 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), she is listed as a power forward and center, known for her shooting touch as a frontcourt player. A longtime international for the Brazilian national team, she has represented her country at the Pan American Games, the FIBA AmeriCup, the South American Championship, and the Under-19 World Championship.
Born on November 17, 1992, in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Brazil, Dantas started playing basketball at the age of 13 at Janeth Arcain’s basketball institute. Within four years she had turned professional, beginning a career that has taken her from club basketball in Brazil to Spain, the WNBA, and Turkey. In 2025, she won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship with the Indiana Fever.
Early Life and Background
Damiris Dantas do Amaral was born on November 17, 1992, in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. She grew up in a country where basketball has long had a strong women’s tradition, and she came of age as several Brazilian stars were starring in the WNBA and European leagues. That environment helped shape her early ambitions on the court.
Dantas began playing basketball at the age of 13 when she joined the basketball institute founded by Janeth Arcain, a former Brazilian national team star. The institute became a key training ground for her, where she developed the skills that would carry her into the professional ranks. Within four years of starting the sport, she had become a professional player, an unusually fast rise that pointed to her physical tools and her work ethic.
Path to Basketball
Dantas made her earliest impact on the international stage as a teenager. Playing for the junior Brazilian team, she won a bronze medal at the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Chile and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. That same year, she was part of the senior Brazilian team that won the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women, and she also won a bronze medal with Brazil at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
Her club path began in Brazil with COC/Jundiaí from 2010 to 2011, before a move abroad to Real Celta Vigo in Spain for the 2011-2012 season. Returning to Brazil, she played for Ourinhos in 2012, Maranhão in 2013, and Americana from 2013 to 2015. Selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the 2012 WNBA Draft, she delayed her arrival in the league until after the 2012 Olympic Games, continuing to build experience in South America and Europe.
Damiris Dantas Career
Minnesota Lynx (2014-2015)
The Minnesota Lynx signed Dantas on April 2, 2014, and she made her WNBA debut on May 16, 2014, grabbing 12 rebounds in a win over Washington. She became only the second rookie in league history to open her career with at least 10 rebounds and 5 assists, and she soon led all WNBA rookies in rebounding after stepping into a starting role. On August 9, 2015, she scored 18 points, showcasing her growing offensive game.
Atlanta Dream (2015 and 2017)
On July 27, 2015, Dantas was traded to the Atlanta Dream as part of a three-team deal. She was suspended for the 2016 WNBA season after failing to report to training camp, choosing instead to train with the Brazilian national team ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Atlanta retained her rights and expected her back for the 2017 season.
Minnesota Lynx Return (2019-2023)
On February 8, 2019, Dantas signed with the Minnesota Lynx as a free agent, returning to the franchise that had first drafted her. In 2019 she started all 26 games she appeared in and set career highs in minutes, points, and assists per game, complementing center Sylvia Fowles by stretching the floor with her outside shot. In the 2020 WNBA Bubble season, she shot 44.3 percent from three-point range on just over four attempts per game, finishing with averages of 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
After agreeing to a multi-year extension in September 2020, Dantas suffered a Lisfranc injury in her right foot near the end of the 2021 season and underwent surgery. The long recovery contributed to a depression that affected her play, and she stepped away from the Lynx during the 2022 season to receive psychological treatment. After attending the 2023 training camp, she was waived by Minnesota, then led Brazil to the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup title and played for Fuerza Regia in Mexico and OGM Ormanspor in Turkey.
Indiana Fever Era (2024-Present)
On February 1, 2024, Dantas signed a multi-year contract with the Indiana Fever, beginning a new chapter in her WNBA career. A visa issue and a family emergency forced her to miss the opening week of training camp, and a knee injury kept her out of on-court work during the second week, leading the team to suspend her contract while she recovered. The Fever activated Dantas on June 25, 2024, and on April 12, 2026, the team announced that she had re-signed with the club. In 2025 she helped Indiana win the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship.
Driving Style and Strengths
At 6 ft 4 in, Dantas brings a rare blend of size and perimeter skill to the frontcourt. Her three-point shooting stretches defenses, while her rebounding and passing allow her to function as a hub in the offense. She has built her game around spacing the floor for dominant post players and reading defensive rotations from the high post and the wing.
Notable Events and Milestones
Dantas’s career has been marked by historic debuts, MVP honors at the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, and a 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title with the Indiana Fever. She has also navigated serious injuries, including a Lisfranc fracture and a knee injury, as well as a public battle with depression during her second stint in Minnesota.
Damiris Dantas Career Wins
Across more than a decade of senior basketball, Dantas has accumulated titles at the international and club levels, most recently the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with the Indiana Fever. Her trophy case also includes a 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship bronze and MVP, a 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women gold, a 2011 Pan American Games bronze, and a 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup gold with Brazil.
WNBA Highlights
In the WNBA, Dantas has played for the Minnesota Lynx, the Atlanta Dream, and the Indiana Fever since her 2014 debut. Her signature WNBA moment came in 2025, when she won the Commissioner’s Cup championship with Indiana. Her strongest statistical season came in 2020, when she averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for the Lynx while shooting 44.3 percent from three-point range.
International Highlights
For Brazil, Dantas has been a fixture in senior and youth competitions, winning gold at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women and the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, and adding South American Championship titles. She also helped Brazil to bronze medals at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara and the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, and was a contributor at multiple additional FIBA AmeriCup events in 2013, 2019, and 2025.
Damiris Dantas Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Public information about Damiris Dantas’s immediate family remains limited, and details about her parents, siblings, and marital status have not been widely reported. She grew up in Ferraz de Vasconcelos in the São Paulo metropolitan area, where she was introduced to basketball as a teenager through the institute of Brazilian legend Janeth Arcain.
Personal Life
Throughout her career, Dantas has spoken openly about her mental health, including her experience with depression following a Lisfranc foot injury in 2021. She has credited her time in treatment and the support of her clubs and national team staff for her return to the court, and she continues to balance her WNBA duties with her commitments to Botaş SK in Turkey.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked a high point in Damiris Dantas’s WNBA career, as she helped the Indiana Fever capture the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship. The title added a major piece of team silverware to her resume and reflected her value as a stretch big in Indiana’s rotation.
Beyond the Commissioner’s Cup run, Dantas continued to log minutes as a power forward and center, providing floor spacing, rebounding, and playmaking from the frontcourt. Her role dovetailed with the Fever’s growing young core, giving the team a veteran presence in the paint and on the perimeter.
Looking ahead within the 2025 calendar, Dantas is expected to remain a central part of the Fever’s plans while also continuing her overseas commitment with Botaş SK in the Turkish Super League. Her combination of international experience, three-point shooting, and frontcourt versatility positions her as a key contributor for Indiana as the team builds on its 2025 Commissioner’s Cup success.
