Vander Lee Blue II (born July 17, 1992) 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 for the

Ángeles de la Ciudad de México The Ángeles de la Ciudad de México (English: ''Mexico City Angels'') are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexico City. The Ángeles are members of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA) and play their games ...

of the

Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico The Pacific Coast Basketball Circuit ( or CIBACOPA), officially known as the Liga Chevron CIBACOPA for sponsorship reasons, is a ten team basketball league based in Northwestern Mexico. The matches take place from March to June. History A leag ...

(CIBACOPA).

College career

Blue, a 6'4" shooting guard from

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, originally committed to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, but received press coverage as he decommitted after becoming disenchanted by negative posts on

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

internet blogs. Blue ended up enrolling at Marquette for the 2010–11 season. Blue was a key rotation player as a freshman and sophomore, and stepped into a starting role in his junior season. He averaged 14.8

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...

and was named second team All-Big East Conference. After the season, Blue bypassed his senior season and declared his eligibility for 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 ...

Professional career

Maccabi Rishon LeZion (2013)

After going undrafted in the

, Blue joined the

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

for the Orlando Summer League and 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 Las Vegas Summer League. On September 27, 2013, he signed with 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 ...

. However, he was later waived by the 76ers on October 25 after appearing in five preseason games. Five days later, Blue signed with

Maccabi Rishon LeZion Maccabi Rishon LeZion is a sport club in Rishon LeZion, Israel. The professional teams associated with it include: *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball) *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (handball) * Maccabi Rishon LeZion (badminton) There was also a footb ...

of the Israeli Super League. On December 31, 2013, he was released by Maccabi after appearing in just seven games.

Delaware 87ers (2014)

On January 14, 2014, Blue was acquired by 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' ...

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, ...

Boston Celtics (2014)

On January 22, 2014, Blue signed a 10-day contract 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 made his NBA debut later that day, recording 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in a 113–111 win over the Washington Wizards. On January 31, he was assigned 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 ...

. The Celtics did not offer Blue a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day contract expired, thus parting ways with both the Celtics and Red Claws. On February 1, he was reacquired by the 87ers.

Idaho Stampede (2014)

On March 7, Blue 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 a four-team deal, and played out the rest of the 2013–14 season with the team. Blue appeared in 27 D-League games for three teams in 2013–14, averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2014–2015)

In July 2014, Blue joined 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 ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On September 29, 2014, he signed with the

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

. However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 3. On October 30, he was reacquired by the Idaho Stampede. The next day, he was traded to the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

in exchange for a second round pick (36th overall) in the 2014 NBA Development League Draft. On February 12, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015

NBA D-League All-Star Game The NBA D-League All-Star Game was an annual exhibition basketball game held by the NBA Development League (D-League). The D-League was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and later as the NBA Development League. Th ...

as a replacement for Jordan Hamilton.

Los Angeles Lakers (2015)

On April 13, 2015, Blue signed with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

to help the team deal with numerous injuries. The Lakers had to use an NBA hardship exemption in order to sign him as he made their roster stand at 16, one over the allowed limited of 15. Due to the severe lack of guard depth, in the two games he played for the Lakers, he logged 26 and 48 minutes respectively.

Second stint with the D-Fenders (2015–2016)

In July 2015, Blue joined the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

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 October 31, he was reacquired by the

. On January 29, he was named in the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game, earning his second straight All-Star nod. At the season's end, he was named to the All-NBA D-League First Team.

Guangxi Rhinos (2016)

In July 2016, Blue joined the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

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 ...

. The following month, he had a one-game stint in China with the

Guangxi Rhinos The National Basketball League () is a professional basketball minor league in China, called the Chinese Basketball League (CBL) before 2006. It is commonly known as the NBL, and this name (spelled out in letters) is often used even in Chinese. ...

Third stint with the D-Fenders (2016–2017)

Blue returned to the US and re-joined the Los Angeles D-Fenders on October 30, 2016. On February 6, 2017, he was named in the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Game, earning his third straight All-Star nod. On April 24, 2017, he was named the recipient of the

NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Award The NBA G League Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual NBA G League award given since the league's inaugural season to the best performing player of the regular season. The league's head coaches determine the award by voting and it is usually ...

for the 2016–17 season. He ranked third in the league in scoring with 24.8 points per game and added 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a team-high 1.6 steals in 47 games (46 starts). He was twice named Player of the Week during the season and helped the D-Fenders finish tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 34–16. Blue scored at least 30 points 10 times and reached the 40-point mark twice. On March 29, he made an NBA D-League-record 23 free throws en route to a season-high 41 points to go with seven rebounds and five steals in a 139–132 road victory over the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River v ...

Return to the Lakers (2017–2018)

On August 4, 2017, Blue signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. He was waived on October 14 as one of the team's final preseason roster cuts. On October 18, 2017, he signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Under the terms of the deal, he split time between the Lakers and their

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

affiliate, the

South Bay Lakers The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

. On January 12, 2018, he was waived by the Lakers.

Auxilium Torino (2018)

On February 2, 2018, Blue signed with Italian club

Auxilium Torino Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino was an Italian professional basketball club in Turin, Piedmont. It competed in the first division of Italian basketball, the Lega Basket Serie A for the last time in the 2018–19 season. The club won one trophy, th ...

for the rest of the 2017–18 season. Blue went to win the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

edition of the

Italian Basketball Cup The Italian Basketball Cup (Italian: Coppa Italiana di Pallacanestro), or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian Basketball League (LBA). It is Italy's first-tier cup competition, and is ...

with Fiat Torino by beating

Germani Basket Brescia The Pallacanestro Brescia, better known for sponsorship reasons as Germani Brescia, is an Italian professional basketball team, based in Brescia, Lombardy. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) since the 2016–17 seaso ...

69–67 in the Finals. Blue was named Finals MVP of the competition recording 11 points, two rebounds, and three assists.

Wisconsin Herd (2018–2019)

Blue joined the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...

of the G League when the team acquired his league rights from South Bay on November 16.

Texas Legends (2019)

On January 24, 2019, Blue was traded 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 ...

for the returning player rights to

Damon Lynn Damon Nariq Lynn (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the KW Titans of the NBL Canada. High school career Lynn attended Union Catholic Regional High School, where he averaged over 24 points per game as a senio ...

and a 2019 NBA G League second round pick.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2019)

Blue joined 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 to ...

in 2019. He was waived by the Warriors on December 12, after averaging 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Libertadores de Querétaro (2021)

On March 8, 2020, Blue signed with

Golden Eagle Ylli KB Ylli, known as Golden Eagle Ylli for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Theranda, Kosovo. The club currently plays in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. Its fan club is called Xhebrailat. History KB Ylli is one ...

of the

Kosovo Basketball Superleague The Kosovo Basketball Superleague (Albanian: Superliga e Kosovës në Basketboll) and known as the ProCredit Superliga due to sponsorship reasons is the top men's professional basketball league in Kosovo. Basketball Superleague was founded in 1991 ...

. On August 18, 2021, Blue signed with

Libertadores de Querétaro Libertadores de Querétaro (English: ''Querétaro Liberators'') was a professional Mexican basketball team, based in Querétaro City, Querétaro. The Libertadores were part of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basket ...

of the

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...

(LNBP).

Peñarol (2021)

On February 19, 2021, Blue signed with

Club Atlético Peñarol Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

of the

Liga Uruguaya de Basketball Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

Libertadores de Querétaro (2022)

In August 2022, Blue returned to the Libertadores de Querétaro for the 2022 season. He earned LNBP All-Star honors.

Ángeles de la Ciudad de México (2024–present)

In January 2024, Blue signed with the

, an

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

in the

(CIBACOPA).

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

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References

External links

*
Marquette Golden Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue, Vander 1992 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Kosovo American men's basketball players Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino players Basketball players from Milwaukee Boston Celtics players Delaware 87ers players Idaho Stampede players Lega Basket Serie A players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Los Angeles Lakers players Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players Maine Red Claws players Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players Santa Cruz Warriors players Shooting guards South Bay Lakers players Basketball players from Madison, Wisconsin Texas Legends players Undrafted NBA players Wisconsin Herd players Libertadores de Querétaro players KB Ylli players American expatriate basketball people in Mexico Guangxi Rhinos players Ángeles de la Ciudad de México players 21st-century American sportsmen

College career

Professional career

Maccabi Rishon LeZion (2013)

Delaware 87ers (2014)

Boston Celtics (2014)

Idaho Stampede (2014)

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2014–2015)

Los Angeles Lakers (2015)

Second stint with the D-Fenders (2015–2016)

Guangxi Rhinos (2016)

Third stint with the D-Fenders (2016–2017)

Return to the Lakers (2017–2018)

Auxilium Torino (2018)

Wisconsin Herd (2018–2019)

Texas Legends (2019)

Santa Cruz Warriors (2019)

Libertadores de Querétaro (2021)

Peñarol (2021)

Libertadores de Querétaro (2022)

Ángeles de la Ciudad de México (2024–present)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

See also

References

External links