LaVon Mercer facts for kids

LaVon Mercer (born January 13, 1959) is a former professional basketball player from America and Israel. He played as a center, which is a position close to the basket.

LaVon Mercer was an amazing player even in high school. He averaged 37.6 points, 30.1 rebounds, and 12 blocked shots per game in his senior year. He was even named a Parade All-American.

When he played college basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs, he became the school's all-time leader in blocks and field-goal percentage. He also set a record for the best single-season shooting percentage.

Even though he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1980 NBA draft, he chose to play for 14 seasons in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1981. LaVon Mercer later became an Israeli citizen and played for the Israeli national basketball team.

Early Life and Family

LaVon Mercer was born on January 13, 1959, in Metter, Georgia, a small town with about 4,000 people. He had a difficult start to life. His mother left him and his father shortly after he was born, so his grandmother raised him.

When he was 16, after his grandparents passed away, he faced a tough time. He grew up to be very tall, standing 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters) and weighing 220 pounds (100 kg) during his playing career. Today, LaVon has three children: two daughters named Dionn and Gabriell, and a son named Alexander.

High School Success

LaVon Mercer went to Metter High School and graduated in 1976. His teammates gave him the nickname "Tree" because of his height. He set a state record in 1975 by grabbing an incredible 41 rebounds in a single game.

During his senior year (1975–76), he was truly outstanding. He averaged 37.6 points, 30.1 rebounds, and 12 blocked shots per game. He was named the Georgia High School Player of the Year and a Parade All-American. The Atlanta Journal newspaper even called him the No. 1 high school player in Georgia.

At that time, there were some challenges, but his coach stood by the team. LaVon said that when his team started winning, the gym filled up with cheering fans. A writer for The Atlantic Journal, Tom Tucker, described LaVon's playing style: "He can leap so high he hits his head on the rim. He doesn't block shots, he pounds the rejected basketball into the cheering grandstands like a beach ball."

More than 300 colleges wanted LaVon to play for them. In 2014, his high school honored him by retiring his jersey, which was the first time they had ever done that for a player.

College Career at Georgia

LaVon Mercer played college basketball for the University of Georgia from 1976 to 1980. He was a key player for the Bulldogs.

In the 1977–78 season, he averaged 8.4 rebounds per game. The next year, 1978–79, he averaged 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, with a very high field goal percentage of .643. For this, he was named to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) – 3rd Team. In 1979–80, playing alongside future NBA star Dominique Wilkins, he averaged 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and was again named All-SEC – 3rd Team.

LaVon Mercer holds several records at the University of Georgia. He is the school's all-time leader in blocks with 327, which is one of the highest in the SEC. He also has the best career field-goal percentage at .602. He set the school's single-season shooting percentage record at 64.2% in 1979. He also had the best career field goal percentage of any SEC player in the SEC Tournament at 75.8%. In 2004, he was honored as a Bulldog's SEC Legend.

Professional Basketball in Israel

After college, LaVon Mercer was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs in the 3rd round of the 1980 NBA draft. Even though the Spurs were interested in him, he decided to play professional basketball in Israel instead.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, LaVon played for 14 years in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played for Hapoel Tel Aviv from 1981 to 1988 and then for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 1988 to 1995.

He helped his teams win many championships:

• 6 Israeli Championships (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995)
• 5 Israeli State Cups (1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994)

In the 1980–81 season, he was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP). His highest-scoring season was in 1986–87, when he averaged 23.4 points per game. While playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, his team reached the Euroleague finals in 1989 and the Euroleague semifinals in 1991. People even called him the "Israeli Michael Jordan" because of his amazing skills!

LaVon Mercer became an Israeli citizen and served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years. He also played for the Israeli national basketball team in big tournaments like the 1986 FIBA World Championship and 1987 Eurobasket Championship. In 1982, he converted to Judaism. He said he felt a strong connection to God during his time there. In 2006, the Israeli Consulate honored him and made him an official goodwill ambassador for the State of Israel.

LaVon loved his time in Israel, but his family wanted to return to the United States. He came back to the U.S. in the mid-1990s after 14 years of playing basketball in Israel.

Life After Basketball

After returning to the United States, LaVon Mercer continued his education. In 1994, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Sciences from National Louis University.

Later, he became involved in coaching. Starting in 2003, LaVon worked as the women's varsity basketball coach and Associate Athletic Director at Spelman College in Georgia. After that, he joined an insurance team, helping people with life and health insurance.

See also

In Spanish: LaVon Mercer para niños