Lamar Brandon Stevens (born July 9, 1997) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who last played for 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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). 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

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

High school career

Stevens attended

The Haverford School The Haverford School is a Independent school, private, non-sectarian, all-boys college preparatory day school, junior kindergarten through grade twelve. Founded in 1884 as The Haverford College Grammar School, it is located in Haverford, Penns ...

Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Haverford Township is a home rule municipality township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States.Roman Catholic High School The Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia is a four-year private, catholic high school for boys in Philadelphia. It was founded by Thomas E. Cahill in 1890 as the first free Catholic high school in the nation. The school is located at the ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

where he played alongside future Penn State teammates,

Tony Carr Anthony Carr Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 5 September 1950) is an English sports coach and former Director of Youth Development at the West Ham United F.C., West Ham United football club's West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy, yo ...

and Nazeer Bostick. During his senior year, Stevens was once again named to All-State and All-District teams, as well as All-Philadelphia. Roman Catholic dominated all season, ranking Number 1 in Pennsylvania and top 15 nationally, according to

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

. Stevens scored 20 points on the way to winning the state championship game.

Recruiting

After the season, Stevens was ranked 100th on the

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's Top 100 recruits of 2016 and third-ranked overall in Pennsylvania. ; Honors and Awards * '' 3x PIAA AAAA All-State (2014, 2015, 2016)'' * ''2016 PIAA Class AAAA State Champions'' * ''2016 Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Daily News'' * ''All-Philadelphia First Team (2016)'' * 3x PIAA District 12 First Team (2014, 2015, 2016)''

College career

During Stevens' freshman season at Penn State, he started all 33 games for the Nittany Lions and was named Freshman of the Week multiple times with teammate

. He was named as a First Team All-Freshman by the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

and averaged over 12 points per game his first season. Stevens scored a season-high 30 points on January 5, 2018, against Northwestern. As a sophomore, Stevens averaged 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He helped the Nittany Lions post a 26–13 record and win the NIT. Stevens was named Most Outstanding Player of the NIT. As a junior, Stevens averaged 19.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He was named All-Big Ten Conference first-team accolades by the media and second-team honors from the league's coaches. Stevens was an All-District VII second-team selection by the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

. After the season, Stevens declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

but decided to return to Penn State. On December 16, 2019, Stevens was named Big Ten player of the week after scoring 18 points and collecting 11 rebounds in a victory over fourth-ranked and previously undefeated

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. On February 1, 2020, Stevens became the third player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points, scoring 13 points in a 76–64 win against

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. He scored a career-high 33 points on February 8, leading the Nittany Lions to a 83–77 win over

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. At the close of the regular season, Stevens was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. Stevens finished his college career as Penn State's second all-time leading scorer with 2,207 points, seven shy of breaking the scoring record set by

Talor Battle Talor Battle (born September 16, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Penn State. In college, he played for Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team, and then re-joined the Nittany Lions ...

. Stevens missed out on an opportunity to set the record when the 2020 Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2023)

After going undrafted in the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, wi ...

, Stevens was signed by 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 ...

to 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 ...

on November 28, 2020. He made his NBA debut on December 28, 2020, in a 118–94 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. He scored two points and collected two rebounds in five minutes of action. On February 23, 2021, he scored eight points, including a game-winner, in a 112–111 win over 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 ...

and on April 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers. On January 12, 2022, Stevens scored a career and game high of 23 points in a 111–91 win over the Utah Jazz. On July 6, 2023, Stevens was traded to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

as part of a three-team trade with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

and

, and on July 17, he was waived.

Boston Celtics (2023–2024)

On September 26, 2023, Stevens signed with 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), ...

. He appeared in 19 of 50 games with the Celtics, averaging 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Due to a rash of injuries at the center position, Stevens entered the Celtics' starting lineup for the first and only time on December 15, 2023, logging 8 points and 3 rebounds in a 128–111 victory over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

Memphis Grizzlies (2024)

On February 7, 2024, the Celtics traded Stevens and two second-round picks to the

in exchange for

Xavier Tillman Xavier Justis Tillman Sr. (born January 12, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Mi ...

Motor City Cruise (2024–2025)

On September 30, 2024, Stevens signed with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, but was waived on October 17. On October 29, he joined the

Motor City Cruise The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play as the Lon ...

Second stint with Grizzlies (2025)

On February 21, 2025, Stevens signed a 10-day contract with the

. After completing a second 10-day contract, on March 13, Stevens signed a standard NBA contract to remain with the Grizzlies for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season. On April 13, Stevens scored a career-high 31 points, as the Grizzlies clinched a 132-97 win in their reserve-heavy regular season finale against the Dallas Mavericks.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

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, 63 , , 13 , , 16.1 , , .489 , , .277 , , .707 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 25 , , 18.1 , , .448 , , .316 , , .702 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 19 , , 1 , , 6.4 , , .467 , , .375 , , .727 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 19 , , 2 , , 23.0 , , .446 , , .289 , , .791 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .9 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 17 , , 1 , , 9.1 , , .460 , , .296 , , .727 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 220 , , 42 , , 15.2 , , .463 , , .287 , , .726 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.6

Playoffs

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2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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, 2 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 2 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .222 , , .000 , , , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 4 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .273 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.3

College

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Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

, 33 , , 33 , , 27.8 , , .429 , , .344 , , .767 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .6 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 39 , , 33.1 , , .465 , , .319 , , .696 , , 5.9 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 36.9 , , .422 , , .220 , , .770 , , 7.7 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .8 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 31.1 , , .423 , , .263 , , .719 , , 6.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 17.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 135 , , 135 , , 32.2 , , .435 , , .276 , , .738 , , 6.5 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .9 , , 16.3

Personal life

Stevens is the author of the children's book ''Lamar's Climb -- A Journey to Happy Valley''. The book, which teaches geography based on his experience and involves people with special needs in the creative process, was distributed at Penn State games.

References

External links

Penn State Nittany Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Lamar 1997 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Boston Celtics players Cleveland Cavaliers players Canton Charge players Detroit Pistons players Haverford School alumni Memphis Grizzlies players Motor City Cruise players Penn State Nittany Lions basketball players Power forwards Small forwards Undrafted NBA players