NICKNAME/S: 2Hard2Guard, Dominican Destroyer

BIO: De León was born in the Dominican Republic, but his family emigrated to the United States and settled down in Washington Heights, Manhattan. De León attended Louis D. Brandeis High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but rarely attended class. He did not play basketball seriously until the summer for his senior year, when he played on the AAU team and traveled the country. In 2009 was named as MVP of the prestigious Rucker Park Summer League in New York.

After college, he carved out his niche at the Dyckman Park, West 4th, Rucker Park, Pro City and Hoops in the Sun summer League. His play earned him the nickname, “2 Hard 2 Guard”. In 2011, De León and NBA player Brandon Jennings competed against each other for the moniker of “2 Hard 2 Guard”. De León led his East squad to a 78–55 win over Jennings and his West team, which included fellow NBA player DeMar DeRozan. Both players went at each other throughout the night but in the end, De León outplayed and outscored Jennings.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Adris De León made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Blaze at 27 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

After a modest debut with the Gold Coast Blaze, Adris De León quickly showcased his true talents, exploding in his second game with a remarkable 21-point, 8-assist performance against the Perth Wildcats. De León continued to impress throughout the season, putting up two more 20-plus point games by the end of November. On December 2, he recorded 17 points and a season-high 11 rebounds against the Cairns Taipans, displaying his versatility on both ends of the court. His standout moments continued, highlighted by a 29-point, 8-assist game against the Sydney Kings on February 10, and he set a season-high with 33 points against the Kings again on March 4.

In 28 games for the Blaze, De León averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals, proving himself as one of the Blaze’s most impactful players. His scoring prowess and playmaking ability contributed significantly to the team’s success as they finished the regular season in third place (17-11).

2011/12
After a steady debut with the Gold Coast Blaze, Adris De León quickly found his rhythm, delivering an impressive 2011/12 season with averages of 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. His standout performances were pivotal in helping the Blaze secure a third-place finish (17-11) in the regular season.

De León’s impact was particularly evident in his stellar games against the Sydney Kings, where he scored 29 points and provided 8 assists on February 10, followed by a season-high 33-point, 6-rebound effort on March 4. His consistent scoring and playmaking abilities made him one of the most valuable players for the Blaze that season.

2012/13
De León continued to impress in the 2012/13 season with the Wollongong Hawks, where he averaged 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. His performance earned him the NBL Best Sixth Man Award—the first in Hawks’ history—and a spot on the All-NBL Third Team. De León’s scoring versatility and reliability contributed significantly to the Hawks’ third-place regular-season finish (13-15), marking him as one of the league’s standout players and a key factor in the Hawks’ competitive edge that year.

2018/19
After narrowly missing out on the NBL championship the previous season, the Adelaide 36ers entered the 2018/19 season in rebuild mode due to the departure of key players, including second-leading scorer Mitch Creek. Creek left to pursue his NBA aspirations after lengthy negotiations between Adelaide and Basketball Australia.

During the 2018 NBL off-season, Creek was granted permission to play in Germany with an understanding he’d return for the 2018/19 season. However, his strong performances overseas attracted the Brooklyn Nets, who signed him to their G-League team. The 36ers initially filed an injunction to prevent Basketball Australia from approving Creek’s NBA deal without compensation, but an agreement was reached, allowing Creek to pursue his NBA goals.

Further departures saw Shannon Shorter (to Japan), Josh Childress (retired), and Matthew Hodgson (to Brisbane) leave the squad. Adelaide filled these gaps by signing Jacob Wiley (via Germany) to replace Creek and bringing in point guard Adris De León to provide scoring and playmaking. Fresh talents Harry Froling and Jack McVeigh also joined the roster, coming straight from college to inject energy and potential.

Despite the roster changes, Adelaide managed to retain core players like Nathan Sobey, Majok Deng, Adam Doyle, Brendan Teys, and Ramone Moore. Leading scorer Daniel Johnson also returned as the newly appointed team captain, stepping up after Creek’s departure.

The season began with a home loss to Perth (91–99) in Round 1, but Adelaide rebounded with a road victory over the Sydney Kings (94–83). In Round 3, Sobey delivered one of the season’s highlights with a triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists) in a win over Cairns (91–83).

However, Adelaide soon hit a rough patch, suffering four consecutive losses, starting with a defeat by New Zealand (114–94) and culminating in a close loss to Brisbane (93–90) in Round 4. Adding to the difficulties, injuries, including a calf injury to Ramone Moore, disrupted the team’s flow. At this stage, Adelaide issued an ultimatum to De León, putting pressure on him to help turn the season around.

In a must-win game against Sydney, De León put up a strong performance with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists over 25 minutes, but Adelaide still fell short, marking their fourth consecutive loss. Shortly after, De León was released from the roster, having averaged 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He was replaced by former Illawarra standout Demitrius Conger. Additionally, Shaun Bruce was signed as cover for Moore, who remained sidelined, rounding out the roster for the remainder of the season.

Despite limited time with the team, De León provided bright moments for the 36ers, including a season-high 21-point, 6-assist, and 1-rebound performance in a tough loss to the Sydney Kings on October 19, 2018, where he shot 7/13 from the field, including an impressive 6/7 from beyond the arc. He also contributed 11 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists in a game against Perth (Oct 11, 2018), hitting 4/10 from the field and 3/7 from three-point range.

Alongside De León’s contributions, Adelaide saw strong performances from Daniel Johnson (17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) and Nathan Sobey (16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists), both of whom were named to the All-NBL Second Team. Key players like Jacob Wiley (12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 assist), Demitrius Conger (11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), Anthony Drmic (9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), and NBL Rookie of the Year Harry Froling (7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds) also provided crucial support.

Adelaide hovered between fourth and fifth place for much of the season’s second half, ultimately finishing tied with Brisbane at 14-14. However, due to points percentage, the Bullets advanced to the playoffs, ending Adelaide’s season in fifth place.

Adris De León played three seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Blaze, Wollongong Hawks and Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3 assists in 67 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.