Théo Maledon

Théo Maledon
Born	(2001-06-12) June 12, 2001 Rouen, Normandy, France
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2017–present
Known for	Playing for Real Madrid in Liga ACB and EuroLeague; youngest participant in LNB All-Star; LNB Pro A Best Young Player; French national team member

Théo Louis Maledon (; born 12 June 2001) is a French professional basketball athlete currently playing for Real Madrid in Spain's Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Originating from Rouen, Maledon honed his skills at the French sports academy INSEP before entering the youth ranks of ASVEL at age 16. At 17, he distinguished himself as the youngest participant in the LNB All-Star and earned the distinction of LNB Pro A Best Young Player. He played a key role in ASVEL’s triumphs in both the Pro A league and the French Cup, where he was honored as the Cup Final MVP.

On the international stage, Maledon claimed gold with France at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship and secured a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He has also been capped by the senior France national basketball team.

Early life and career

Born on 12 June 2001 in Rouen, Normandy, France, Maledon is of Guadeloupean heritage. He began playing basketball at three years old with the local club Mesnil-Esnard in Seine-Maritime, later moving to the region’s premier club, SPO Rouen. In 2015, at age 14, he earned a scholarship to join Paris’s National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP). During the 2015–16 season, Maledon appeared in three games for INSEP’s team, Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball, competing in the amateur third-tier Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1), along with two appearances in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT).

In the following 2016–17 season, Maledon became a consistent starter for Centre Fédéral in NM1, averaging 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 25.6 minutes per game. He achieved a season-best performance with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists in April 2017. That same month, he participated in the Jordan Brand Classic Global Showcase held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where he scored 15 points.

2017–18 season

On 16 June 2017, Maledon joined ASVEL’s junior squad competing in the French U21 league under LNB Pro A. He made an impactful debut on 24 September 2017 by contributing 10 points and five assists in a 71–61 victory against Espoirs Limoges. At just 16 years old, Maledon made his senior team debut for ASVEL on 30 September against Cholet, playing one minute and becoming the club’s second-youngest player to debut. On 17 October, he took part in EuroCup action facing ratiopharm Ulm. In January 2018, Maledon represented ASVEL’s under-18 side at the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament (ANGT), delivering an impressive performance with 35 points and 11 assists on January 7 to secure a win over Gran Canaria’s juniors. On 12 May 2018, he scored a personal best of 26 points versus Espoirs Monaco. Over the course of 33 Espoirs games that season, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per contest. During summer 2018, Maledon completed high school early with a focus on science.

2018–19 season

Maledon inked his first professional contract on 13 August 2018, committing to ASVEL for three years. Throughout the 2018–19 campaign, his role expanded significantly as he frequently started for ASVEL’s senior squad. On 6 October, he posted an efficient stat line of 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists during an 88–64 triumph over Fos Provence, shooting six of seven from the field. This performance marked the highest efficiency rating by any Pro A player under age eighteen since Tony Parker achieved it in 1999. On November 3, Maledon recorded a then-career-high of 16 points along with four rebounds and two steals against JDA Dijon. He surpassed this mark on November 18 by scoring 20 points while adding four assists and two steals versus Le Mans Sarthe.

In EuroCup play on December 18, he contributed 13 points with seven rebounds and three assists against Zenit Saint Petersburg. On December 26 against Levallois, Maledon registered a career-best evaluation of 26 alongside an output of 18 points, five assists, and two steals. At just seventeen-and-a-half years old, he became the youngest player ever to participate in an LNB All-Star Game since its inception in 1987. Leading ASVEL with thirteen points during the French Cup final against Le Mans on May 12, 2019, he earned Final MVP honors as the youngest recipient to date. By season's end, Maledon was also awarded the LNB Pro A Best Young Player. In June, he helped ASVEL secure their Pro A championship over Monaco. Throughout that season’s total of sixty-two games, Maledon averaged seven points, 2.1 rebounds, and two assists while playing an average of seventeen minutes per game.

2019–20 season

As the 2019–20 season commenced, Maledon emerged as a top contender for the EuroLeague Rising Star accolade. In the Pro A league opener on 22 September 2019, he contributed six points and eight assists over 19 minutes of play. His EuroLeague debut came on 4 October, where he logged nine minutes in a victory against Olympiacos. However, a shoulder injury sustained two days later forced him to miss more than a month of action.

On 17 January 2020, Maledon achieved a personal best with 10 assists, while also adding five points and six rebounds in a loss to Anadolu Efes. One week later, he reached a new scoring peak in the EuroLeague by posting 19 points during a defeat to Panathinaikos. Then, on 14 February, he equaled his highest point total by scoring 20 in an 88–59 win over Metropolitans 92 in the semifinals of the LNB Pro A Leaders Cup.

With the season halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maledon declared for the 2020 NBA draft on 5 April. He wrapped up the campaign averaging 7.3 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 rebounds across 46 games spanning EuroLeague, Pro A, and Leaders Cup competitions.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2022)

Selected as the 34th pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Maledon's rights were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on 8 December 2020. He officially signed with the Thunder the following day.

On 30 September 2022, Maledon was part of a multi-player trade sending him to the Houston Rockets alongside Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Maurice Harkless, and a future second-round draft pick. The Thunder received David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss in return. The Rockets waived Maledon on 11 October.

Charlotte Hornets (2022–2023)

Maledon inked a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets on 15 October 2022. He secured another two-way deal with Charlotte on 29 September 2023 but was released from the team on 14 December.

Phoenix Suns (2023–2024)

On 17 December 2023, Maledon signed a new two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns. He made his Suns debut on 8 February 2024, appearing for just over one minute in a win against the Utah Jazz. Six days later, he tallied five points and one rebound in close to ten minutes during a victory over the Detroit Pistons. After participating in four games, Maledon was waived on 4 March 2024.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2024)

Maledon joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce on 11 March 2024. Later that year, on 13 June, he was selected by the Valley Suns during the 2024 NBA G League expansion draft, though he never suited up for them.

Return to ASVEL (2024–2025)

Maledon made his return to LDLC ASVEL on 14 August 2024. On 5 December, he earned his third MVP honor after delivering an impressive performance with 23 points, two rebounds, and seven assists against Real Madrid. Additionally, he claimed MVP awards for Week 4 and Week 10 of that season.

Real Madrid (2025–present)

On 27 May 2025, Maledon committed to a three-year contract with Real Madrid.

French junior national team

Maledon made his initial appearance for the French youth squad at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship held in Poland, where he posted averages of 8.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across seven contests. The following year, at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship in Montenegro, his performance elevated to 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, playing a pivotal role in securing the gold medal for France with a standout 20-point effort in the championship match. Serving as captain during the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina, Maledon contributed averages of 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, guiding France to a runner-up finish.

French senior national team

Maledon earned his first cap for the French senior national team on 24 February 2019 amid the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification rounds, logging 15 minutes while recording three points and three rebounds in a narrow 76–69 defeat against Finland. On 7 August, he tallied 14 points on efficient shooting (4-of-5) during a dominant 94–56 victory over Tunisia as preparation for the World Cup. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury led to his removal from France’s final World Cup roster. Additionally, Maledon represented France at EuroBasket 2025, where the team was eliminated in the Round of 16.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City | 65 || 49 || 27.4 || .368 || .335 || .748 || 3.2 || 3.5 || .9 || .2 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City | 51 || 7 || 17.8 || .375 || .293 || .790 || 2.6 || 2.2 || .6 || .2 || 9.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 44 || 7 || 19.4 || .402 || .295 || .851 || 2.8 || 3.5 || .8 || .3 || 6.7 |- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 13 || 1 || 15.4 || .288 || .167 || .917 || 1.8 || 2.2 || .5 || .0 || 4.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 4 || 0 || 3.3 || .250 || || 1.000 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 177 || 64 || 21.2 || .372 || .310 || .793 || 2.8 || 2.9 || .7 || .2 || 7.8

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| ASVEL | 22 || 12 || 17.7 || .456 || .367 || .689 || 1.8 || 3.1 || .3 || .1 || 7.4 || 6.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2024–25 | style="text-align:left;"| ASVEL | 33 || 33 || 27.6 || .440 || .344 || .904 || 3.5|| 4.6|| 1.0|| .2|| 17.0|| 20.6 |- class="sortbottom" | align="center" colspan="2" | Career | 55||45||23.6|| .444|| .340|| .890||2.8||3.4|| .7|| .2||13.2||13.6

EuroCup

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| ASVEL |18||12||17.8|| .409|| .351|| .826||2.4||2.1|| .4|| .2||7.1

Personal life

Both of Maledon's parents were involved in basketball: his mother, Sylvie, competed with the French junior national squad, while his father, Claude, played in NM1. His uncle, Dominique Guéret, held the position of assistant coach for ALM Évreux Basket, a team in the LNB Pro B league. Additionally, his sister Lena participates in collegiate basketball in the United States, and his younger brother Matys is active in the sport in Montville, France.