The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Monday that American guard Walter Lemon Jr. has signed with the Club for the 2022 CEBL season.
A six-foot-two guard from Chicago, Illinois, Lemon Jr. has averaged 16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.7 minutes in 281 professional games in the NBA, the NBA G League, in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Hungary and Germany.
Lemon Jr. played 11 games in the NBA, including six games with the Chicago Bulls in 2019 and five games with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018. As a member of the Bulls, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 27.9 minutes. He started three games and recorded 20 points on April 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. In his third game in a Chicago Bulls uniform, Lemon Jr. led both teams with 24 points and eight assists on April 3 against the Washington Wizards. He made his debut with the Bulls on March 30, scoring 19 points and adding six assists and four steals against the Toronto Raptors.
That same year, Lemon Jr. played 43 games in the NBA G League, split between the Windy City Bulls and the Maine Red Claws. He finished the season ranked 15th in the league in scoring (20.9), second in assists (8.4) and sixth in steals (1.7).
This past season, Lemon Jr. averaged 12.3 points and 6.2 assists in 32 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA G League. He recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists on February 8 against Delaware.
On February 21, 2018, after averaging 22.7 points in 36 games with Fort Wayne, the New Orleans Pelicans signed Lemon Jr. to a 10-day contract. He played five games with the Pelicans and recorded seven points and three assists on March 9 against the Wizards.
In addition to his experience in the NBA regular season, the Bradley University alumnus played in the NBA Summer league for the Bulls (2020), the Pelicans (2019) and the Warriors (2015).
Lemon Jr. started his professional career in 2014 with Egis Kormend in Hungary. He recorded a season-high 30 points, shooting 11-for-19 from the floor, to go along with six rebounds and four assists on November 22 against Kaposvari KK. He finished the 2014-15 campaign with HARKO Merlins in Germany.
Collegiately, Lemon Jr. averaged 13.2 points in 130 games with the Bradley University Braves. Upon graduation, Lemon’s 1,721 career points were seventh all-time in Bradley history. He also ranked tenth in assists with 367 and third in steals with 222. During his four years with the Braves, Lemon Jr. received numerous awards on the court and in the classroom. Amongst others, he was named on the MVC All-Defense Team (2013, 2014),the MVC Most Improved Team (2012, 2014) and on the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team (2013, 2014). Lemon was Bradley’s first-ever Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014.
Lemon Jr. is the eleventh player announced to have signed with Ottawa for the 2022 season. Last week, the BlackJacks announced the signing of forward Jermaine Haley. The BlackJacks will be launching a season-long national campaign on Wednesday May 4, 2022. Members of the media are encouraged to confirm their attendance to [email protected]. The BlackJacks 20-game regular season will open up with a game at home versus Fraser Valley on May 25, 2022, at 7:30pm. In addition to 10 regular season home games, the BlackJacks will be hosting the2022 CEBL Championship Weekend from August 12-14, 2022. Season and half season seat memberships, Flex Packs, group tickets and single game tickets are available at theblackjacks.ca/tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected].
Quotes:
“Walt is a leader and a hard-nosed competitor with games played in the NBA, the NBAG League, in Europe and in Asia. We are excited about the wealth of experience we gain having him join our club. Walt has the ability to get to the rim to score and make plays for others. We believe that it will translate well with the CEBL style of play.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager and Vice-President, Basketball Operations
Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“I am excited to join the BlackJacks organization in Ottawa this summer and meet the community. I heard great things about the city and I’m looking forward to going to work with the rest of the team.”
-Walter Lemon Jr., Guard, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
About the Ottawa BlackJacks
The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. Having recently completed its second season, the BlackJacks earned a semifinal appearance at the 2021 CEBL Championship Weekend in Edmonton. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by General Manager and Vice-President, Basketball Operations Jevohn Shepherd, and Head Coach Charles Dubé-Brais, Ottawa plays its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. The BlackJacks and the City of Ottawa have been awarded the rights to host the 2022 CEBL Championship Weekend from August 12-14, 2022 with games taking place in the Arena at TD Place. The CEBL Championship Weekend will be a celebration of basketball, music, and local culture that will feature concerts, street festivals, the CEBL Awards, and several legacy projects to be announced at a later date. For more information visit www.theblackjacks.ca.
About Canadian Elite Basketball League
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 bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
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