Lester Quiñones
Dominican-American basketball player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lester Quiñones (/kɪnˈjoʊnɛz/ kin-YOH-nez;[1] born November 16, 2000) is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League. He attended St. Benedict's Preparatory School and played a postgraduate season at IMG Academy. He then played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.
| No. 24 – Osceola Magic | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 16, 2000 Brentwood, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Dominican |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Memphis (2019–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| 2023–2024 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2023–2024 | →Santa Cruz Warriors |
| 2024 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2024 | →Delaware Blue Coats |
| 2024–2025 | Birmingham Squadron |
| 2025 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2025 | →Birmingham Squadron |
| 2025–present | Osceola Magic |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life and high school career
Quiñones grew up in Brentwood, New York and started playing basketball in sixth grade. In his first two years of high school, he attended Brentwood High School. As a junior, Quiñones transferred to Upper Room Christian School in Dix Hills, New York and averaged 19.3 points per game.[2] He was named to the 2017 Long Island Basketball honor roll.[3]
For his senior season, Quiñones moved to St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. He joined a nationally ranked basketball program and became teammates with five-star recruit Precious Achiuwa.[4][5] On January 7, 2018, Quiñones scored a game-high 23 points in a win over Hudson Catholic Regional High School, the number one team in the NJ.com Top 20 poll.[6] He helped his team to a 28–2 record and a top 10 national ranking by MaxPreps.[7] In the summer, Quiñones played for New Heights alongside Achiuwa, averaging 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds on the Under Armour Association (UAA) circuit.[8]
Entering the 2018–19 season, he transferred to IMG Academy, a prep school in Bradenton, Florida with a successful basketball program, joining the postgraduate team.[9] Quiñones averaged 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists per game, shooting 38 percent on three-pointers.[10]
Recruiting
Quiñones finished his high school and postgraduate career as a consensus four-star recruit.[11] On May 10, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway. He had also strongly considered playing for Indiana.[12]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lester Quiñones SG |
Brentwood, NY | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 10, 2019 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: (84) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 48 247Sports: 51 ESPN: 82 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
With James Wiseman sitting out due to eligibility issues, Quiñones had his first double-double on November 16, 2019, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 102–56 win over Alcorn State.[13] As a result, he was named American Athletic Conference freshman of the week on November 18.[14] Quiñones broke his right hand during a November 23 game against Ole Miss and missed three weeks.[15] At the conclusion of the regular season, Quiñones was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team.[16] He averaged 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.[17] After his junior season, Quiñones announced his intentions to leave Memphis and enter the NBA draft.
Professional career
Golden State / Santa Cruz Warriors (2022–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Quiñones signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 5, 2022.[18] Quiñones debuted for the Warriors' 2022 NBA Summer League team in the NBA California Classic, scoring seven points, five rebounds, and two steals in a 68–86 loss to the Sacramento Kings.[19] He was waived by the Warriors on October 13.[20]
On October 15, 2022, Quiñones signed with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League.[21] On February 25, 2023, Quiñones had 42 points and 8 rebounds in a 112–119 loss to the Salt Lake City Stars.
On March 2, 2023, Quiñones signed a 10-day contract with Golden State, but saw no playing time.[22] Ten days later, he was reacquired by Santa Cruz.[23]
On March 17, 2023, Quiñones signed a two-way contract with Golden State.[24] He made his NBA debut on March 31, versus the San Antonio Spurs, playing one minute and securing his first rebound.[25] On April 4, he was named the NBA G League Most Improved Player.[26]
On July 24, 2023, Quiñones signed another two-way contract with the Warriors[27] and on February 22, 2024, he signed a standard contract with Golden State.[28] On March 3, he led the Warriors in points and minutes in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics.[29]
Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats (2024)
On September 26, 2024, Quiñones signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[30] However, he was waived on December 3.[31]
Birmingham Squadron / New Orleans Pelicans (2024–2025)
On December 6, 2024, Quiñones was acquired by the Birmingham Squadron.[32] His strong performances in the G League culminated in the New Orleans Pelicans signing him to a two-way contract on March 3, 2025.[33] He debuted with the Pelicans on March 24, helping his team secure a 112–99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.[citation needed] In nine appearances for the Pelicans, Quiñones averaged 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
On August 18, 2025, Quiñones signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Orlando Magic.[34] He was waived by Orlando on October 18.[35]
National team career
Quiñones plays for the Dominican Republic national team.[2] He joined the under-18 team at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario. In six games, Quiñones averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, leading his team to sixth place.[36] His best performance came in a loss to Puerto Rico, in which he recorded 31 points and seven three-pointers.[37]
Personal life
Quiñones was born in the United States, but is of Salvadoran, Dominican and Puerto Rican descent.[38] Internationally, he represents the Dominican Republic.[39]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Golden State | 4 | 0 | 4.5 | .400 | .500 | .667 | .8 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 2.5 |
| 2023–24 | Golden State | 37 | 0 | 10.6 | .397 | .364 | .690 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .2 | .1 | 4.4 |
| 2024–25 | Philadelphia | 4 | 0 | 4.3 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.3 |
| New Orleans | 9 | 0 | 18.4 | .386 | .317 | .833 | 1.7 | 2.6 | .3 | .2 | 8.6 | |
| Career | 54 | 0 | 11.0 | .397 | .346 | .729 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .2 | .1 | 4.8 | |