CEBL Vancouver Bandits

Bandits Sign Former Florida Gator, OKC Blue Swingman Justin Leon

Published on July 8, 2021 under Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Vancouver Bandits News Release


ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed Justin Leon for the 2021 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. The six-foot-eight forward and former Florida Gators starter and Oklahoma City Blue swingman will make his debut tonight against the Niagara River Lions at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. Tonight's game can be watched on CEBL+. In addition, all Bandits regular season games are available to watch on the CBC Gem app, as well as TELUS Optik TV® on Channel 1901 Lower Mainland Live Sports. Fans can learn more and subscribe to CEBL+ via this link.

"I'm thrilled to join the Fraser Valley Bandits family. This is an organization that has built a strong culture on the court and an important presence in the community off of it. I'm looking forward to contributing however I can and helping this team continue its strong start to the season," Leon said.

Leon recently played for Science City Jena during the 2019-20 season in Germany's ProA league. Leon averaged 9.9 points, five rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 26 games with Jena.

Previous to playing in Germany, Leon played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA G League from 2017-2019. Leon averaged 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game over his two seasons with the Blue. In addition to time spent in the G League, Leon also suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2018.

Leon played two seasons of NCAA Division I basketball for the Florida Gators from 2015-2017 and averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds on 45.7 per cent shooting from the field in 70 games (47 as a starter).

"We're really excited about Justin and his potential. He fits what we are doing defensively and the combination of his shooting and athleticism should help us offensively," Bandits general manager Kyle Julius said.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian national team program and top NCAA and U SPORTS programs. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to thebandits.ca for more information and click here to purchase your tickets.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Canadian Elite Basketball League Stories from July 8, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central