Shawn Long
Shawn Long | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1993 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for | Playing for Ulsan Mobis Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League; former NBA player for Philadelphia 76ers; collegiate basketball at Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns; 2015 Pan American Games bronze medalist |
Shawn Long (born January 29, 1993) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Ulsan Mobis Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He competed at the collegiate level with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and represented Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto.
High school career
Long attended Morgan City High School, where during his senior year he averaged 21.4 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 9.1 blocks per game, guiding his squad to a 26–5 season record. His performance earned him the district MVP title, first team all-district honors for two straight years, and the district defensive player of the year award as a senior.
College career
Initially, Long enrolled at Mississippi State University but transferred after one semester without participating in any games. He then joined Louisiana–Lafayette with an NCAA waiver that allowed immediate eligibility. In the 2012–13 season, he posted averages of 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest, which earned him Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and second-team All-conference accolades. Over the subsequent two seasons, he consistently averaged a double-double and was named to the first-team All-Sun Belt both years.
Heading into his senior season, Long was designated as the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year. On January 23, 2016, he became the first athlete in both school and conference history to amass 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Additionally, he was chosen to participate in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) college All-Star game during the 2016 Final Four event in Houston.
Delaware and Philadelphia (2016–2017)
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Long signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 8, 2016, but was waived on October 24 following seven preseason appearances. Subsequently, he joined the Delaware 87ers, an NBA Development League affiliate team. On January 6, 2017, Long recorded an impressive 45 points and 14 rebounds in a victory over the Erie BayHawks. His strong play earned him a spot in the 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
On March 6, 2017, Long secured a 10-day contract with Philadelphia through an NBA hardship exemption due to multiple injuries on their roster. In his debut, he contributed 13 points and seven rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks. Ten days later, he signed a partially guaranteed multi-year contract with the team. Shortly thereafter, Long achieved a career-best scoring output of 18 points during a win over the Chicago Bulls.
On June 28, 2017, Long was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft along with cash considerations but was waived on September 26 of that year.
China and G League (2017–2018)
On October 10, 2017, Long inked a two-month deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers competing in the Chinese Basketball Association. He departed in mid-November after averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds across seven games.
By December 18, 2017, Long returned to the Delaware 87ers within the NBA G League.
New Zealand Breakers and Guizhou Guwutang Tea (2018–2019)
On September 5, 2018, Long secured a contract with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2018–19 NBL season. Throughout the season, he averaged 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest, which led to his inclusion on the All-NBL Second Team.
Later, on May 2, 2019, Long joined Guizhou Guwutang Tea competing in the Chinese NBL, where he participated in a single game.
Melbourne United (2019–2020)
Long signed with Melbourne United on May 30, 2019, to compete in the 2019–20 NBL season.
Ulsan Mobis Phoebus (2020–2021)
On June 16, 2020, Long inked a deal with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He distinguished himself by leading the league with averages of 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and earned the title of KBL Foreign MVP for the 2020–21 campaign.
Levanga Hokkaido (2021–2023)
Long signed with Levanga Hokkaido of the B.League on June 18, 2021. He extended his contract with the club on May 22, 2022.
Osaka Evessa (2023–2024)
On June 16, 2023, Long agreed to terms with Osaka Evessa, another team in the B.League.
Second stint with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus (2024–present)
Long returned to Ulsan Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) on June 14, 2024.
National team career
Long represented the United States national team at the 2015 Pan American Games, where he contributed to winning a bronze medal.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 18 || 0 || 12.7 || .594 || .412 || .543 || 4.5 || .8 || .5 || .5 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 18 || 0 || 12.7 || .594 || .412 || .543 || 4.5 || .8 || .5 || .5 || 8.2
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021-22 | style="text-align:left;"| Hokkaido | 56 || 56 || 32.5 || .573 || .392 || .676 || 10.5 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 25.0 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 56 || 56 || 32.5 || .573 || .392 || .676 || 10.5 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 25.0
Source: basketball-stats.de (Date: May 27, 2022)
Personal life
Long’s sister, Shelly, died in 2018 as a result of an autoimmune illness.