Jalen Evander Lecque (born June 13, 2000) 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 (appr ...

player for the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. A consensus four-star recruit and former

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

commit, Lecque chose to forgo

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

and immediately entered the 2019 NBA draft.

Early life

Lecque was born in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and lived in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

until he was three years old. Both of his parents worked in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, his father at a

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

shop and his mother at a hospital. As a toddler, Lecque moved with his family to

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

, where he attended

elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, a ...

and

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

High school career

Instead of attending his local school

Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...

, Lecque decided to enroll at

Monsignor Scanlan High School Monsignor Scanlan High School is an American four-year private, Roman Catholic high school located in the Throggs Neck neighborhood of The Bronx, New York City, New York. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and is accredite ...

in The Bronx because of its superior basketball program. In the 2016–17 season, he averaged about 11 points per game. In April 2017, Lecque saw breakout success with Southern Stampede at the

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, also known as Nike EYBL, or simply EYBL, is a basketball circuit for teams of players aged 17 and under. The circuit was founded in 2010 and is composed of AAU travel teams. Both boys and girls play in the E ...

(EYBL), helping him gain interest from many prominent

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

programs. Entering the 2017–18 season, Lecque transferred to Christ School in Arden, North Carolina while reclassifying from the 2018 to 2019 class. He was drawn to the school for not only basketball, but also academics. Lecque averaged 20.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game, leading his team to the 3A North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA) state semifinals. He was named '' Asheville Citizen-Times'' All-

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

(WNC) Player of the Year and earned NCISAA All-State honors. On July 30, 2018, Lecque announced that he would transfer to

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and post-g ...

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was granted ...

for his senior season. On April 20, 2019, Lecque declared for the 2019 NBA draft. On May 29, 2019, he remained in the NBA draft past the withdrawal deadline, ensuring that he would not play at the college level. On May 8, 2019, Lecque was named one of 77 total players participating in the

NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

later in the month. He recorded a 43-inch maximum

vertical leap A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

, the highest at the combine, and left the combine early after receiving positive feedback from NBA teams.

Recruiting

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

Lecque committed to play college basketball for the North Carolina State Wolfpack as a freshman for the 2019-2020 season, but instead, because of his eligibility and age decided to abstain from a collegiate career and rescind his commitment. Lecque was not drafted in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20. He was signed to a 4-year deal, 2 years guaranteed, by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

on July 6. On October 28, Lecque was assigned to the

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

for the start of the

2019–20 NBA G League season The 2019–20 NBA G League season was the 19th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season was suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, following the ...

. Lecque was recalled to Phoenix on multiple assignments throughout the season. Lecque made his NBA debut on January 16, playing in only two minutes for the Suns' 121–98 win over 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 ...

Indiana Pacers (2020–2021)

On November 16, 2020, Lecque was traded to 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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

alongside

Ty Jerome Ty Jeremy Jerome (born July 8, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played coll ...

, Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., and a 2022 first-round pick in exchange for

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...

and

Abdel Nader Abdel Nader ( ar, عبد الرحمن نادر; born September 25, 1993) is an Egyptian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for ...

. On November 25, 2020, Lecque was traded to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

in exchange for T. J. Leaf and a future second-round pick. On March 25, 2021, Lecque was waived by the Pacers.

Wisconsin Herd (2021)

On October 15, 2021, Lecque signed a training camp deal with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. He 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 annou ...

as an affiliate player. Lecque 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 Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

for the 2022 NBA Summer League.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2022–present)

On November 3, 2022, Lecque was named to the opening night roster for the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lecque, Jalen 2000 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Jersey Basketball players from New York City Brewster Academy alumni Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Indiana Pacers players Northern Arizona Suns players People from Teaneck, New Jersey Phoenix Suns players Point guards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Manhattan Undrafted National Basketball Association players Wisconsin Herd players