Axel Marie Gustave Hervelle (born 12 May 1983) is a Belgian 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 (appr ...

player. He represented the senior

Belgian national basketball team The Belgium men's national basketball team nl, Belgisch nationaal basketbalteamgerman: Belgische Basketballnationalmannschaft has represented Belgium in international basketball since 1928. The supervising body for the national team is Basketb ...

Professional career

Hervelle spent the early part of his career in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He first played with Verviers-Pepinster in the

Belgian League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

for four years, averaging 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, in 16 Belgian League games during the 2003–04 season, and becoming the team's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

at only 20 years old. He then signed with the

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

club

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. In the 200506 season, he averaged 24 minutes, 8.5 points, and 5.5 rebounds per game, over 32 games played in the Spanish League. In January 2010, Hervelle signed with

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

. On 3 August 2018, Hervelle signed a one-year contract with Spirou of the Belgian League. On 30 November 2020, Hervelle announced his retirement.

NBA draft rights

Hervelle was drafted by 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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, in the second round (52nd pick overall) of the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...

. He became the first Belgian player ever to be drafted by an

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

team. In 2009, his NBA draft rights were traded to 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, in exchange for James White. On 27 November 2020, Hervelle's draft rights were traded to 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

National team career

Hervelle has been a member of the senior

. He represented Belgium at the

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

, where they lost to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, in the tournament's eighth finals, by a score of 75–54.Axel Marie Gustave HERVELLE (BEL).
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Career statistics

Domestic leagues

Achievements

* 2×

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

champion: ( 2004–05, 2006–07) * EuroCup champion: ( 2006–07)

References

External links

FIBA Archive Profile

Eurobasket.com Profile

Euroleague.net Profile

Spanish League Profile

Draftexpress.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hervelle, Axel 1983 births Living people Belgian expatriate basketball people in Spain Belgian men's basketball players Belgium national basketball players Bilbao Basket players Denver Nuggets draft picks Liga ACB players Power forwards (basketball) RBC Pepinster players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Small forwards Spirou Charleroi players Sportspeople from Liège