Malevy Leons

Malevy Leons

No. 17 – Oklahoma City Blue
Position	Power forward
League	NBA G League
Personal information
Born	(1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 25) IJmuiden, Netherlands
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Mineral Area (2019–2021) Bradley (2021–2024)
NBA draft	2024: undrafted
Playing career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2019	Apollo Amsterdam
2024	Oklahoma City Thunder
2024	→Oklahoma City Blue
2024–present	Oklahoma City Blue
Career highlights and awards
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)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

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.[1] 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).[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Leons joined the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Summer League[5] and on 27 September 2024, he signed with the team.[6] However, he was waived on 19 October[7] and six days later, he joined the Oklahoma City Blue. On 31 October, he re-signed with the Thunder[8] 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.[9] On 15 November, he was waived again by the Thunder[10] and four days later, he joined the Oklahoma City Blue.[11]

Player profile

Standing at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) with a 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) wingspan, scouts have praised his versatility for his size, as well as his defensive awareness.[12]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Source:[13]

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2024–25	Oklahoma City	6	0	3.5	.000	.000	.500	.5	.2	.0	.0	.3
Career		6	0	3.5	.000	.000	.500	.5	.2	.0	.0	.3

DBL

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
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

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
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

1. "Basketballer Malevy Leons uit IJmuiden valt in Amerika in de prijzen [video]". Noordhollands Dagblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 5 January 2022.
2. "Bradley Commit Malevy Leons Named Player of the Year". Bradley University Athletics. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
3. Demir, Ersin (18 May 2024). "Malevy Leons Scouting Report". Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
4. Taylor, Cody (13 November 2024). "Thunder rookie Malevy Leons posts monster stat line in G League game". Rookie Wire. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
5. Roskens, Cody (27 June 2024). "Malevy Leons signs with the Oklahoma City Thunder". BradleyBraves.com. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
6. Adams, Luke (27 September 2024). "Thunder Sign Cormac Ryan, Two Others". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
7. Adams, Luke (19 October 2024). "Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
8. "Thunder Signs Malevy Leons". NBA.com. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
9. "Thunder 137-114 Trail Blazers (Nov 1, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
10. Maher, Rory (15 November 2024). "Thunder Waive Malevy Leons". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
11. OKC BLUE [@okcblue] (19 November 2024). "The Oklahoma City Blue has acquired forward/center Malevy Leons, the team announced today" (Tweet). Retrieved 20 November 2024 – via Twitter.
12. Demir, Ersin (18 May 2024). "Malevy Leons Scouting Report". Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
13. "Malevy Leons Player Profile". RealGM.com. Retrieved 5 January 2022.

External links

• Bradley Braves bio
• ESPN.com profile