Alex Len

At 31 years old, Alex Len has this physical status:

Oleksiy "Alex" Len (born June 16, 1993) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He appeared with the Maryland Terrapins of the Atlantic Coast Conference two seasons as well as a season with Dnipro in his home country's top professional basketball league before being drafted.

Early life

Len was born in Antratsyt, Ukraine, to a mother named Yulia, who started following track early in her life. Len was interested in gymnastics as a child and loved watching Jackie Chan films. Len was coached by Oleksiy Stepanenko, who had also trained Olympic gold medalist Ihor Korobchynskyi. He began playing basketball at the age of 13 and then attended Dnipropetrovsk High College in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. He appeared for the Ukraine national team in the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where he was the fourth-best overall scorer, second-best rebounder, and the best shot blocker throughout the 2010 tournament. Len joined BC Dnipro of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague in the 2010–11 season following the tournament.

Personal life

Lenn and his mother, Yulia, founded the Len-d A Hand Foundation in December 2015, a non-profit that helps reach the youth in Phoenix, Arizona, and other surrounding areas. Len is also a good swimmer, and he saved his friend and a lifeguard from drowning at a beach in the Dominican Republic on April 25, 2016.

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College career

Len was hired by then Maryland assistant basketball coach Scott Spinelli. Williams was the winner of an athletic scholarship from University of Maryland coach Gary Williams, but he resigned after the 2010–11 season. Mark Turgeon was recruited to take his place. Though Williams began recruiting Len, it was Turgeon and Spinelli who lured him to Maryland that attracted him to Maryland. Len underachieved in his freshman year, averaging 6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, but he showed lottery pick promise after being banned for ten games from his home country.

Len began his sophomore season against the Kentucky Wildcats, the reigning champions of the 2012 recruiting class, led by ESPN's top recruiter of the 2012 recruiting class, Nerlens Noel. The game was held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which is the brand-new Barclays Center. Len defeated Noel throughout the entire game, scoring 23 points with 12 rebounds and 4 blocks, while holding Noel to just four points, despite Kentucky winning the game 72-69. Following the game, there was speculation that Len might have been a top-five pick in the forthcoming draft. Len scored ten points, including a game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds in the game, tying #14 North Carolina State with a 52-50 victory on January 16, 2013. Len appeared on February 16, 2013, leading Maryland to an 83-81 upset victory over the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils. Lenn dominated Duke with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while holding Duke senior Mason Plumlee to four points. In 38 total games this season, he averaged 11.9 points per game.

Lenn declared for the 2013 NBA draft on April 14, 2013. Lenn was expected to land in the lottery, with some experts predicting him as the top overall pick. Lenn came out of surgery on his left ankle, resulting in him being out for several months, and causing him to miss the 2013 NBA Summer League.

Professional career

In the 2013 NBA draft, Len was ranked fifth overall by the Phoenix Suns. Len was the second international-born player to be selected in the NBA after the first overall pick in Canadian-born Anthony Bennett, as well as the highest-selected Ukrainian-born player to be drafted in the NBA, a record that was previously held by Vitaly Potapenko in 1996. He was also the first Suns player to be drafted in the top 5 of an NBA draft since Armen Gilliam in 1987. Len did not join the Suns in the 2013 NBA Summer League due to ankle surgery. Len underwent surgery on his right ankle as a result of a stress fracture on July 12, 2013. He joined the Suns on August 29, 2013 and was allowed to practice with them by early September.

Len made his NBA debut against the Utah Jazz on November 1, 2013. He played seven games before returning to the Sacramento Kings on November 19 on November 19. However, Len re-injured his left knee and missed over six weeks before returning against the Chicago Bulls on January 7. In a 126-117 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 29, 2014, Len played his first 10-rebound game in his first 10-rebound game.

Len joined the Phoenix Suns in July 2014 for the 2014 NBA Summer League. Len had 6 points and 6 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors in the Suns' first game of the Summer League before fracturing his right pinkie finger and being barred from further study. On October 7, 2014, the Suns' first pre-season game against Brazilian club Flamengo, causing Len to the sidelines once more. In the Suns' pre-season match against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 22, he returned to action two weeks later.

In the Suns' 94-89 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Len scored his first double-double with career-highs in points and rebounds, 10 and 11, respectively. In a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on November 17, he scored a career-high 19 points. Len played his first game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 15 on December 15 and then continued with the Suns until February 5 after suffering his ankle during a failed alley-oop attempt against the Portland Trail Blazers. In a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 20, he returned to action on February 20 for 11 points, ten rebounds, and a career-high six blocks. He underwent successful surgery to fix his fractured nose on April 2, the Portland Trail Blazers' injury on March 30. He then missed the final seven games of the season.

Len re-joined the Suns in 2015 for the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Len and his new teammates, Tyson Chandler, as well as rival center and one of Len's personal favorites, Tim Duncan, began training following the summer League's conclusion. In a 107–104 victory over the Orlando Magic, Len recorded a then-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. He had been banned from three games due to a left-hand sprain on January 11. In a 111-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on February 4, he had 12 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. In a 118–111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he posted a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds on February 21, his first career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds. In a 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic, he set a new career record on March 4, scoring 31 points and 15 rebounds. In a 109-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies two days later, Len scored 19 points, 16 rebounds, and a career-high 6 assists. On March 17, he played his 10th straight game with ten+ rebounds. In a 124-115 victory over the Houston Rockets on April 7, he earned his career-high seven assists. Len appeared in 78 games for the Suns in 2015–16, beginning in 46 of them, with some of them achieving career highs. He had 19 double-doubles and finished with 9.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, all career highs.

Len was the Suns' first victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on November 2 after going 0–4 to begin the season. In a 107-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on November 8, he had 16 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. In a 119-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on December 9, he had 14 points, 13 rebounds, and a season-high five blocks off the bench. During an altercation in the Suns' 110–91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies two days earlier, he was suspended one game without compensation for leaving the bench area and entering the playing court.

Len became a restricted free agent after the 2016–17 season. Len signed a one-year, $4.2 million qualifying offer to return to the Suns on September 25, 2017, after spending the off-season trying to get a better deal. In a 122–113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on November 17, 2017, Len had 17 points and 18 rebounds. In a 104–99 victory over the Chicago Bulls, he tied his career high with 18 rebounds. In a 108-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 16, 2017, he had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. In a 124-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 2, 2018, he had six blocks in a 124–116 loss.

Len signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks on August 3, 2018. In a 98-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons on December 23, 2018, he had 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. In a 123-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls, he scored a career-high 28 points with a career-high five 3-pointers on March 3, 2019. In a 115-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored a career-high 33 points, with a career-best six 3-pointers.

On February 6, 2020, Len and Jabari Parker were traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Dewayne Dedmon and two second round picks.

Len was born on November 29, 2020, and he joined the Toronto Raptors on November 29, 2020. After 13 regular season games, the Raptors waived him on January 19, 2021.

Len joined the Washington Wizards on January 23, 2021.

Len signed with the Sacramento Kings on August 13, 2021.

National team career

During the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Len played for Ukraine's Under-16 national team. Despite his success throughout the tournament, which included a 20-point outing against Israel and averaging 8.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, as the second-best shot blocker in the tournament with 2.6 blocks per game, the Under-16 national team was suspended under Division B after the tournament's longest time, with 2.6 blocks per game. For the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championships, he competed with his national team, Under-18. Len, who competed in the Under-16 Tournament in 2009, helped the Under-18 team remain in the Division A tournaments for at least another year. Len was the best stand-out participant for the country throughout the entire tournament. In fact, his success throughout the tournament prompted the University of Maryland, as well as a few other colleges such as Virginia Tech, to show enough enthusiasm in him to keep him on their team.

Len was named in August 2018 for the first time at the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in September.

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