Dalenta Jameral Stephens (born December 19, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for

Chiba Jets Funabashi Chiba Jets Funabashi ( ja, 千葉ジェッツふなばし) is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League. The 31,000sqm Lala Arena To ...

of the B.League. He played

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 the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

, where he played four years for the Tigers basketball team.

College career

Stephens was not a highly regarded recruit out of Harker Heights High School when he was offered a scholarship by Memphis coach

Josh Pastner Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team, ...

. By his senior year at Memphis, however, he had become a crowd favorite for his spectacular dunking and blocking abilities. In 2011–12, he won the Intersport's Dunks of the Year title for a dunk against Xavier on February 4, 2012. In his senior year at Memphis, Stephens became a starter and earned the Conference USA defensive player of the year award. Stephens earned national attention in the 2013 NCAA tournament after demonstrating his leaping ability against St. Mary's and Michigan State. In a four-year career at Memphis, Stephens played a total of 129 games while averaging 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 13.2 minutes per game.

Professional career

Ilysiakos (2013–2014)

During the 2013 pre-draft workouts at 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 ...

, Stephens recorded the highest standing vertical leap (40 inches) and the highest running vertical leap (46 inches) ever recorded by the NBA. He also had the fastest time at the 2013 Combine in the three-quarter court sprint. After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Stephens joined the Miami Heat for the Orlando Summer League and the Dallas Mavericks for the Las Vegas Summer League. On August 13, 2013, he signed with Ilysiakos B.C. of

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 ...

for the 2013–14 season. In early March 2014, he left Greece and returned to the United States.

Milwaukee Bucks (2014)

On March 26, 2014, Stephens signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 29, 2014, he made his NBA debut. In just under 12 minutes of action, he recorded five points and four rebounds in a loss to the Miami Heat. On April 5, 2014, the Bucks did not offer him a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day contract expired.

Anadolu Efes (2014)

On April 10, 2014, he signed with

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independe ...

of Turkey for the rest of the 2013–14 season.

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2014–2015)

On October 1, 2014, Stephens signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he was later waived by the Pelicans on October 24, 2014. On December 2, 2014, he signed with

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

of Russia for the rest of the season. In 21 league games for Zenit in 2014–15, Stephens averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Canton Charge (2015–2016)

On September 28, 2015, Stephens signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he was later waived by the Cavaliers on October 23 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 30, 2015, Stephens was acquired by the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, Ohio, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team plays its home games at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. The fr ...

of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Cavaliers. On November 14, he made his debut for Canton in a 106–99 loss to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) 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 B ...

, recording 10 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 25 minutes. In 27 games for the Charge, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game.

Iowa Energy (2016)

On March 5, 2016, Stephens was traded to the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick. The next day, he made his debut for Iowa in a 109–104 loss to the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, recording three points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. On March 28, he was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week after averaging 24.7 points on 61.4 percent shooting to go with 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals while connecting 11-of-18 three-point attempts in three games from March 21 through March 27.

Budivelnyk (2016–2017)

In July 2016, Stephens joined 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 league's Western Conference ...

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- ...

and on August 8, 2016, he signed with them. However, he was waived on October 22 after appearing in five preseason games. On November 21, 2016, he signed with Ukrainian club Budivelnyk for the rest of the season. With Budivelnyk he won the Ukrainian SuperLeague championship.

Vaqueros de Bayamón (2017)

On May 19, 2017, Stephens signed with

Vaqueros de Bayamón The Vaqueros de Bayamón are a Puerto Rican basketball team of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The Vaqueros play their home games at Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum, a venue shared with the L ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Naci ...

Le Mans Sarthe Basket (2017–2018)

On July 17, 2017, Stephens signed with French club

Le Mans Sarthe Basket Le Mans Sarthe Basket, commonly known as MSB or Le Mans, is a professional basketball club that is from the city of Le Mans, France. The team plays in the French League and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. History The Modern ...

for the 2017–18 season. On May 15, 2018, Stephens was named the LNB Pro A Best Sixth Man of the 2017–18 season. He averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Stephens re-signed with the team on July 5, 2018.

Memphis Grizzlies (2018)

On October 8, 2018, Stephens signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the

, but was waived by the

on December 30, 2018, after appearing in one game.

Manama Club (2019)

On February 19, 2019, Stephens signed a contract for the rest of the season with the reigning

Bahraini Premier League The Bahraini Premier League is the main football competition in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Currently known as the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, the first season was held in 1957. The winners of the domestic championship qualify for the AFC Cup. ...

champions,

Manama Club Manama Club ( ar, المنامة) is a Bahraini professional football club, founded in 1946 and based in Manama, that competes in the Bahraini Premier League, the top flight of Bahraini football. Manama Club, formally known as Al Taj, is a wel ...

. He posted averages of 18 ppg, 10 rpg, and 2.7 assist a game. He announced his departure April 13, 2019, via Instagram.

Le Mans Sarthe Basket (2019–2020)

On July 12, 2019, he has signed with Le Mans of the LNB Pro A. On December 29, 2019, he has won the dunk contest of the French All-Star Game LNB 2019. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

BC Prometey (2020–2022)

On July 9, 2020, Stephens signed with

BC Prometey BC Prometey ( uk, БК Прометей), also known as Prometey Slobozhanske, is a Ukrainian basketball club based in Kamianske. It played in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague, the highest tier of basketball in Ukraine, from 2019 to 2022. I ...

of the

Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague The Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL) ( uk, Українська баскетбольна суперліга) is the first-tier level of professional basketball league in Ukraine. Established in 1992, the league is currently contested by 10 c ...

. He averaged 12 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Stephens re-signed with the team on July 3, 2021. He averaged 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, helping the team win the Supercup.

Fos Provence (2022)

On March 17, 2022, he has signed with

Fos Provence Basket Fos Provence Basket, also known as Fos-sur-mer, is a professional basketball team based in Fos-sur-mer, France. The team currently plays in the first tier LNB Pro A, after its promotion in the 2020–21 season. Home games are played in the Complex ...

of the LNB Pro A.

BC Prometey (2022–2023)

On July 28, 2022, he has signed with Prometey of the

Latvian-Estonian Basketball League The Latvian-Estonian Basketball League is the highest professional men's club basketball league in Latvia and Estonia; it has been organised since 2018, run by the Latvian Basketball Association and the Estonian Basketball Association. History ...

Chiba Jets Funabashi (2023–present)

On July 14, 2023, Stephens signed wiith

of the Japanese B.League.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

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Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

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Personal life

Stephens is the son of Will Stephens and Dorothea Love. He now has two daughters, Dallas Noelle Stephens, and Lordis Reign Stephens.

References

External links

D. J. Stephens
at nbadleague.com

at gotigersgo.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, D. J, 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Bahrain American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basketball players from Texas BC Budivelnyk players BC Prometey players Canton Charge players Chiba Jets players Fos Provence Basket players Ilysiakos B.C. players Iowa Energy players Le Mans Sarthe Basket players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks players Sportspeople from Killeen, Texas Shooting guards Small forwards Undrafted NBA players Manama Club basketball players Vaqueros de Bayamón basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Japan