LAS VEGAS – Former Penn State men's basketball standout Lamar Stevens put together a strong showing for the Cleveland Cavaliers during NBA Summer League action at MGM Resorts in Las Vegas.
Stevens averaged 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 blocks per game during the Cavs' five-game summer stretch. The Philadelphia native started all five games for Cleveland, playing an average of 28.1 minutes per contest.
Stevens capped off Summer League action by scoring what proved to be the game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns Monday night as he muscled in a layup with 24.3 seconds to play to break an 85-all tie and lift the Cavs to an 88-85 victory. The Penn State alum scored in double figures in all five games, highlighted by a 21-point, seven-rebound performance against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
GAME WINNER @LamarStevens11 🚨 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/sHGLlzpTJa
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) August 16, 2021
Stevens signed a multi-year deal with the Cavs in April 2021.
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection and team MVP, Stevens led the Nittany Lions in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons and made critical contributions to help Penn State to its first Associated Press poll ranking and its first top-10 ranking since 1996.
Stevens was an extraordinary leader who helped his 2019-20 team to 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 the school scoring record when the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Off the court, Stevens involved six individuals, all with special needs 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.
The NBA regular season is set to begin in mid-October.