PEORIA —The NBA world is falling in love with Malevy Leons.
The former Bradley Braves star, who was adored by fans and teammates in Peoria, is winning over the hearts and minds of fans and media on and off the court in the NBA and NBA G League.
Leons, who signed with NBA title contender Oklahoma City and made his NBA debut on Nov. 1, has played five games with the Thunder and has scored his first two NBA points.
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The Thunder sent him down to its NBA G League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, after a game on Nov. 8. He was just in time for the Blue home opener. All Leons did was score 19 points, grab 21 rebounds — including 15 on the offensive glass — and block two shots in his debut there.
The Thunder saw that and immediately brought him back up to the NBA, where he played three minutes Wednesday in a win over New Orleans.
But Leons left a lasting impression behind him in the G League.
“Malevy Leons talked to the media after the Blue’s win,” wrote Thunder Wire managing editor Clemente Almanza on X. “Shook all of our hands and introduced himself before he went to the podium. Never really seen that before by an NBA player. Incredibly nice dude.”
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
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