Introduction
Mathias Lessort (born September 29, 1995) is a French professional basketball player who last played for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He stands 206 cm (6’9’’) tall and plays at the center position.
Early years
Born in the French overseas department of Martinique, Lessort joined the youth ranks of Élan Chalon in 2010 and won the French national championship with Chalon’s cadet team in 2012 and 2013 and with their development team ("Espoirs") in 2013. He also helped Chalon win the 2013 Trophée du Futur.
Professional career
Lessort was handed his first professional contract by the club in June 2014 and made his debut in the French top-flight Pro A during the 2014-15 season. Before turning professional, he had considered enrolling at a university in the United States and had been in touch with Gonzaga and North Carolina State.
He saw action in 23 games as a rookie, chipping in with 2.0 points a game, while pulling down 2.0 rebounds per contest. In 2015-16, he logged his first minutes in a European club competition, the FIBA Europe Cup.
In April 2016, he declared for the NBA draft, but later withdrew. On June 1, 2016, he joined JSF Nanterre of the French Pro A on a three-year deal. In April 2017, Lessort won both the French Basketball Cup and the FIBA Europe Cup championships with Nanterre.
Lessort was drafted in the second round as the 50th pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. In July 2019, his draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a four-team trade.
On August 11, 2017, Lessort signed a three-year deal with the Serbian club Crvena zvezda. He played there only in the 2017–18 season, before signing with Spanish ACB side Unicaja in July 2018.
National team career
Lessort played in the 2013 Nike Global Challenge, averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game, while receiving International All-Tournament Team honors.
He represented France at the 2014 and 2015 U20 European Championships. In 2015, he averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds en route to a semifinal appearance.
Career statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | ||
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating | ||
| Bold | Career high | ||||||
Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Crvena zvezda | 30 | 29 | 21.1 | .549 | .000 | .632 | 5.7 | .8 | .8 | .7 | 8.5 | 10.7 |
| Career | 30 | 29 | 21.1 | .549 | .000 | .632 | 5.7 | .8 | .8 | .7 | 8.5 | 10.7 | |
Personal life
His brother Grégory Lessort is also a professional basketball player.