PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Former Penn State men's basketball forward Lamar Stevens agreed in principle to with sign the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night. Stevens and close family members celebrated his latest achievement following a distinguished collegiate career. Stevens will join the Cavaliers Dec. 1 for training camp in preparation for the NBA's Dec. 22 season opener.
"I'm never going to stop working hard or stop chasing my dreams," said Lamar Stevens. "I'm excited about what the Cleveland Cavaliers have planned for me and my development as a professional. I am so blessed and privileged to have this opportunity and I'm going to make the absolute most of it. I am so thankful to my parents, my family, my coaches and everyone who has helped me reach this goal and for their support as I continue this journey."
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection and team MVP, Stevens led the Nittany Lions in scoring for second-straight season and made critical contributions to help Penn State to its first Associated Press poll ranking and its first top-10 ranking since 1996.
From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stevens was an extraordinary leader who helped his 2019-20 team become one of only three squads in Penn State's Big Ten history to reach at least 20 wins and at least 10 conference wins. He was a member of the winningest Penn State class in the program's Big Ten era, winning 76 games and 33 league contests in four years.
Stevens finished his career as Penn State's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 2,207 career points and ranks 12th on the Big Ten's all-time points list. He was seven points shy of school scoring record when Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Off the court, Stevens involved six individuals, all with special needs, and who were connected to the men's basketball program, as part of his children's book "Lamar's Climb: A Journey to Happy Valley," distributed as part of "Everyone is Awesome" Day in February 2020. He scored a career-high 33 points in the afternoon's game and then signed copies of the book for more than two hours afterward.
Stevens was in the starting lineup for every game in his collegiate career with 135 starts. He scored in double figures in 115 games and amassed 42 career 20-plus-point performances as well as three 30-point scoring efforts. Stevens became only the second Nittany Lion with 2,000 career points and at least 800 rebounds.
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