Skal Labissière (; born March 18, 1996) is a Haitian 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

Capitanes de Ciudad de México The Capitanes de Ciudad de México (English: ''Mexico City Captains'') are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexico City, Mexico. The Capitanes competed as a member club in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) for the ...

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 ...

. He graduated from

Lausanne Collegiate School Lausanne Collegiate School (; previously Lausanne School for Girls) is an independent, coeducational college-placement school in Memphis, Tennessee. With grades for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, the school has a sizable international p ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, before playing one season of

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 ...

for

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Labissière has also played for the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Early years

Labissière was born in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. His basketball career began at the

Collège Canado-Haïtien Collège Canado-Haïtien (CCH) is a junior-senior high school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. History The Canado-Haitian College was established in Turgeau in 1969. It integrated high school students attending other schools of the Brothers of the Sa ...

, a junior-senior high school in Port-au-Prince, which participated in school championships organized by the (CIBA) and the (ASI). During the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

, his family's home collapsed with Labissière, his mother and his brother inside. All three survived but remained trapped under debris for three hours. His legs were pinned, causing them to go numb, and Labissière was unable to walk for a few weeks after. A few months following the earthquake, Labissière moved to

, to live with Gerald Hamilton, who ran the Reach Your Dream Foundation that brings international athletes to the United States as young prospects.

High school career

Labissière attended

Evangelical Christian School Evangelical Christian School, also known as ECS, is a private, non-denominational, evangelical Christian school in Memphis and Germantown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1965 and joined Association of Christian Schools International in 1984. It ho ...

in Memphis and started to play varsity basketball as an eighth-grader. When he had first arrived, Labissière spoke little English and required a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

interpreter in all of his classes. After three to four months, he didn't need the help and became fluent. In 2014, he left the school his senior year and enrolled at

, also located in Memphis, but because of the move he was ruled by

TSSAA The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

as ineligible to play basketball at Lausanne for the season. Instead, Labissière played for Hamilton's Reach Your Dream Prep Academy team, where he averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.

College career

Labissière playing for Kentucky Labissière was rated as a five-star recruit, and was considered among the best players in his class. He committed to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

(UK) to play

. UK's coach,

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...

, offered Labissière a scholarship before any other 2015 prospect, comparing him to

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NB ...

. At the start of the season, he was considered a potential number 1 draft pick for the 2016 NBA draft. Labissière posted averages of 6.6 points (.516 FG%, .661 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 15.8 minutes per game in all 36 games while starting 18 of them for the 2015–16 Kentucky Wildcats. On April 5, 2016, Labissière declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2016–2019)

On June 23, 2016, Labissière was selected 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 ...

with the 28th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, becoming the highest drafted Haitian player since

Samuel Dalembert Samuel Davis Dalembert (born May 10, 1981) is a Haitian-Canadian former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall University. During his active NB ...

(26th overall in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

). His rights were later traded to the

on draft night, and on July 15, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Kings. Labissière made his NBA debut on November 5, 2016, recording eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench in a 117–91 loss to 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 ...

. On February 23, 2017, in just his ninth game of the season, Labissière had a season-high 12 points in a 116–100 win over 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 ...

. On March 1, 2017, in his first career start, Labissière had 10 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes in a 109–100 loss to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

. On March 15, 2017, he scored 21 of his career-high 32 points in the fourth quarter of the Kings' 107–101 win over Phoenix, becoming the first rookie from the 2016 draft class to score at least 30. He also had 11 rebounds to record his first career double-double. He became the youngest Kings player to record a 30-10 game and the fourth Kings player to do it as a reserves since the 1984–85 season. His points total was the highest for a Kings first-year player since teammate

Ben McLemore Ben Edward McLemore IIIKeegan, TomRising above: Ben Mclemore elevates above adversity ''Lawrence Journal-World'', December 5, 2012. (born February 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chin ...

scored 31 in 2013–14. Labissière became only the 41st player in NBA history to score at least 32 points while age 20 or younger—the only other player to achieve this feat in franchise history is

Tyreke Evans Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Indios de Mayagüez of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). After playing college basketball for the Memphis Tigers, he was selected with the f ...

. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

of the

NBA Development 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 ...

. On December 5, 2017, Labissière was assigned to the Reno Bighorns. He was recalled by the Kings four days later. On January 2, 2018, Labissière recorded 17 points and a career-best 15 rebounds in a 131–111 loss to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On January 22, 2018, he scored a season-high 23 points in a 112–107 loss to Charlotte.

Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2020)

On February 7, 2019, Labissière was traded to the

for

Caleb Swanigan Caleb Sylvester Swanigan (April 18, 1997 – June 20, 2022) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers. He was ranked among the top prep ...

. On April 10, Labissière started the season finale for Portland as the team was resting its rotation players for the playoffs. In 40 minutes of action, Labissière had 29 points and 15 rebounds, helping the Blazers overcome a 28-point deficit in a 136–131 win. On February 6, 2020, Labissière and cash considerations were traded to 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

for a future protected second-round draft pick. At the end of the season, Labissière did not re-sign with Atlanta, and became a free agent.

Westchester Knicks (2021)

On December 9, 2020, Labissière signed with 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 ...

. He was waived two days later. He was then added to the Knicks’

affiliate, the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in White ...

. He made his Westchester debut on February 10, 2021.

Cangrejeros de Santurce (2022)

Labissière 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

for 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 cons ...

. On March 10, 2022, Labissière signed with Cangrejeros de Santurce of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2023–present)

On March 3, 2023, Labissière was acquired by the Capitanes de Ciudad de México.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 33 , , 12 , , 18.5 , , .537 , , .375 , , .703 , , 4.9 , , .8 , , .5 , , .4 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 60 , , 28 , , 20.7 , , .448 , , .353 , , .805 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .8 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 13 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .433 , , .364 , , .545 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 9 , , 1 , , 7.0 , , .684 , , 1.000 , , .500 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 1 , , 17.2 , , .551 , , .231 , , .758 , , 5.1 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , .9 , , 5.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 148 , , 42 , , 17.5 , , .492 , , .353 , , .748 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .7 , , 7.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 18 , , 15.8 , , .516 , , .000 , , .661 , , 3.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.6 , , 6.6

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labissière, Skal 1996 births Living people Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Capitanes de Ciudad de México players Centers (basketball) Haitian expatriate basketball people in the United States Haitian men's basketball players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Lausanne Collegiate School alumni National Basketball Association players from Haiti Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Reno Bighorns players Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Port-au-Prince Stockton Kings players Westchester Knicks players Haitian expatriate sportspeople in Puerto Rico Cangrejeros de Santurce basketball players