Sylven Joshua Landesberg (born April 10, 1990) is an American-Israeli-Austrian 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

Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin () is a Chinese professional basketball team based in Jinan, Shandong, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Some home games are held in the nearby city of Linyi. The Hi-Speed Gr ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA). Standing at , he plays at the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

positions. He was a 2008 McDonald's High School All American and 2008 New York State Mr. Basketball in high school, and 2008–09 ACC Freshman of the Year for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. He played for

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...

in Israel from 2010–12, and for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

in Israel from 2012–17.

High school career

In his sophomore year at Holy Cross High School in

Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

, he averaged 20.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a game during 2005–06. He was named First-Team All-City by the ''New York Daily News'' and the ''New York Post''. In 2006–07, during his junior year, he averaged 25.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists a game, and was again named All-City honors by the ''Daily News'' and the ''Post''. During his senior year in 2007–08, he averaged 29.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists a game. He shot 52% from the field, and 77% from the free throw line. He scored a school-record 2,149 career points in three years on the team. He was a 2008 McDonald's High School All American, and was named New York State Mr. Basketball. He was also a second-team ''Parade'' All-American, first-team All-State, New York Gatorade Player of the Year, ''New York Post'' Player of the Year, and a U.S. All Star in the 2008 Capital Classic.

College career

His parents said he chose the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

over St. John's University because he felt it was a superior academic school. During the 2008–09 season, in his freshman year, he averaged 16.6 points (third-best for a freshman in UVA history), 6.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game. He led the team in scoring, and was second in rebounds and assists. He also led

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) freshmen in scoring, and was third in rebounds and assists. He was 10th in the ACC in scoring. He set a UVA freshman record with 12 20-point games (surpassing the 9 by

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

in 1979–80). He was named ACC Rookie of the Year, six-time ACC Rookie of the Week, a unanimous selection to the ACC All-Freshmen Team, honorable mention All-ACC, second-team Freshman All-American by CBS, CollegeHoops.net, and NaismithLives.com, and won the team's Sidney Young Memorial Award (individual who exemplifies leadership, cooperative spirit, and unselfish service). In Landesberg's sophomore season he led the Cavaliers in scoring again, averaging 17.3 points a game (sixth in the ACC), along with 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He ranked sixth in the ACC in

free throw percentage In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

(.810), and seventh in field goal percentage (.443). He was named second-team All-ACC, 2-time ACC Player of the Week,

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...

All-District III, NABC All-District 2 first team. In 2009–10, Landesberg was named to the ''

Jewish Sports Review ''Jewish Sports Review (JSR)'' is a bi-monthly magazine that was established in 1997. Its editors are Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman. The magazine identifies which star and professional athletes are Jewish. It also covers and has all-time lists ...

'' All-American team. On March 6, 2010, Landesberg was suspended for the remaining game of the season for failing to meet academic obligations. On March 23, it was announced that Landesberg would not return to the Cavaliers.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, 28 , , 27 , , 34.2 , , .436 , , .314 , , .800 , , 6.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 27 , , 32.1 , , .443 , , .383 , , .810 , , 4.9 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .3 , , 17.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 55 , , 54 , , 33.2 , , .439 , , .351 , , .804 , , 5.5 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .2 , , 16.9

Professional career

Early years (2010–2012)

After going

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

, Landesberg 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 ...

in the

2010 NBA Summer League The 2010 National Basketball Association Summer League ( NBA Summer League) was a pro basketball league ran by the NBA in the United States just following the 2010 NBA draft. Teams consisted of players who have been in the league for three years ...

. On July 25, 2010, Landesberg signed a two-year deal with the Israeli team

of the

Israeli Basketball Super League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball co ...

. Due to the fact his father is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, Landesberg received Israeli citizenship. He played his first season for the team in 2010–11. "Hopefully, I'll make it to the NBA, but I will definitely never forget my time in Israel no matter where I go. It is a huge part of my growing up," he said.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2012–2017)

On July 4, 2012, he signed a three-year contract with

. In the first two seasons with the team, he saw very little playing time. In the 2013–14 season, his team won the EuroLeague by defeating

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 an overtime 98–86 victory. During the summer of 2014, after departure of some key players, his role in the team and minutes on the court increased. On October 5, in a pre-season game against 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, he led his team in scoring with 23 points, also having 5 rebounds, 3 assists and steals. The Cleveland Cavaliers eventually won the game with 107–80. On November 20, he scored a season-high 22 points and added 9 rebounds in a EuroLeague game against

Limoges CSP Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, commonly referred to as Limoges CSP or CSP, is a French professional basketball club based in the city of Limoges. History The club was founded in 1929, but its peak was during the 1980s and 1990s, when they became t ...

. On January 23, against Žalgiris Kaunas he scored 20 points. Maccabi, the defending EuroLeague champion, lost to Fenerbahçe in the quarterfinal series with 3–0. On April 21, 2015, he signed a new three-year contract with a fourth year option with Maccabi.

Estudiantes (2017–2018)

On August 1, 2017, Landesberg signed with Spanish club Movistar Estudiantes for the 2017–18 season. On 1 April 2018, Landesberg recorded a career-high 48 points, shooting 8-of-11 from three-point range, in a 100–95 win over

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

. On May 24, 2018, Landesberg was named All-Liga ACB First Team and finished in the fifth place in voting for the Liga ACB

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. In 30 Liga ACB games, he averaged 20.1 points, 4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Türk Telekom (2018–2019)

On June 22, 2018, Landesberg signed with the Turkish team

Türk Telekom Türk Telekom is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995. Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wide-band Internet. The Türk ...

for the 2018–19 season. On May 12, 2019, Landesberg recorded a season-high 43 points, shooting 14-of-21 from the field, along with six rebounds in a 96–83 win over

Banvit Banvit is a feed and poultry producer based in Bandırma, Turkey. Business and activities Starting as a feed producer in 1968, Banvit gradually moved into the production of broiler chickens. Today Banvit has the country's largest single broiler ...

. In 42 games played in the EuroCup and Turkish competitions, he averaged 19.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Landesberg helped Türk Telekom reach the 2019 BSL Playoffs, where they eventually were eliminated by Fenerbahçe in the Quarterfinals.

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2019–2021)

On July 14, 2019, Landesberg signed with the

Zhejiang Golden Bulls The Zhejiang Golden Bulls, or Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Rent are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Yiwu in Zhejiang, China. It competes in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), in the Southern Division. Its corporate sponsor is Z ...

of the

. He averaged 26.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in 2019-2020. On September 17, 2020, Landesburg re-signed with the team.

Beijing Royal Fighters (2021–present)

On December 30, 2021, Landesberg signed with the

Beijing Royal Fighters The Beijing Royal Fighters () are a Chinese professional men's basketball team which is based in Beijing and plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Beijing BG (known in Chinese as Beijing Beikong) is the cl ...

of the

Austria national team

On November 9, 2018, Landesberg was named a member of the

Austria national basketball team The Austria men's national basketball team (german: Österreichische Basketballnationalmannschaft) represents Austria in international basketball competition. The team is controlled and organised by Basketball Austria. Austria has competed at t ...

for the

EuroBasket 2021 qualification The EuroBasket 2022 qualification was a basketball competition that was played from November 2017 to February 2021, to determine the 20 FIBA Europe nations who would join the automatically qualified co-hosts Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, and G ...

. On November 29, 2018, Landesberg recorded 49 points in his debut, scoring 40 points in the first half. He also added ten rebounds, five assists and two steals, leading the Austrian team to a 96–82 win over

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Later his record was corrected to 47 points.APA
EM-Vorquali: Österreichs Basketballer mühen sich zu 81:71 auf Zypern''
Der Standard (derstandard.at), 3. Dezember 2018.

Personal life

Landesberg is Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn to an Austrian-Jewish father, Steven, and a Trinidadian and Tobagonian mother, Ingrid. He holds an Israeli and Austrian passports.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=5, Maccabi , 24 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .537 , , .304 , , .857 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.5 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2013–14† , 19 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .457 , , .250 , , .789 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.2 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 19 , , 1 , , 18.2 , , .457 , , .315 , , .643 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 8.5 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 10 , , 3 , , 21.3 , , .365 , , .381 , , .611 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 9.7 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 23 , , 3 , , 15.4 , , .444 , , .439 , , .658 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , .0 , , 7.0 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Career , 95 , , 7 , , 14.0 , , .446 , , .359 , , .682 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 6.0 , , 4.2

High school career

College career

College statistics

Professional career

Early years (2010–2012)

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2012–2017)

Estudiantes (2017–2018)

Türk Telekom (2018–2019)

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2019–2021)

Beijing Royal Fighters (2021–present)

Austria national team

Personal life

Career statistics

EuroLeague

See also

References

External links