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Mathias Lessort

From Alfawiki
Mathias Lessort
Born (1995-09-29) September 29, 1995 (age 31)
Martinique, France
OccupationProfessional basketball player
Years active2014–present
Known forTwo-time All-EuroLeague First Team (2023, 2024), EuroLeague champion (2024)

Mathias Michel Lessort (born 29 September 1995) is a French professional basketball athlete currently representing Panathinaikos in both the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. Measuring 206 cm (6’9’’) in height, he occupies the position of center on the court. Lessort has earned recognition as a two-time recipient of the All-EuroLeague First Team distinction in 2023 and 2024, and he played a key role in Panathinaikos' triumph in the EuroLeague championship in 2024.

Early life

Originating from the French overseas region of Martinique, Lessort spent his formative years in Le Morne-Vert until he was 15 years old. In 2010, he entered the youth system of Élan Chalon. During his tenure there, he secured the French national championship titles with Chalon’s cadet squad in both 2012 and 2013, as well as with their "Espoirs" development team in 2013. Additionally, he contributed to Élan Chalon’s victory in the 2013 Trophée du Futur.

Personal life

Mathias Lessort is the youngest among three brothers. His elder siblings include Grégory Lessort, who also pursued professional basketball, and Mickaël, who played at the high school level but did not continue into a professional career.

He maintains strong family connections and often returns to Martinique during off-season periods to stay connected with his heritage.

Lessort is married to Traicy, and together they have two children. Their eldest son, Matson, has been mentioned publicly by Lessort, who remarked, “My son, Matson, will definitely be the loudest in the arena.” Their second child was born on 9 July 2025.

Following a severe leg injury in December 2024, Lessort posted a photo with his son on Instagram, highlighting his dedication to fatherhood.

Early years

In June 2014, Lessort inked his initial professional contract and made his debut in France’s premier league, the LNB Pro A, during the 2014–15 season. Before turning professional, he had contemplated pursuing college basketball opportunities in the United States with programs such as Gonzaga and North Carolina State.

During his rookie season, he participated in 23 games and averaged 2.0 points along with 2.0 rebounds per game. The following season (2015–16), he made his first appearance in European club competition through the FIBA Europe Cup. In April 2016, Lessort declared for the 2016 NBA draft but subsequently withdrew his name from consideration. On 1 June 2016, he committed to a three-year contract with JSF Nanterre competing in the French Pro A league. By April 2017, Lessort had secured both the French Basketball Cup and FIBA Europe Cup titles with Nanterre.

On 11 August 2017, he signed a three-year agreement with Serbian club Crvena zvezda. He remained there for only one season (2017–18) before transferring to Spanish ACB team Unicaja in July 2018.

For the 2019–20 campaign, Lessort competed with German elite club Bayern Munich.

AS Monaco (2020–2021)

On 18 September 2020, Lessort joined AS Monaco, returning to play in France’s top-tier league, the LNB Pro A.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2021)

On 25 September 2021, he agreed to a short-term two-month contract with Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Tel Aviv, stepping in for the injured Ante Žižić. Over five appearances, he averaged 7.4 points and grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game before parting ways on 26 November.

Partizan Belgrade (2021–2023)

On 20 December 2021, Lessort signed with KK Partizan, a club participating in the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League, and the EuroCup. He extended his contract on 18 July 2022.

Under the guidance of coach Željko Obradović, Lessort emerged as a crucial player in the EuroLeague, earning a spot on the first team and contending for the MVP award. Throughout the 2022–23 campaign, he posted averages of 12 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Although Partizan was narrowly eliminated by Real Madrid during the EuroLeague playoffs, they triumphed in the ABA League by winning the Finals series 3–2 against Crvena zvezda.

In March 2023, following an ABA League derby with Crvena zvezda, Lessort was involved in a physical confrontation triggered by provocation from Filip Petrusev. As a result, he received a three-game suspension and was fined €10,000. Lessort subsequently issued an apology for his actions.

Panathinaikos (2023–present)

On 27 June 2023, Lessort committed to a two-year deal with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. On February 29, 2024, he achieved a personal EuroLeague best by scoring 26 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a 97–86 victory over Real Madrid. Later, on May 26, 2024, Lessort contributed 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to help Panathinaikos clinch its seventh EuroLeague championship with a 95–80 win against Real Madrid.

During a EuroLeague encounter against Baskonia on December 19, 2024, Lessort sustained a severe fibula fracture that caused alarm throughout the arena. He underwent successful surgery the following day at Ygeia Hospital performed by team doctor Dr. Athanasios Konidis. The initial prognosis estimated his recovery period at approximately four months.

Despite this setback, on December 31, 2024, Lessort agreed to a three-year contract extension with Panathinaikos, extending his stay until 2028. He promptly began rehabilitation and made an unexpected comeback during the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi, appearing in the semifinal clash versus Fenerbahçe Beko. However, he was rested during the Greek Basket League finals against Olympiacos to rebuild confidence and regain form.

Head coach Ergin Ataman confirmed on September 29, 2025, that Lessort was making progress but was not yet ready to participate fully with the team, targeting a return in November. Ataman highlighted that Lessort’s involvement in the Final Four followed intensive individual sessions and limited team training.

By November 7, 2025, Panathinaikos announced complications in Lessort’s recovery due to bone oedema detected during his reintegration process. The club was reconsidering treatment strategies between conservative management and surgical intervention, without setting a definitive timeline for his complete comeback.

On November 17, 2025, both Panathinaikos and Ataman reiterated that Lessort continued to experience discomfort and bone oedema in his left ankle. The final decision regarding his treatment remained pending, postponing his full return to team activities.

NBA draft rights

Lessort was chosen as the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. His draft rights have been traded several times: first to the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2019 as part of a multi-team deal; then to the Minnesota Timberwolves in November 2020; followed by a move to the New York Knicks one day later. On February 6, 2025, his rights were included in a four-team trade that resulted in their acquisition by the Milwaukee Bucks.

National team career

Lessort took part in the 2013 Nike Global Challenge, where he posted averages of 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest, which earned him a spot on the International All-Tournament Team.

He competed for France in the U20 European Championships in both 2014 and 2015. During the 2015 tournament, he averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds, contributing to France’s advancement to the semifinals.

At the senior level, Lessort secured a bronze medal with the French national team at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and later achieved a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris.

In 2025, Lessort was included in France’s preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2025, but he withdrew due to incomplete healing from a fibula fracture suffered in December 2024. Subsequently, Yoan Makoundou was called up as his replacement for the training camp roster.

EuroLeague

† Championship Winner
* League leader
Season with over half games missed due to injury

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18 | style="text-align:left;"| Crvena zvezda | 30 || 29 || 21.1 || .549 || .000 || .632 || 5.7 || .8 || .8 || .7 || 8.5 || 10.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Bayern Munich | 22 || 4 || 11.3 || .528 || || .600 || 2.2 || .5 || .5 || .5 || 3.8 || 4.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22 | style="text-align:left;"| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 5 || 3 || 11.7 || .737 || || .562 || 3.4 || .6 || 1.0 || || 7.4 || 9.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 | style="text-align:left;"| Partizan | 38 || 23 || 30.2 || .674 || .000 || .734 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|7.1* || 1.4 || .9 || .8 || 12.0 || 19.1 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2023–24† | style="text-align:left;"| Panathinaikos | style="background:#CFECEC;"|41* || 29 || 29.4 || .624 || .000 || .607 || 6.3 || 1.4 || 1.0 || .9 || 13.9 || 19.6 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#FFB5C0"| 2024–25 | style="text-align:left;"| Panathinaikos | 19 || 16 || 25.4 || .714 || .000 || .644 || 6.5 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 13.0 || 20.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 155 || 104 || 24.3 || .631 || .000 || .647 || 5.7 || 1.1 || .9 || .7||10.6||15.3


EuroCup

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;" | Málaga | 19||11||21.9|| .701||  || .602||5.4|| 1.1|| .9|| 1.3||11.0||16.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2020–21 

| style="text-align:left;" | Monaco
| 23|| 17|| 24.6|| .583|| .000|| .672||6.1|| 1.1|| .9||1.2||12.5||17.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2021–22 
| style="text-align:left;" | Partizan 
|10||4||23.4||.634|||| .683|| 6.4||1.0|| 1.0|| .5|| 13.1|| 19.1
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
|52||32||23.4|| .630|| .000|| .651||5.9||1.1||0.9||1.1||12.1||17.6

FIBA Europe Cup

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"| Élan Chalon | 18 || 6 || 16.1 || .623 || || .721 || 5.0 || .8 || .4 || .9 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Nanterre | 20 || 18 || 21.3 || .634 || .000 || .689 || 6.3 || .6 || .7 || 1.3 || 9.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 38 || 24 || 18.8 || .630 || .000 || .705 || 5.7 || .7 || .6 || 1.1 || 8.6


Domestic leagues

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 style="text-align:left;" |France Élan Chalon style="text-align:center;" |LNB Élite 23 5.9 .586 .000 .667 2.3 .1 .3 .2 2.2
2015–16 style="text-align:left;" |France Élan Chalon style="text-align:center;" |LNB Élite 34 12.4 .625 1.000 .633 4.4 .7 .4 .8 5.6
2016–17 style="text-align:left;" |France Nanterre 92 style="text-align:center;" |LNB Élite 36 22.9 .574 1.000 .593 7.2 .7 .7 1.0 10.2
2017–18 style="text-align:left;" |Template:Country data SerbiaTemplate:Namespace detect showall KK Crvena zvezda style="text-align:center;" |Basketball League of Serbia 15 12.0 .563 .500 .657 3.8 .4 .7 .3 4.0
2017–18 style="text-align:left;" |Template:Country data SerbiaTemplate:Namespace detect showall KK Crvena zvezda style="text-align:center;" |ABA League 29 18.4 .671 Template:Sort .608 4.4 .6 .9 .9 8.8
2018–19 style="text-align:left;" |Spain Baloncesto Málaga style="text-align:center;" |Liga ACB 37 20.0 .566 Template:Sort .647 5.3 1.0 .9 .5 8.6
2019–20 style="text-align:left;" |Germany FC Bayern Munich (basketball) style="text-align:center;" |Basketball Bundesliga 19 15.8 .620 Template:Sort .565 3.9 .8 .8 1.1 6.5
2020–21 France AS Monaco Basket LNB Élite 31 21.7 .610 .000 .565 5.6 2.0 1.0 .7 10.8
2021–22 Template:Country data SerbiaTemplate:Namespace detect showall KK Partizan ABA League 22 22.8 .632 Template:Sort .664 5.9 1.6 .7 .9 10.1
2022–23 Template:Country data SerbiaTemplate:Namespace detect showall KK Partizan ABA League 32 21.6 .692 Template:Sort .704 5.2 1.4 .1 .6 9.3


Club Achievements

Personal Accolades

France Senior National Team

Distinctions

External links

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