The Potawatomi Fire are thrilled to announce the re-signing of the longest tenured Fire player, Deshawn Munson, for the upcoming 2025 TBL season.
Munson, a 6-4 guard from East St. Louis, Illinois, has been a cornerstone player for the Fire since the team’s inaugural season. Munson is the only player to have been on the team in all three of the Fire’s seasons. He is the franchise’s leader in games played (86), points scored (1,811), assists (678), total rebounds (1,033), made field goals (739), field goals attempted (1,322), free throws made (329), and free throws attempted (632). Finally, Munson is the franchise leader in triple-doubles (20) and double-doubles (40).
Along with the career franchise records, Munson also holds a couple single game team records including the most rebounds in a game with 25 (6/1/24 vs Wichita). In fact, Munson owns the top six rebounding performances in franchise history and eight of the top 10. Munson also holds the record for most field goals made in a single game with 19 (5/8/22 vs Little Rock).
“We are excited to have Munson back in the fold,” said Fire General Manager David Qualls. “Deshawn has been an integral part to our organization since the beginning and we know he will be a big piece to the success we have this year. Deshawn is a great man and father and has endeared himself to the Shawnee community. We are glad he is back and look forward to him helping us win a third straight championship.”
Over the course the Fire’s undefeated 2024 season, Munson averaged 17.5 points per game, 6.4 assists per game, and 12.4 rebounds per game (2nd best in TBL). He also shot 53.4% from the field. In the postseason, Munson saw his numbers jump to 21.1 points per game, 16.5 rebounds per game, and 6.1 assists per game. Munson also shot a team high 63.0% from the field during the playoffs. Those performances earned him the 2024 TBL Playoff MVP award.
“I am very excited to have Deshawn Munson back with the Fire,” said Fire head coach, and two-time TBL Coach of the Year, Mark Dannhoff. “Munson is a truly unique player who always gets the job done and impacts the game in so many ways. I’m incredibly proud of his growth both on and off the court and I look forward to seeing him back in a Fire jersey once again.”
Along with leading the Fire in numerous statistical categories, Munson has established himself as one of the premier players in The Basketball League (TBL). Through his career, Munson has earned numerous awards, including being named the 2022 TBL MVP. Munson has also earned the Playoff MVP award twice. He shared the award with teammate Chuck Guy in 2023 before solely winning the award last season. Munson was also named an All-TBL 1st Team player in 2022, an All-TBL 2nd Team player in 2023, and an All-TBL Honorable Mention player in 2024. Munson has also been named to the TBL All-Star team twice in his career (2022 and 2023).
The Fire will begin their 2025 TBL season in late February or early March. Individual game tickets and season tickets will be on sale soon.
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ABOUT THE POTAWATOMI FIRE
The Potawatomi Fire are the first professional basketball team owned by a Native American tribe (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) in Oklahoma. The Fire compete in the Central Conference of The Basketball League (TBL), a men’s professional basketball league, with roughly 40 teams across the U.S. and Canada. The Fire play their home games at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Through their first three years, the Fire have established themselves as the premier franchise in TBL. Along with winning the TBL championship in 2023 and 2024, the Fire organization was named the 2022 winner of the Jim Koch Award as TBL’s Best Ran Business. The dance team of the Fire, the Fire Girls, were named TBL’s 2022 Best Dance Team and Central Conference Best Dance Team in 2023 and 2024.