Lester Prosper

{{short description|British Virgin Islands-Indonesian basketball player}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Lester Prosper

| image = LesterProsper_(cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Prosper in 2024

| number = 32

| position = Center

| height_m = 2.09

| weight_lb = 233

| league = IBL

| team = Dewa United Banten

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|9|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Roseau, Dominica

| nationality = British Virgin Islands / Indonesian

| high_school = Mepham
(Bellmore, New York)

| college = SUNY Old Westbury (2007–2011)

| draft_year = 2010

| career_start = 2011

| career_end =

| years1 = 2011

| team1 = Norrköping Dolphins

| years2 = 2011

| team2 = BC Prievidza

| years3 = 2011–2012

| team3 = MBK Handlová

| years4 = 2012

| team4 = Moncton Miracles

| years5 = 2012–2013

| team5 = Windsor Express

| years6 = 2013

| team6 = Oshawa Power

| years7 = 2013–2014

| team7 = Al Wehda Mecca

| years8 = 2014

| team8 = Caribbean Heat de Cartagena

| years9 = 2014

| team9 = Cheshire Phoenix

| years10 = 2014

| team10 = Araberri BC

| years11 = 2014

| team11 = San Lazaro baloncesto

| years12 = 2016

| team12 = Trigueros de Ciudad Obregón

| years13 = 2016–2017

| team13 = Windsor Express

| years14 = 2017

| team14 = Rafael Barias

| years15 = 2017

| team15 = Gaiteros del Zulia

| years16 = 2017–2018

| team16 = Panteras de Costa del Este Panama City

| years17 = 2018–2019

| team17 = Worcester Wolves

| years18 = 2019

| team18 = Columbian Dyip

| years19 = 2019

| team19 = San Miguel Beermen

| years20 = 2020

| team20 = Indonesia Patriots

| years21 = 2021

| team21 = Halcones de Xalapa

| years22 = 2022

| team22 = Tainan TSG GhostHawks

| years23 = 2022

| team23 = Terrafirma Dyip

| years24 = 2022–2023

| team24 = Suwon KT Sonicboom

| years25 = 2023

| team25 = Dynamo Lebanon

| years26 = 2023–present

| team26 = Dewa United Banten

| highlights =

IBL All-Star MVP (2024)
2× IBL All-Star (2020, 2024)

}}

Lester Prosper (born September 21, 1988) is a Dominican-born British Virgin Islands{{cite news |author1=Joaquin M. Henson |title=Indonesian cagers in Serbia |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2019/10/31/1964841/indonesian-cagers-serbia |accessdate=2023-11-27 |work=The Philippine Star |date=2019-10-31 |quote=Prosper, who has a British Virgin Islands passport, averaged 33.6 points, 16.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in seven games with the Dyip. }}{{cite web |title=Lester Prosper - Player Profile |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/player/192487/Lester-Prosper |website=FIBA.basketball |access-date=27 November 2023 |quote=Nationality INA//IVB}}-Indonesian professional basketball player for the Dewa United Banten of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). He played college basketball for the SUNY Old Westbury Panthers.

College career

Lester Prosper played four years with the State University of New York College at Old Westbury in the NCAA Division III.{{cite web |last=Henson |first=Quinito |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2021/02/24/2079990/prosper-ready-gilas |title=Prosper ready for Gilas |date=February 24, 2021 |website=The Philippine Star |access-date=February 25, 2021}}

Professional career

Prosper was drafted in the 6th round of the 2013 NBA Development League draft by the Maine Red Claws.{{cite web|title=NBA Summer League: Lester Prosper hoping to catch on with Knicks' roster|url= https://www.nj.com/knicks/2013/06/nba_summer_league_lester_prosper_hoping_to_catch_on_with_knicks.html|website= nj.com|access-date=July 22, 2023 |date=July 22, 2023}}

Altogether, Prosper played in 12 countries before suiting up for Columbian in the Philippine Basketball Association in 2019. He recorded a career-high 45 points in a 123–127 loss to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurobasket.com/boxScores/Philippines/2019/0714_19939_1815.asp|title=Columbian Dyip 123 - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 127|publisher=EuroBasket.com|date=July 14, 2019|accessdate=January 5, 2022}} He also played for San Miguel Beer in the Terrific 12 in Macau that year.

On March 20, 2022, Prosper signed with the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League.{{cite news|url=https://www.nownews.com/news/5750291|title=台鋼獵鷹起飛！補進場均22+11雷神　分擔阿提諾壓力|date=March 20, 2022|work=NOWnews|access-date=March 20, 2022}}

National team career

On November 12, 2020, Prosper became citizen of Indonesia.{{cite news |author1=Wila Wildayanti |title=Sah! Atlet Basket Brandon Jawato dan Lester Prosper Resmi Jadi WNI |url=https://www.bolasport.com/read/312424701/sah-atlet-basket-brandon-jawato-dan-lester-prosper-resmi-jadi-wni |accessdate=2023-11-26 |publisher=BolaSport.com |date=2020-11-12 }} He has been a part of Indonesia's national basketball team at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification. At his home country's 90–76 victory against Thailand, Prosper collected 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Personal life

Prosper was born in Dominica, moved to Montserrat when he was 11, then moved to the United States two years later.{{cite news |author1=Joaquin M. Henson |title=Winning off the court |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2022/11/23/2225806/winning-court |accessdate=2023-11-27 |work=The Philippine Star |date=2022-11-23 |quote=Prosper was born in the Caribbean island of Dominica and raised by a single mother with a brother and two sisters from another father. When a volcano erupted in Dominica, his mother brought him to the neighboring island of Montserrat at 11. Two years later, Prosper was sent off alone to New York to a father he had never met by his mother because she couldn’t afford keeping him home. In New York, Prosper hardly saw his father and was brought to a shelter.}}