Malevy Leons
{{Short description|Dutch professional basketball player (born 1999)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Malevy Leons
| image =
| position = Power forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| weight_lb = 210
| league = NBA G League
| team = Oklahoma City Blue
| number = 17
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1999|9|23}}
| birth_place = IJmuiden, Netherlands
| high_school =
| college =
- Mineral Area (2019–2021)
- Bradley (2021–2024)
| draft_year = 2024
| career_start = 2017
| career_end =
| team1 = Apollo Amsterdam
| years2 = {{nbay|2024|start}}
| team2 = Oklahoma City Thunder
| years3 = 2024
| team3 = →Oklahoma City Blue
| years4 = 2024–present
| team4 = Oklahoma City Blue
| highlights =
- First-team All-MVC (2024)
- Second-team All-MVC (2023)
- 2× MVC Defensive Player of the Year (2023, 2024)
- 2× MVC All-Defensive team (2024)
- NABC Junior College Player of the Year (2021)
}}
Malevy Leons (born 23 September 1999) is a Dutch professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Mineral Area College Cardinals and the Bradley Braves.
Early career
Leons was born and raised in IJmuiden by Iwan and Monique Leons and played in the youth academy of Apollo Amsterdam. He made his debut for the senior team in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) during the 2017–18 season.{{cite news|title=Basketballer Malevy Leons uit IJmuiden valt in Amerika in de prijzen [video]|url=https://www.noordhollandsdagblad.nl/cnt/dmf20210508_61714327|work=Noordhollands Dagblad|access-date=5 January 2022|language=nl-BE}} In the following season, Leons became a permanent member of the team and started in 15 games, contributing 5.9 points and 4 rebounds per game for Apollo.
College career
In 2020, Leons moved to the United States to play for Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri. He helped the team claim a 20–0 record while winning the Midwest District championship. He led the team with 18.7 points and 9.5 rebounds, while also adding 2 blocks and 3.1 assists per game. Leons was named the Junior College Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).{{cite news|title=Bradley Commit Malevy Leons Named Player of the Year |url=https://bradleybraves.com/news/2021/5/6/mens-basketball-bradley-commit-malevy-leons-named-player-of-the-year.aspx|work=Bradley University Athletics|date=6 May 2021|access-date=5 January 2022}}
Starting from the 2021–22 season, Leons played for the Bradley Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). He won back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024.{{cite web|first=Ersin|last=Demir|title=Malevy Leons Scouting Report|url=https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/malevy-leons-scouting-report|work=Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter|date=18 May 2024|access-date=21 July 2024}} Leons averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists per game as a fifth-year senior.{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Cody |title=Thunder rookie Malevy Leons posts monster stat line in G League game |url=https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/rookie/2024/11/13/thunder-malevy-leons-okc-blue-g-league-stats/76258461007/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=Rookie Wire |date=13 November 2024}}
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Leons joined the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Summer League{{cite web|first=Cody|last=Roskens|title=Malevy Leons signs with the Oklahoma City Thunder|url=https://bradleybraves.com/news/2024/6/27/mens-basketball-malevy-leons-drafted-by.aspx|website=BradleyBraves.com|date=27 June 2024|access-date=18 October 2024}} and on 27 September 2024, he signed with the team.{{cite web|first=Luke|last=Adams|title=Thunder Sign Cormac Ryan, Two Others|url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/09/thunder-sign-cormac-ryan-two-others.html|website=HoopsRumors.com|date=27 September 2024|access-date=28 September 2024}} However, he was waived on 19 October{{cite web|first=Luke|last=Adams|title=Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks|url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/10/minor-moves-thunder-raptors-celtics-lakers-bucks.html|website=HoopsRumors.com|date=19 October 2024|access-date=19 October 2024}} and six days later, he joined the Oklahoma City Blue. On 31 October, he re-signed with the Thunder{{cite web|title=Thunder Signs Malevy Leons|url=https://www.nba.com/thunder/news/thunder-signs-malevy-leons|website=NBA.com|date=31 October 2024|access-date=31 October 2024}} and on 1 November, Leons made his NBA debut against the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring one point and recording an assist and rebound each in three minutes played.{{cite web|title=Thunder 137-114 Trail Blazers (Nov 1, 2024) Game Recap|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401704706|website=ESPN.com|access-date=3 November 2024}} On 15 November, he was waived again by the Thunder{{cite web|first=Rory|last=Maher|title=Thunder Waive Malevy Leons|url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/11/thunder-waive-malevy-leons.html|website=HoopsRumors.com|date=15 November 2024|access-date=16 November 2024}} and four days later, he joined the Oklahoma City Blue.{{cite tweet|author=OKC BLUE|title=The Oklahoma City Blue has acquired forward/center Malevy Leons, the team announced today.|number=1859042727746314578|user=okcblue|date=19 November 2024|access-date=20 November 2024}}
Player profile
Standing at {{convert|6|ft|9|in}} with a {{convert|7|ft|1|in|adj=on}} wingspan, scouts have praised his versatility for his size, as well as his defensive awareness.{{cite web|first=Ersin|last=Demir|title=Malevy Leons Scouting Report|url=https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/malevy-leons-scouting-report|work=Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter|date=18 May 2024|access-date=21 July 2024}}
Career statistics
=NBA=
==Regular season==
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2024}}
| style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City
| 6 || 0 || 3.5 || .000 || .000 || .500 || .5 || .2 || .0 || .0 || .3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 6 || 0 || 3.5 || .000 || .000 || .500 || .5 || .2 || .0 || .0 || .3
{{S-end}}
=DBL=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| 2017–18 || Apollo Amsterdam || 16 || 0 || 11.8 || .431 || .059 || .792 || 2.3 || 0.5 || 0.9 || 0.3 || 4.0
|-
| 2018–19 ||Apollo Amsterdam || 35 || 15 || 18.7 || .405 || .292 || .649 || 4.0 || 0.5 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 5.9
|-
|}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| 2019–20 || Mineral Area College || 32 || 31 || 3.6 || .613 || .300 || .877 || 6.6 || 1.9 || 1.7 || 2.1 || 13.1
|-
| 2020–21 || Mineral Area College || 25 || 24 || 8.0 || .564 || .293 || .723 || 9.5 || 3.1 || 1.1 || 2.0 || 18.7
|}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://bradleybraves.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/malevy-leons/13106 Bradley Braves bio]
- [https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4897449 ESPN.com profile]
- {{FIBA|new_id=255350}}
- {{FIBA 3x3|062df535-b5af-4a83-9fc8-fa71871134df}}
{{Oklahoma City Blue current roster}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leons, Malevy}}
Category:21st-century Dutch sportsmen
Category:Apollo Amsterdam players
Category:Bradley Braves men's basketball players
Category:Dutch Basketball League players
Category:Dutch expatriate basketball people in the United States
Category:Dutch men's basketball players
Category:Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Category:Mineral Area College alumni
Category:NBA players from the Netherlands
Category:Oklahoma City Blue players