Kody Stattmann
July 31, 2022
Adris De León
- Nationality: DOM
- Date of Birth: 10/07/84
- Place of Birth: Dominican Republic
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 180
- Weight (KG): 75
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: College of the Siskiyous (2005-2006) / Southern Idaho (2006-2007) / Eastern Washington (2007-2009)
- NBL DEBUT: 29/10/11
- AGE AT DEBUT: 27
- LAST NBL GAME: 10/11/18
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 34
- NBL History: Gold Coast 2012 | Wollongong 2013 | Adelaide 2019
- Championships: 0
- None
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.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 34 | Adelaide | 14-14 (5) | 9 | 175.4 | 69 | 23 | 26 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 22 | 67 | 33% | 11 | 34 | 32% | 14 | 18 | 78% | 46% | 41% | 21 |
| 2012-13 | 28 | Wollongong | 13-15 (3) | 30 | 862.0 | 491 | 107 | 92 | 30 | 77 | 38 | 3 | 82 | 55 | 162 | 393 | 41% | 48 | 146 | 33% | 119 | 153 | 78% | 53% | 47% | 34 |
| 2011-12 | 27 | Gold Coast | 17-11 (3) | 28 | 805.0 | 464 | 121 | 89 | 33 | 88 | 44 | 4 | 80 | 66 | 157 | 377 | 42% | 53 | 145 | 37% | 97 | 122 | 80% | 53% | 49% | 33 | Totals | 67 | 1842 | 1024 | 251 | 207 | 72 | 179 | 90 | 8 | 171 | 138 | 341 | 837 | 40.7% | 112 | 325 | 34.5% | 230 | 293 | 78.5% | 53% | 47% | 34 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 34 | Adelaide | 14-14 (5) | 9 | 19.5 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 7.4 | 33% | 1.2 | 3.8 | 32% | 1.6 | 2.0 | 78% | 46% | 41% | 21 |
| 2012-13 | 28 | Wollongong | 13-15 (3) | 30 | 28.7 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 13.1 | 41% | 1.6 | 4.9 | 33% | 4.0 | 5.1 | 78% | 53% | 47% | 34 |
| 2011-12 | 27 | Gold Coast | 17-11 (3) | 28 | 28.8 | 16.6 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 5.6 | 13.5 | 42% | 1.9 | 5.2 | 37% | 3.5 | 4.4 | 80% | 53% | 49% | 33 | Total | 67 | 27.5 | 15.3 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 12.5 | 40.7% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34.5% | 1.7 | 4.9 | 78.5% | 53% | 47% | 34 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 34 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Canada - Halifax Rainmen (2010–2011) | Dominican Republic - CDP Domingo Paulino Santiago (2010, 2016–2018), Indios de San Francisco (2010), La Cancha (2010), Metros de Santiago (2012–2014, 2016–2018), Las Fieras de La Villa (2017) | Poland - MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza (2019), PGE Spójnia Stargard (2019–2020) | Puerto Rico - Vaqueros de Bayamón (2013), Piratas de Quebradillas (2014), Atenienses de Manatí (2016) | Spain - Palencia Baloncesto (2011)
In December 2009, Adris De León joined the Halifax Rainmen for the 2010 Premier Basketball League season, and in 10 games he averaged 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game before leaving halfway through the season to train with the Dominican Republic national team, with Halifax later placing him on the club’s protected list ahead of the following season.
Throughout 2010, De León played in multiple competitions in the Dominican Republic, including the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, and that period included time with CDP Domingo Paulino Santiago, Indios de San Francisco and La Cancha while establishing a recurring pattern of returning for domestic stints in Santiago and with Metros de Santiago.
In February 2011, De León signed with Palencia Baloncesto in Spain’s LEB Oro, and he appeared in seven games while averaging 2.4 points per game.
De León later moved to Puerto Rico’s BSN, signing with Vaqueros de Bayamón on May 13, 2013, and across five games he averaged 6.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.
In the 2014 BSN season, he played for Piratas de Quebradillas, appearing in 12 games and averaging 8.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and he was released on April 25, 2014.
With Metros de Santiago, De León was part of the 2014 Liga Nacional de Baloncesto championship run, and in the final series he averaged 7.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists across six games while teammates Víctor Liz (18.7 points per game), Windi Graterol (11.8) and Alejandro Carmona (13.5) were key contributors in the title series.
In the Dominican Republic’s LNB, De León set a league single-game scoring record with 54 points for Metros de Santiago against Huracanes del Atlántico on August 11, 2016, and that year’s final series also saw him start all seven games and average 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game alongside Metros teammates Robert Glenn, Víctor Liz and Eloy Vargas.
During the 2016 BSN season with Manatí, De León played 25 games and averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 23.9 minutes per game, and he later helped Metros de Santiago win the 2017 LNB title over Leones de Santo Domingo as a starter in the finals who averaged 14.6 points and 4.6 assists across five games, with teammates Robert Glenn, Jordan Hamilton and Víctor Liz also among the leading scorers.
In Santiago’s top league, De León reached 1,000 career points in 54 games at an 18.5-point average, and in the 2018 final he hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 16 seconds left to help CDP Domingo Paulino Santiago win the championship 99–97, earning Finals MVP honours ahead of teammate Edward Santana after Todd Mayo’s late three-point attempt missed in the closing seconds.
De León moved to Poland in January 2019 with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza, and across 16 games in the Polish league he averaged 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 25.6 minutes per game while shooting 41.1% from the field, 41.7% from three and 81.8% at the line.
On December 2, 2019, he signed with PGE Spójnia Stargard, and in 12 games he averaged 8.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 24.7 minutes per game.
COLLEGE
Adris De León opened his college pathway in California at the College of the Siskiyous (2005–2006) before moving to the College of Southern Idaho (2006–2007), then finishing his NCAA career at Eastern Washington (2007–2009), graduating from Eastern Washington University in 2009 as the final stop of a three-school climb through the US system.
After arriving at Eastern Washington for the 2007–08 season, De León stepped straight into a featured role, finishing 10th in the Big Sky in scoring (12.5 ppg) while also ranking sixth in assists (3.1 apg), and he led the Eagles in scoring nine times and in assists 16 times across the year.
His biggest headline moment came in Big Sky play against Northern Colorado on January 17, 2008, when he dropped 42 points in an overtime win to earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, with that 42-point outburst noted as the third-highest single-game scoring performance in school history and tied to the 19th-most points in Big Sky history at the time.
De León’s Eastern Washington career also included an unusual eligibility twist early in his tenure, as he was cleared by the NCAA just hours before the season-opener after questions regarding junior college transcripts, allowing him to suit up that night and giving EWU eight players in uniform for the opener.
In his final season with the Eagles (2008–09), De León played 21 games (six starts) and averaged 5.7 points and 1.3 assists in 18.0 minutes, with his best single-game scoring night listed as 15 points at Weber State (Feb. 12, 2009), while his conference-only line rose to 7.3 points per game across 15 league games.
AWARDS
- 1x time NBL 6th Man (2013)
- 1x All-NBL Third Team
Related
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