Skal Labissiere

At 28 years old, Skal Labissiere has this physical status:

Skal Labissière (born March 18, 1996) is a Haitian professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. (NBA)

He graduated from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee, before playing one season of college basketball for Kentucky.

Labissière has also appeared for the Sacramento Kings.

Early years

Labissière was born in Haiti's Port-au-Prince. His basketball career began at the Collège Canton-Hatien, a junior-senior high school in Port-au-Prince, that competed in school championships organized by the Comité Interscolaire de Basket-ball Amateur (CIBA) and the Association de Basket-ball Interscolaire (ASI). During the 2010 Haiti earthquake, his family's home in Labissiere, his mother, and his brother were trapped inside. Both three girls were able to recover, but three hours later they were left homeless under rubble for three hours. His legs were pinched, causing them to go numb, and Labissiere was unable to walk for a few weeks after. Labissière moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to live with Gerald Hamilton, who ran the Reach Your Dream Foundation, which brings international stars to the United States as young hopefuls.

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High school career

Labissière played for Evangelical Christian School in Memphis and began to play varsity basketball as an eighth grader. Labissière's first arrival in England was unable to speak English and needed a French interpreter in all of his lessons. He didn't need the support and became fluent after three to four months. He completed his senior year and enrolled at Lausanne Collegiate School, which is also located in Memphis, but TSSAA ruled him ineligible to play basketball at Lausanne for the season. Rather, Labissiere spent time on Gerald Hamilton's Reach Your Dream Prep Academy team, where he averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game.

College career

Labissiere was rated as a five-star recruit and was rated as one of the best players in his class. He committed to the University of Kentucky (UK) to play college basketball. Before any other 2015 target, UK coach John Calipari compared Labissière to Anthony Davis, he gave him a scholarship. He was regarded as a potential top draft pick for the 2016 NBA draft at the start of the season. In all 36 games, Labissière averaged 6.6 points (.516 FG%, 1.6 blocks, and 15.8 minutes per game, with 18 of them for the 2015–16 Kentucky Wildcats.

Labissière announced on April 5, 2016, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Labissiere was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 28th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft on June 23, 2016, becoming the highest drafted Haitian player since Samuel Dalembert (26th overall in 2001). On draft night, his rights were eventually sold to the Sacramento Kings, and the Kings' Justin Langley signed his rookie scale deal on July 15. In a 117–91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Labissiere made his NBA debut on November 5, 2016, netting eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench. Labissiere defeated the Denver Nuggets 116-100 in their ninth game of the season on February 23, 2017. Labissiere had 10 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes in a 109–100 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on March 1, 2017. He scored 21 of his career-high 32 points in the Kings' 107–101 victory over Phoenix in the fourth quarter, becoming the first rookie from the 2016 draft class to score at least 30 points. He also had 11 rebounds to record his first double-double in career. He was the youngest Kings player to play 30-10 games and the fourth Kings player to do it as a reserves since the 1984-85 season. Since teammate Ben McLemore scored 31 points in 2013–14, he was the highest for a Kings first-year player. Labissiere was the first NBA player to score at least 32 points while playing at least 20 years old or younger, the only other player to do so in franchise history, Tyreke Evans. He had multiple stints with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League during his rookie season.

Labissière was assigned to the Reno Bighorns on December 5, 2017. He was recalled by the Kings four days later. In a 131–111 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on January 2, 2018, Labissiere had 17 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. In an 112–107 loss to Charlotte on January 22, 2018, he scored a season-high 23 points in a season-high defeat.

Labissiere was traded to Caleb Swanigan of the Portland Trail Blazers on February 7, 2019. Labissière's season finale for Portland came on April 10, when the team was resting its rotation players for the playoffs. Labissière had 29 points and 15 rebounds in 40 minutes of action, assisting the Blazers in defeating a 28-point deficit in a 136-131 victory.

The Atlanta Hawks acquired Labissière and cash considerations on February 6, 2020, for a future safe second-round draft pick. Labissière did not re-sign with Atlanta and became a free agent at the end of the season.

Labissière joined the New York Knicks on December 9, 2020. He had been suspended two days earlier. He was then drafted into the Westchester Knicks' NBA G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. On February 10, 2021, he made his Westchester debut.

Labissière played for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Summer League.

Labissière de Santurce de Santurce de Sangrejes to gratify the Baloncesto Superior Nacional on March 10, 2022.

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