Maxwell Lewis

Maxwell Lewis (born July 27, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Pepperdine Waves.

Early life
Lewis' father, Robert, is from Los Angeles, California, and moved for work to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Lewis was born and raised. Robert served as a coach in recreational youth leagues in the Las Vegas Valley. Lewis played basketball in his childhood but stopped playing organized basketball as an elementary school student at the request of his father who believed that a coach was treating him poorly. Lewis instead studied the saxophone to replace his idle time but continued to play pickup basketball and trained with his older brother. He had a growth spurt four years later that enabled his father to let him play basketball again and made a return in a National Junior Basketball League. Lewis led the league in scoring and attracted attention from coaches but enrolled at Somerset-Losse specifically to play in its jazz and concert bands.

High school career
Somerset-Losee did not have a basketball team during Lewis' freshman year so he played junior varsity at Mojave High School. Somerset-Losee introduced a boys basketball team during Lewis' sophomore year in 2017–18 where he averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds per game. Lewis desired greater competition than the outstate schools and other charters that Somerset-Losee played so he transferred to Ed W. Clark High School and reclassified to the graduating class of 2021. He was relegated to junior varsity amid the transfer rules of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and decided to transfer again to AZ Compass Prep.

Lewis thrived against national competition during his junior season in 2019–20 and earned scholarship offers from high major college programs. On July 21, 2020, he announced that he would bypass college and his senior high school season in favor of Chameleon BX, a preparatory program in San Francisco, which was designed to prepare players for the NBA draft. Lewis trained for several months with emphasis on strength, cardio and calisthenics but departed before the program concluded. He returned to Las Vegas and preserved one year of club basketball where he played in 2021 as an unsigned senior. Lewis no longer had offers from the high major colleges that had recruited him but received a scholarship offer to play for the Pepperdine Waves under head coach Lorenzo Romar.

College career
Lewis missed the first three games of his career with the Waves due to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reviewing his eligibility after attending Chameleon BX. He played as a reserve during his freshman season with the Waves and averaged 11 points per game. On February 12, 2022, he suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Lewis was selected to the West Coast Conference (WCC) All-Freshman team.

Lewis was moved to the starting lineup during his sophomore season, and averaged 16.6 points per game. He was selected to the All-WCC Second Team. Lewis gained the attention of National Basketball Association (NBA) executives throughout the season who were enticed by his physical dimensions and shot creating abilities. On March 20, 2023, Lewis declared for the 2023 NBA draft. He was invited to participate at the NBA Draft Combine.

Los Angeles Lakers (2023–present)
Lewis was selected with the 40th pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. His draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers later in the draft. On July 8, 2023, Lewis signed with the Lakers.