Former IU basketball one-and-done star Noah Vonleh has fought his way back to the NBA.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Vonleh has made the opening night roster of the Boston Celtics after playing in China a year ago.
Vonleh signed a training camp deal with the Celtics, and he finished the preseason with a 14-point, 13-rebound game against the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted him as a lottery pick in 2014.
Playing in Boston is a return home for Vonleh, who is a native of Haverhill, Mass.
“The journey continues,” Vonleh told reporters earlier this week. “I don’t know if this will be the last stop, but I’m happy to be here now. I’m just staying in the moment, staying in the now.”
The 6-foot-10 Vonleh played for the Shanghai Sharks in China in 2021-22. He was most recently in the NBA in 2020-21 with the New Jersey Nets.
The 27-year-old had a highly productive 2018-19 season with the Knicks when he averaged 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a starter. In 339 games over seven seasons, Vonleh has averaged 4.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game with seven different teams. He’s shot 45.9 percent from the field overall and 30.8 percent from three.
In his lone year at IU (2013-14), Vonleh averaged 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 52% from the field overall and 48.5% from distance.
Ultimately, Vonleh won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times along the way. He finished the year with 10 double doubles and finished third nationally in rebounds per game by a freshman. His 3-point field goal percentage was the best in the country for players with more than 30 attempts.
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