Dalenta Jameral Stephens (born December 19, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the

UCAM Murcia UCAM Murcia is a Spanish multi-sport club. It may refer to: * UCAM Murcia CB, the basketball team * UCAM Murcia CF, their football team {{Disambiguation ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

, where he played four years for the Tigers basketball team.

College career

Stephens was not a highly regarded recruit out of Harker Heights High School when he was offered a scholarship by Memphis coach

Josh Pastner Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball nat ...

. By his senior year at Memphis, however, he had become a crowd favorite for his spectacular dunking and blocking abilities. In 2011–12, he won the Intersport's Dunks of the Year title for a dunk against Xavier on February 4, 2012. In his senior year at Memphis, Stephens became a starter and earned the Conference USA defensive player of the year award. Stephens earned national attention in the 2013 NCAA tournament after demonstrating his leaping ability against St. Mary's and Michigan State. In a four-year career at Memphis, Stephens played a total of 129 games while averaging 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 13.2 minutes per game.

Professional career

Ilysiakos (2013–2014)

During the 2013 pre-draft workouts at the NBA Draft Combine, Stephens recorded the highest standing vertical leap (46 inches) and the highest running vertical leap (53 inches) ever recorded by the NBA. He also had the fastest time at the 2013 Combine in the three-quarter court sprint. 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 ...

, Stephens joined the Miami Heat for the Orlando Summer League and the Dallas Mavericks for the Las Vegas Summer League after his shot step in Masaje Arisco. On August 13, 2013, he signed with Ilysiakos B.C. of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

for the 2013–14 season. In early March 2014, he left Greece and returned to the United States.

Milwaukee Bucks (2014)

On March 26, 2014, Stephens signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 29, 2014, he made his NBA debut. In just under 12 minutes of action, he recorded five points and four rebounds in a loss to the Miami Heat. On April 5, 2014, the Bucks did not offer him a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day contract expired.

Anadolu Efes (2014)

On April 10, 2014, he signed with

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

of Turkey for the rest of the 2013–14 season.

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2014–2015)

On October 1, 2014, Stephens signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. However, he was later waived by the Pelicans on October 24, 2014. On December 2, 2014, he signed with

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (, ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Pr ...

of Russia for the rest of the season. In 21 league games for Zenit in 2014–15, Stephens averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Canton Charge (2015–2016)

On September 28, 2015, Stephens signed with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. However, he was later waived by the Cavaliers on October 23 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 30, 2015, Stephens was acquired by the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2024, the team plays its home games at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland, thoug ...

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, ...

as an affiliate player of the Cavaliers. On November 14, he made his debut for Canton in a 106–99 loss to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

, recording 10 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 25 minutes. In 27 games for the Charge, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game.

Iowa Energy (2016)

On March 5, 2016, Stephens was traded to the

Iowa Energy Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick. The next day, he made his debut for Iowa in a 109–104 loss to the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state' ...

, recording three points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. On March 28, he was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week after averaging 24.7 points on 61.4 percent shooting to go with 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals while connecting 11-of-18 three-point attempts in three games from March 21 through March 27.

Budivelnyk (2016–2017)

In July 2016, Stephens joined 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 Southwest Division of the ...

for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week ...

and on August 8, 2016, he signed with them. However, he was waived on October 22 after appearing in five preseason games. On November 21, 2016, he signed with Ukrainian club Budivelnyk for the rest of the season. With Budivelnyk he won the Ukrainian SuperLeague championship.

Vaqueros de Bayamón (2017)

On May 19, 2017, Stephens signed with

Vaqueros de Bayamón The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

Le Mans Sarthe Basket (2017–2018)

On July 17, 2017, Stephens signed with French club

Le Mans Sarthe Basket Le Mans Sarthe Basket, commonly known as MSB or Le Mans, is a professional basketball club that is from the city of Le Mans, France. The team plays in the French League and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. Established in 19 ...

for the 2017–18 season. On May 15, 2018, Stephens was named the

LNB Pro A Best Sixth Man The LNB Pro A Best Sixth Man is an annual professional basketball award that is given by the top tier division in France, the LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Re ...

of the 2017–18 season. He averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Stephens re-signed with the team on July 5, 2018.

Memphis Grizzlies (2018)

On October 8, 2018, Stephens signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the

, but was waived by the

on December 30, 2018, after appearing in one game.

Manama Club (2019)

On February 19, 2019, Stephens signed a contract for the rest of the season with the reigning

Bahraini Premier League The Bahraini Premier League is the main domestic football competition in the kingdom of Bahrain. Currently known as the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, the first season was held in 1956-1957. The winners of the domestic championship qualify f ...

champions, Manama Club. He posted averages of 18 ppg, 10 rpg, and 2.7 assist a game. He announced his departure April 13, 2019, via Instagram.

Le Mans Sarthe Basket (2019–2020)

On July 12, 2019, he has signed with

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. On December 29, 2019, he has won the dunk contest of the French All-Star Game LNB 2019. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Prometey (2020–2022)

On July 9, 2020, Stephens signed with Prometey of the

Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague The Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL) () is the first-tier level of professional basketball league in Ukraine. Established in 1992, the league is currently contested by 10 clubs. It is a tier above the Ukrainian Higher League and allows for o ...

. He averaged 12 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Stephens re-signed with the team on July 3, 2021. He averaged 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, helping the team win the Supercup.

Fos Provence (2022)

On March 17, 2022, he has signed with Fos Provence of the

Prometey (2022–2023)

On July 28, 2022, he has signed with Prometey of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.

Chiba Jets (2023–2024)

On July 14, 2023, Stephens signed with

Chiba Jets Chiba Jets Funabashi () is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League, which they have won in 2021. Owned by Mixi, they have also won fi ...

of the Japanese

B.League The B.League is a men's professional basketball league in Japan. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that was operated by the FIBA-affi ...

UCAM Murcia (2024–present)

In December 2024, Stephens joined the

UCAM Murcia UCAM Murcia is a Spanish multi-sport club. It may refer to: * UCAM Murcia CB, the basketball team * UCAM Murcia CF, their football team {{Disambiguation ...

of the

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .429 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.3 , - , 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 * Mem ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .500 , , – , , – , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.3

Personal life

Stephens is the son of Will Stephens and Dorothea Love. He now has two daughters, Dallas Noelle Stephens, and Lordis Reign Stephens.

References

External links

D. J. Stephens
at nbadleague.com

at gotigersgo.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, D. J, 1990 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Bahrain American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basketball players from Killeen, Texas BC Budivelnyk players BC Prometey players Canton Charge players Chiba Jets players Fos Provence Basket players Ilysiakos B.C. players Iowa Energy players Le Mans Sarthe Basket players Manama Club basketball players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks players Shooting guards Small forwards Undrafted NBA players Vaqueros de Bayamón basketball players