DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1993 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Small forward for UNICS Kazan in the VTB United League |
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (born June 5, 1993) is a professional basketball athlete of Trinidadian-American descent currently playing for UNICS Kazan in the VTB United League. He stands at and mainly occupies the small forward role. Akoon-Purcell’s collegiate basketball experience includes time at both Eastern Oklahoma State and Illinois State.
College career
Akoon-Purcell began his college basketball journey at Eastern Oklahoma State College, where in 2014 he received NJCAA Division I All-America Honorable Mention recognition. He then transferred to Illinois State University for the 2014–15 season. In his junior year, he earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Newcomer Team and was honored as the MVC Newcomer of the Year. Additionally, he was shortlisted as a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award, which celebrates the top NCAA Division I transfer player. Ahead of his senior year, Akoon-Purcell was included in the MVC Preseason Team. During the 2015–16 season, he led Illinois State in scoring with an average of 14.1 points per game, ranking eighth within the MVC. His performance secured him places on both the All-MVC Second Team and the NABC Division I District 16 Second Team. Despite these accolades, he was not selected in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Bakken Bears (2016–2018)
In August 2016, Akoon-Purcell inked a one-year deal with Danish club Bakken Bears, competing in both the Basketligaen and FIBA Europe Cup. He played a pivotal role in guiding the Bears to a Basketligaen title during his debut season, earning distinctions as league MVP and Finals MVP. In his sophomore season with the team, he contributed to their advancement to the FIBA Europe Cup semi-finals and helped secure another Basketligaen championship. His individual achievements that year included being voted Fan Vote FIBA Europe Cup MVP with 4,939 votes and receiving the Guard of the Year award.
Denver Nuggets (2018)
Akoon-Purcell participated in the 2018 NBA Summer League representing the Denver Nuggets, posting averages of 12.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.0 steals over approximately 19 minutes per game. On August 7, 2018, he signed a two-way contract with Denver but appeared in only seven games before being waived on December 16, 2018, when his contract expired.
Hapoel Tel Aviv (2018–2019)
On December 19, 2018, he joined Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League for the remainder of that season. After participating in eight games, Akoon-Purcell parted ways with Hapoel on February 19, 2019.
ESSM Le Portel (2019)
Akoon-Purcell signed with French club ESSM Le Portel of the LNB Pro A on March 9, 2019. Over a span of twelve games, he averaged 9.1 points along with 2.5 rebounds per contest.
Oklahoma City Blue (2019–2020)
On September 30, 2019, Akoon-Purcell signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder but was waived during preseason activities and subsequently joined their NBA G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. On January 21, 2020, he delivered a standout performance scoring 33 points and securing seven rebounds in a 125–116 victory against the Austin Spurs. In his following game, he tallied 38 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal despite a narrow 144–140 loss to the Texas Legends.
Tofaş (2020–2021)
Akoon-Purcell initially agreed to a one-month contract with the Bakken Bears on September 2, 2020. However, by September 29, he had transferred to the Turkish team Tofaş. Subsequently, he took part in the 2021 NBA summer league representing the Atlanta Hawks, where he made his debut by scoring 13 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and recording 2 steals in a narrow defeat to the Boston Celtics.
Galatasaray (2021–2022)
On August 23, 2021, Akoon-Purcell inked a one-year deal with Galatasaray Nef, competing in Turkey's top-tier Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL), which included an option to extend for an additional season.
Lokomotiv Kuban (2022–present)
He joined Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League on December 1, 2022.
Career statistics
| † | Indicates seasons when he secured the championship title |
| * | League-leading performance |
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Denver | 7 || 0 || 3.1 || .300 || .000 || .500 || .5 || .8 || .2 || .0 || 1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career | 7 || 0 || 3.1 || .300 || .000 || .500 || .5 || .8 || .2 || .0 || 1.0
Domestic Leagues
|- | align=left style="background:#afe6ba;style="text-align:center;" | 2016–17† | style="text-align:left" rowspan=2 | Bakken Bears | style="text-align:center" rowspan=2| Basketligaen |37 ||32 ||27.1 ||.522||.455||.799||5.9||3.0||1.8||.4 ||style="background:#CFECEC;"| 21.4* |- | align=left style="background:#afe6ba;style="text-align:center;" | 2017–18† | 29 || 25 || 27.1 || .484 || .352 || .881 || 4.9 || 3.8 || 1.6 || .1 || 17.3 |- | style="text-align:left" | 2018–19 | style="text-align:left" | Hapoel Tel Aviv | style="text-align:center" | IPL | 8 || 7 || 22.1 || .310 ||.240 || .826 || 2.6 || 1.8 ||1.1 ||.1 || 7.6 |- | style="text-align:left" | 2018–19 | style="text-align:left" | Le Portel | style="text-align:center" | Pro A | 12 || 2 || 17.2 || .351 ||.300 || .680 || 2.5 || 1.1 ||0.8 ||.0 || 9.1 |- |}
European Competitions
|- | style="text-align:center;" |2016–17 | style="text-align:left" rowspan=2 | Bakken Bears | style="text-align:center" rowspan=1| BCL | 14 || 11 || 29.0 || .415 || .340 || .842 || 6.6 || 1.7 || 2.2 || .3 || 17.4 |- | style="text-align:center;" |2017–18 | style="text-align:center" rowspan=1| FEC | 18 || 18 || 32.7 || .415 || .255 || .718 || 5.2 || 4.3 || 1.6 || .0 || 18.6 |}
Personal life
Born to Paul Akoon Jr. and Tamar deGovia-Purcell, Akoon-Purcell moved in with his grandparents when he was eleven years old.[1] Following his grandmother’s passing in April of 2013, he began wearing jersey number #44 as a tribute and adopted his full name instead of the previously used DeVaughn Purcell.[1] He also has wrist tattoos honoring both her and his former coach, Torrey Ward, who recruited him in 2014 and tragically died in a plane crash in April of the following year.[1] Additionally, Akoon-Purcell possesses a Trinidadian passport.[2]
External links
- 1993 births
- Living people
- American basketball players competing professionally in Denmark
- American basketball players competing professionally in France
- American basketball players competing professionally in Israel
- American basketball players competing professionally in Turkey
- American male basketball athletes
- American athletes of Trinidad and Tobago heritage
- Bakken Bears team members
- Basketball athletes originating from Orlando, Florida
- Delaware Blue Coats team players
- Denver Nuggets team members
- ESSM Le Portel team players
- Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) team members
- Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. team players
- Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team members
- Junior college men's basketball competitors in the United States
- NBA players with Trinidad and Tobago nationality
- Oklahoma City Blue team players
- PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban team members
- Small forward position players
- Tofaş S.K. team members
- Trinidad and Tobago expatriate athletes in Denmark
- Trinidad and Tobago expatriate athletes in Israel
- Male basketball players from Trinidad and Tobago
- Undrafted NBA athletes
- 21st-century American male athletes
- Delaware Blue Coats players