DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (born June 5, 1993) is a Trinidadian-American 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 for

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS () is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukr ...

of the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. 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 Eastern Oklahoma State and

Illinois State Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching ...

. Standing at , he usually plays the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

position.

College career

Akoon-Purcell transferred from

Eastern Oklahoma State College Eastern Oklahoma State College is a public community college in Wilburton, Oklahoma. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The school has a branch campus in McAlester and teaching sites in Antlers ...

, where he was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-America Honorable Mention selection in 2014, to

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

ahead of the 2014–15 season. During his junior season at Illinois State, Akoon-Purcell was named to the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

(MVC) All-Newcomer Team, and he was also named the MVC Newcomer of the Year. In 2014–15, he was also a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award, presented annually to the top transfer in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I basketball, as awarded by CollegeInsider.com. Ahead of his senior season, Akoon-Purcell was a 2015–16 MVC Preseason Team selection. During his senior season at Illinois State, Akoon-Purcell led the team in scoring and ranked eighth in the MVC with 14.1 points per game on his way to earning All-MVC Second Team and NABC Division I District 16 Second Team accolades. Akoon-Purcell went undrafted in 2016.

Professional career

Bakken Bears (2016–2018)

In August 2016, Akoon-Purcell signed a one-year contract with Danish side

Bakken Bears Bakken Bears is a Danish professional basketball club based in Aarhus. The club plays in the Basketligaen, the top-tier basketball league in Denmark. Founded in 1953, the club has won the Basketligaen 20 times, holding the record for the most c ...

of the

Basketligaen The Basketligaen (English: The Basketball League) is the highest professional basketball league in Denmark. The men’s first division was originally founded in 1957. Over the years, the league has undergone several name changes due to sponsorsh ...

and

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA Europe's second level competition. Clubs mainly qualify based on their performance in national leagues an ...

. He led the Bears to a Basketligaen championship in his first season, while being named the league's MVP and Finals MVP. In his second season with the Bears, he reached the semi-finals of the FIBA Europe Cup and won the Basketligaen championship. Akoon-Purcell was given the title of Fan Vote FIBA Europe Cup MVP, as he received 4,939 fan votes. He also was named the Guard of the Year of the competition.

Denver Nuggets (2018)

Akoon-Purcell joined the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

roster ahead of the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 12.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 19.3 minutes per game. On August 7, 2018, the

signed Akoon-Purcell on a two-way contract. Akoon-Purcell played in only 7 games with the Nuggets throughout the entirety of his two-way contract. On December 16, 2018, after the expiration of his two-way contract, he was waived by the Nuggets.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2018–2019)

On December 19, 2018, Akoon-Purcell signed with

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

for the rest of the season. However, on February 19, 2019, Akoon-Purcell parted ways with Hapoel after appearing in eight games.

ESSM Le Portel (2019)

On March 9, 2019, Akoon-Purcell signed with

ESSM Le Portel Étoile Sportive Saint-Michel Le Portel Côte d'Opale, commonly known as ESSM Le Portel or simply Le Portel, is a professional basketball team based in Le Portel, France. The team currently plays in the LNB Pro A, Pro A, the first tier in France. ...

of the French

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 ...

. In 12 games played for Le Portel, he averaged 9.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Oklahoma City Blue (2019–2020)

On September 30, 2019, Akoon-Purcell signed with the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. He was cut from the team in the preseason and was signed by their G League affiliate, the

Oklahoma City Blue The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue compete in the NBA G League as members of the Western Conference. The Blue play their home games ...

. On January 21, 2020, Akoon-Purcell posted 33 points and 7 rebounds in a 125–116 win over the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

. The following game, he scored 38 points while adding eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 144–140 loss to the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...

Tofaş (2020–2021)

On September 2, 2020, Akoon-Purcell signed a one-month deal with the

. However, on September 29, he signed with

Tofaş TOFAŞ Türk Otomobil Fabrikası A.Ş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, ...

of the Turkish league. Akoon-Purcell played for 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in the

2021 NBA summer league The 2021 NBA Summer League was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer league c ...

, scoring 13 points in 27 minutes on 6–9 shooting and grabbing 8 rebounds and 2 steals at his debut in a 85–83 loss against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

and former Hapoel Tel-Aviv teammate

Yam Madar Yam Madar (; born ) is an Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Israel senior national team internationally. He joined Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier L ...

Galatasaray (2021–2022)

On August 23, 2021, Akoon-Purcell signed a one-year deal with Galatasaray Nef of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL), with the option of an additional season.

Lokomotiv Kuban (2022–present)

On December 1, 2022, he signed with

Lokomotiv Kuban PBC Lokomotiv Kuban () is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. It participates in the VTB United League. Their honour list includes a EuroCup Basketball, EuroCup championship in the 2012–13 season, and two Russian Basketb ...

of the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

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Domestic Leagues

, - , align=left style="background:#afe6ba;style="text-align:center;" , 2016–17† , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 ,

, style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2,

, 37 , , 32 , , 27.1 , , .522, , .455, , .799, , 5.9, , 3.0, , 1.8, , .4 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 21.4* , - , align=left style="background:#afe6ba;style="text-align:center;" , 2017–18† , 29 , , 25 , , 27.1 , , .484 , , .352 , , .881 , , 4.9 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, style="text-align:center;" , IPL , 8 , , 7 , , 22.1 , , .310 , , .240 , , .826 , , 2.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;" ,

Le Portel Le Portel (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about southwest of Boulogne town centre. History Le Portel translates as "the little port." The origi ...

, style="text-align:center;" , Pro A , 12 , , 2 , , 17.2 , , .351 , , .300 , , .680 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , .0 , , 9.1 , -

European Competitions

, - , style="text-align:center;" , 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 ,

, style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, BCL , 14 , , 11 , , 29.0 , , .415 , , .340 , , .842 , , 6.6 , , 1.7 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:center;" , 2017–18 , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, FEC , 18 , , 18 , , 32.7 , , .415 , , .255 , , .718 , , 5.2 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , 18.6

Personal life

Akoon-Purcell was born to parents Paul Akoon Jr. and Tamar deGovia-Purcell. He moved in with his grandparents when he was aged 11. His grandmother died in April 2013; Akoon-Purcell wore a #44 jersey to honor her as she died on the fourth month of the year and he was her fourth grandchild. Akoon-Purcell also began to use his full name after her death as he was previously known as DeVaughn Purcell. Akoon-Purcell has tattoos on each wrist dedicated to his grandmother and his former coach

Torrey Ward Torrey Ward (July 7, 1978 – April 7, 2015) was an American assistant coach of men's college basketball. An undrafted guard from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Ward played professionally in China for several years before starting his co ...

who was killed in a plane crash in April 2015. Ward recruited Akoon-Purcell out of Eastern Oklahoma State in 2014. Akoon-Purcell holds a Trinidadian passport.

References

External links

Illinois State Redbirds bioRealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akoon-Purcell, Devaughn 1993 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Denmark American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent Bakken Bears players Basketball players from Orlando, Florida Delaware Blue Coats players Denver Nuggets players ESSM Le Portel players Expatriate basketball people in Denmark Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States NBA players from Trinidad and Tobago Oklahoma City Blue players PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players Small forwards Tofaş S.K. players Trinidad and Tobago expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Trinidad and Tobago expatriate sportspeople in Israel Trinidad and Tobago men's basketball players Undrafted NBA players 21st-century American sportsmen