For 90 days get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 51 brings…
Alex Len (C, Phoenix Suns), Ukraine
Height: 2.16m, 7-foot-1 | Weight: 115.7kg, 255 pounds | Born: 16 June 1993
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Alex Len once had a promising career in front of him.
Then he grew much too tall for a future in gymnastics.
Only a few years after playing competitive basketball for the first time – after his then-gymnastics coach dragged him to the high school gym – the 7-footer went fifth overall to the Phoenix Suns in the 2013 NBA Draft.
After coming into the season with high hopes, Len struggled to make an impact on a Phoenix team that defied league-wide expectations in 2013-14. Injuries kept him from a steady spot in the rotation, and a lack of size kept him from being able to compete in the lane against the game's top big men. Then, after one game in the 2014 NBA Summer League, a fractured pinkie knocked him out until training camp.
Still, when healthy, few young players have showed the star potential Len displayed. A rare combination of size, athleticism and grace – he was a gymnast, after all – he'll have a chance to run with one of the league's most exciting young cores in 2014-15.
Key Stats
GP: 42 | MIN: 8.6 | PTS: 2.0 | REB: 2.4 | FG%: 48.8
Season Highlight
He went for 10 rebounds and seven points against the Bucks on 29 January.
Five Things to Know
1. At No. 5 overall, Len became the highest-drafted Ukrainian player in NBA history, breaking Vitaly Potapenko's record from 1996.
2. He goes by Alex, but his real name is Oleksiy.
3. He's played chess since he was 6 years old, and still plays in his free time – often with his grandfather over Skype. (per BrightSideOfTheSun.com)
4. In that same interview with Bright Side of the Sun, he listed 'A Bronx Tale' as his favorite movie.
5. After a slow freshman year at Maryland, Len broke out in the first game of his sophomore year, going for 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks against eventual champ Kentucky – all the while matched up with Nerlens Noel.
Check out Len's photos and video in the LEAGUE section of NBA Game Time.
Previous: Ognjen Kuzmic (Golden State Warriors, Bosnia and Herzegovina) | Next Up: Ian Mahinmi (Indiana Pacers, France)