Deyonta Davis (born December 2, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Taoyuan Leopards The Taoyuan Leopards ( zh, 桃園永豐雲豹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. They compete in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home game at the National Taiwan Sport University ...

of the

T1 League The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...

. He won the Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 2015 and appeared in the McDonald's All-American Boys Game the same year. He played one season of college basketball for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

before being drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 31st overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft before being traded to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

on draft night.

High school career

Davis attended

Muskegon High School Muskegon High School is a public high school located in Muskegon, Michigan, and was the first high school in Muskegon County, Michigan. History The Class of 1875, consisting of two girls, was the first from Muskegon High School. Records show ...

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...

. In his final season, he recorded 4 points and 12 rebounds in the state regional finals, as Muskegon escaped Hudsonville in quadruple-overtime. He played his final game for the Big Reds on March 24, 2015, in a 52–75 quarterfinals loss to Everett High School. He contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks. It was played only three miles from the Michigan State University campus. Davis said after the loss, "It was very important o help my team advance We came out ready to play, but the game just didn't go our way." The game was attended by MSU assistant basketball coach Dwayne Stephens, who helped recruit him to his team. Davis also got the chance to meet Spartans players before competing. As Muskegon's star left his team, head coach Keith Guy said, "The future is bright. Two games don't define his career." By the end of the season, Davis was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan for 2015. In the balloting, he earned a total of 5,223 points. Arthur Hill's Eric Davis and Everett's Trevor Manuel finished after him, getting 3,757 and 2,837 points respectively. The award was won by two straight players from Muskegon High School, Deshaun Thrower winning in 2014. Big Red coach Guy complemented his team, saying, "To have another kid win it for the second consecutive year, it shows how far our program has come the last three years." Davis was given his personal Mr. Basketball trophy between the quarters of the

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

state title game, in which

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

's Arthur Hill played against

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

's Western International. He said in disappointment, "I'd much rather be on the floor playing right now." On April 1, 2015, Davis competed in the

2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on April 1, 2015, at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It was the 38th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The ...

, playing for the West team. He played alongside the likes of

Brandon Ingram Brandon Xavier Ingram (born September 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the ...

Allonzo Trier Allonzo Brian Trier (born January 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2016–17, he earned sec ...

and

Jalen Brunson Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National ...

and against future NBA All-Stars

Jaylen Brown Jaylen Marselles Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being n ...

and Ben Simmons, and other high school phenomenon's like Diamond Stone and

Cheick Diallo Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a Malian professional basketball player for the Kyoto Hannaryz of the B.League. Diallo was a five-star recruit and the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He played ...

. Davis finished the game with 6 points and 9 rebounds, leading his team in the latter category. In January, when he was named to the game, Bank Hoops scout Steve Bell said, "This is huge for West Michigan." The forward was the first player from that region to appear at the stage since Matt Steigenga in 1988.

College career

Davis played one season at

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, averaging 7.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. Davis started 16 of the final 17 games of the season for the

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

. Davis was a key part to Michigan States record setting start to the season, Big Ten tournament championship, and MSU's 2nd overall final rank in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...

. He set the school freshman record with 64 blocked shots, second-most in a single season in program history.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2016–2018)

Davis declared for the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

on April 12, 2016. Davis and teammate

Denzel Valentine Denzel Robert Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. As a senior, Valentine became the first playe ...

were selected to attend the 2016 NBA Combine. Davis hired Bill Duffy as his agent. While Davis was consistently labelled as a lottery selection all the way until the day of the draft, he was chosen by the Boston Celtics with the 31st overall pick. He therefore became the first green room invitee to not hear his name get called in the first round since

Maciej Lampe Maciej Bolesław Lampe (born February 5, 1985) is a Polish professional basketball player. Standing at , he plays at the power forward and center positions. Professional career Originally from Łódź, Poland, Lampe grew up in Stockholm, Swede ...

in 2003's NBA draft. Davis' rights were later traded to the

on draft night. On July 12, 2016, Davis signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $4-million contract with the

. The deal marked the richest guaranteed salary for an American-born second-round pick in NBA history. On December 15, 2016, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. During his rookie and sophomore seasons, Davis received multiple assignments to the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

and the

Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers Ce ...

, the Grizzlies'

G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

affiliates.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2018–2019)

On July 17, 2018, Davis was traded, along with

Ben McLemore Ben Edward McLemore IIIKeegan, TomRising above: Ben Mclemore elevates above adversity ''Lawrence Journal-World'', December 5, 2012. (born February 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chin ...

, a 2021 second-round pick and cash considerations, to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

in exchange for

Garrett Temple Garrett Bartholomew Temple (born May 8, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers from 2005 until 2009. An NBA jo ...

. On September 22, 2018, Davis was waived by the Kings. On October 11, 2018, Davis signed with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors released him on October 12. He was then added to the Warriors’ G League affiliate, the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior t ...

Atlanta Hawks (2019)

On March 19, 2019, Davis was called up to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

and signed a 10-day contract. He signed a second 10-day contract on March 29. On April 8, 2019, following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with Atlanta, Davis signed a multi-year contract with the Hawks. On June 10, 2019, Davis was waived by the Hawks. He averaged four points and four rebounds in nine games. On the same day, Davis was claimed off free-agency waivers by the Houston Rockets. On July 30, 2019, he was waived.

Return to Santa Cruz (2019–2020)

On October 29, 2019, Davis was included in the training camp roster of the

. On February 23, 2020, Davis posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a loss against the Stockton Kings for his sixth straight double-double. He averaged 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2019–20.

Taoyuan Leopards (2021–present)

On November 19, 2021, Davis signed with the

of the

. He was the league's blocking champion for the 2021–22 season. On June 30, 2022, Davis was selected to the all-defensive first team of the

in 2021–22 season. Davis re-signed with the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 36 , , 0 , , 6.6 , , .511 , , – , , .556 , , 1.7 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.5 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 6 , , 15.2 , , .608 , , – , , .667 , , 4.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .682 , , .000 , , .600 , , 4.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 107 , , 6 , , 12.1 , , .599 , , .000 , , .635 , , 3.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.2 , -

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .600 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .600 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.3 , -

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 16 , , 18.6 , , .598 , , .000 , , .605 , , 5.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 7.5 , -

References

External links

Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Deyonta 1996 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Michigan Boston Celtics draft picks Centers (basketball) Iowa Energy players McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Santa Cruz Warriors players Sportspeople from Muskegon, Michigan 21st-century African-American sportspeople American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan Taoyuan Leopards players