Lamar Stevens

Lamar Brandon Stevens (born July 9, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

High school career
Stevens attended The Haverford School in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania for his sophomore and junior years. At Haverford, he was named to All-State and All-District teams both years, as well as leading Haverford to two straight state championship runs. During his senior season he attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia where he played alongside future Penn State teammates, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick. During his senior year, Stevens was once again named to All-State and All-District teams, as well as All-Philadelphia. Roman Catholic dominated all season, ranking Number 1 in Pennsylvania and top 15 nationally, according to MaxPreps. Stevens scored 20 points on the way to winning the state championship game.

Recruiting
After the season, Stevens was ranked 100th on the ESPN's Top 100 recruits of 2016 and third-ranked overall in Pennsylvania.


 * Honors and Awards
 *  3x PIAA AAAA All-State (2014, 2015, 2016)
 * 2016 PIAA Class AAAA State Champions
 * 2016 Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Daily News
 * All-Philadelphia First Team (2016)
 * 3x PIAA District 12 First Team (2014, 2015, 2016)''

College career
During Stevens' freshman season at Penn State, he started all 33 games for the Nittany Lions and was named Freshman of the Week multiple times with teammate Tony Carr. He was named as a First Team All-Freshman by the Big Ten and averaged over 12 points per game his first season.

Stevens scored a season-high 30 points on January 5, 2018, against Northwestern. As a sophomore, Stevens averaged 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He helped the Nittany Lions post a 26–13 record and win the NIT. Stevens was named Most Outstanding Player of the NIT.

As a junior, Stevens averaged 19.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He was named All-Big Ten Conference first-team accolades by the media and second-team honors from the league’s coaches. Stevens was an All-District VII second-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. After the season, Stevens declared for the 2019 NBA draft but decided to return to Penn State.

On December 16, 2019, Stevens was named Big Ten player of the week after scoring 18 points and collecting 11 rebounds in a victory over fourth-ranked and previously undefeated Maryland. On February 1, 2020, Stevens became the third player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points, scoring 13 points in a 76–64 win against Nebraska. He scored a career-high 33 points on February 8, leading the Nittany Lions to a 83–77 win over Minnesota. At the close of the regular season, Stevens was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.

Stevens finished his college career as Penn State's second all-time leading scorer with 2,207 points, seven shy of breaking the scoring record set by Talor Battle. Stevens missed out on an opportunity to set the record when the 2020 Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2023)
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Stevens was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers to a two-way contract on November 28, 2020. He made his NBA debut on December 28, 2020, in a 118–94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored two points and collected two rebounds in five minutes of action. On February 23, 2021, he scored eight points, including a game-winner, in a 112–111 win over the Atlanta Hawks and on April 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers. On January 12, 2022, Stevens scored a career and game high of 23 points in a 111-91 win over the Utah Jazz.

On July 6, 2023, Stevens was traded to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team trade with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, and on July 17, he was waived.

Boston Celtics (2023–2024)
On September 26, 2023, Stevens signed with the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 19 of 50 games with the Celtics, averaging 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Due to a rash of injuries at the center position, Stevens entered the Celtics' starting lineup for the first and only time on December 15, 2023, logging 8 points and 3 rebounds in a 128-111 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Memphis Grizzlies (2024)
On February 7, 2024, the Celtics traded Stevens and two second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Xavier Tillman.

Personal life
Stevens is the author of the children's book "Lamar's Climb -- A Journey to Happy Valley." The book, which teaches geography based on his experience and involves people with special needs in the creative process, was distributed at Penn State games.