Calvin "C. J." Leslie (born June 25, 1991) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played college basketball for

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

High school career

Leslie attended

Word of God Christian Academy Word of God Christian Academy is a private, Christian, coeducational, primary and secondary day school located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Also known as Word of God, the school was founded in 1993. In 2015, a North Carolina thin ...

for three years where he played with

John Wall Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina, native, Wall was chosen with ...

for two of those three. In his senior year, he was selected to participate in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

and the

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

College career

Leslie signed with

out of high school. As a freshman at North Carolina State, Leslie was second on the team in points per game averaging 11.0 points, also leading the Wolfpack in rebounding averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Leslie was named to the ACC All-Freshmen Team. During his sophomore season he led the team in scoring averaging 14.7 points per game. Also Leslie was one of only three ACC players to place in the top ten in scoring, field goal percentage, and rebounding. Due to his play all season he garnered an All-ACC Second Team selection. During his junior season, Leslie again led the Wolfpack in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game, which was seventh in the conference. He also added 7.4 rebounds per game, which was tied for eighth in the conference. After the season Leslie was selected to the All-ACC Third Team. In 2011–12 and 2012–13, Leslie helped the Wolfpack to back to back NCAA tournament appearances, the first time the school had done so since the 2005–06 season.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

, Leslie signed a partially guaranteed contract with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

on July 8, 2013 and played for them at the Las Vegas Summer League. He was later waived by the Knicks on October 25 after appearing in five preseason games. On October 31, 2013, Leslie was acquired by the Erie BayHawks of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. On February 26, 2014, he was traded to the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state s ...

. In July 2014, Leslie was acquired by

Anyang KGC The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, and 2 ...

in the 2014 KBL draft. He played 18 games for the club before departing in late November. In January 2015, he joined

GlobalPort Batang Pier The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides N ...

for the 2015 Commissioner's Cup. In four games for GlobalPort, he averaged 29.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game. On February 14, 2015, Leslie signed with Puerto Rican team Mets de Guaynabo. In July 2015, Leslie joined 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

. On August 12, 2015, he signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli League. On January 21, 2016, Leslie signed with Cypriot team Petrolina AEK Larnaca. On October 30, 2016, Leslie was acquired by

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...

of the

. On May 1, 2019, Leslie was drafted in the 2nd round of the Big3 draft by Bivouac. On March 1, 2020, Leslie was reported to have signed with Al-Hilal. On November 1, he signed with

Al-Nasr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

Personal life

Leslie's younger sister Kiara is also a professional basketball player.

References

External links

NBA Draft Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leslie, C. J. 1991 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters players Basketball players from North Carolina Big3 players Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players NorthPort Batang Pier players Hapoel Eilat basketball players Idaho Stampede players McDonald's High School All-Americans Mets de Guaynabo basketball players NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Holly Springs, North Carolina Sportspeople from Wake County, North Carolina Philippine Basketball Association imports Raptors 905 players Small forwards Texas Legends players Word of God Christian Academy alumni American expatriate basketball people in Saudi Arabia Al Hilal basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen Byblos Club players Al Nassr BC players