Oleksii Yuriyovych Len (; born June 16, 1993), commonly known as Alex Len (), is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before being drafted, he played two seasons for the Maryland Terrapins (then in the Atlantic Coast Conference) as well as a season with Dnipro.
Early life
Len was born in Antratsyt, Luhansk, Ukraine to a mother named Yuliia, who ran track early in her life. Growing up, Len participated in gymnastics and liked watching Jackie Chan films. As a young gymnast, Len was trained by Oleksii Stepanenko, who had also trained Olympic gold medalist Ihor Korobchynskyi. He started playing basketball at the age of 13 and later attended Dnipro Higher College in Dnipro, Ukraine. He played for the Ukraine national team at the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where during the 2010 tournament, he was the fourth-best overall scorer, second-best rebounder, and the best shot blocker. Following the tournament, Len joined BC Dnipro of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague for the 2010–11 season.
College career
Len was recruited by then Maryland assistant basketball coach, Scott Spinelli. He was the recipient of an athletic scholarship from the University of Maryland coach Gary Williams, but Williams resigned after the 2010–11 season. Mark Turgeon was hired to take his place. While Williams began recruiting Len, it was Turgeon and Spinelli who eventually lured him to Maryland. Len underachieved in his freshman year, averaging 6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, but showed lottery pick potential after serving a ten game suspension at the beginning of the year due to NCAA amateurism issues resulting from his play with BC Dnipro, a European club team from his home nation.
Len opened his sophomore season on November 9, 2012, against the reigning champion Kentucky Wildcats, led by ESPN's #1 player of the 2012 recruiting class, Nerlens Noel. The game was played at the brand-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Len overpowered Noel throughout the entire game, scoring 23 points with 12 rebounds and 4 blocks, while holding Noel to just four points, although Kentucky won the game 72–69. Following the game, there was talk that Len could potentially be a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft. On January 16, 2013, Len scored 10 points, including a game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds in the game, upsetting #14 North Carolina State with a 52–50 win. On February 16, 2013, Len played a role in Maryland's 83–81 victory over the top ranked Duke Blue Devils. Len put up 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, while holding Duke star senior Mason Plumlee to four points. He went on to average 11.9 points per game in 38 total games that season.
On April 14, 2013, Len decided to declare for the 2013 NBA draft. He was projected to land in the lottery, with some experts projecting Len as the #1 overall pick. On May 3, 2013, Len ended up getting surgery on his left ankle that resulted in him being out for several months, ultimately causing him to sit out from the 2013 NBA Summer League.
Professional career
Phoenix Suns (2013–2018)
2013–14 season
Len was selected fifth overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2013 NBA draft. Len was the second international-born player to be selected in that draft, behind the first overall selection in Canadian-born Anthony Bennett, as well as the highest-selected Ukrainian-born player to be drafted in the NBA, which was a record previously held by Vitalii Potapenko in 1996. He was also the first Suns player to be taken in the top 5 of an NBA draft since Armen Gilliam in 1987. Due to his ankle surgeries, Len did not join the Suns for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On July 12, 2013, Len had surgery on his right ankle due to a stress fracture. He signed with the Suns on August 29, 2013, and was cleared to practice with them by early September.
Len made his NBA debut on November 1, 2013, at home in a close victory against the Utah Jazz. He sat out seven games before returning on November 19 against the Sacramento Kings. However, a day later, Len re-injured his left knee and missed over six weeks before returning on January 7 against the Chicago Bulls. Len had his first 10-rebound game in a 126–117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 29, 2014.