Mathias Lessort

Mathias Michel Lessort (born 29 September 1995) is a French professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.

He stands at 206 cm (6’9’’) tall and plays at the center position.

Born in the French overseas department of Martinique, Lessort joined the youth ranks of Élan Chalon in 2010 and won the French national championship with Chalon’s cadet team in 2012 and 2013 and with their development team ("Espoirs") in 2013.

He also helped Chalon win the 2013 Trophée du Futur.

Lessort played in the 2013 Nike Global Challenge, averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game, while receiving International All-Tournament Team honors.

Lessort was handed his first professional contract by the club in June 2014 and made his debut in the French top-flight Pro A during the 2014-15 season.

Before turning professional, he had considered enrolling at a university in the United States and had been in touch with Gonzaga and North Carolina State.

He saw action in 23 games as a rookie, chipping in with 2.0 points a game, while pulling down 2.0 rebounds per contest.

He represented France at the 2014 and 2015 U20 European Championships.

In 2015-16, he logged his first minutes in a European club competition, the FIBA Europe Cup.

In 2015, he averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds en route to a semifinal appearance.

His brother Grégory Lessort is also a professional basketball player.

In April 2016, he declared for the NBA draft, but later withdrew.

On 1 June 2016 he joined JSF Nanterre of the French Pro A on a three-year deal.

In April 2017, Lessort won both the French Basketball Cup and the FIBA Europe Cup championships with Nanterre.

On 11 August 2017 Lessort signed a three-year deal with the Serbian club Crvena zvezda.

He played there only in the 2017–18 season, before signing with Spanish ACB side Unicaja in July 2018.

Lessort was drafted in the second round as the 50th pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lessort spent the 2019-20 season in Germany with Bayern Munich.

In July 2019, his draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a four-team trade.

On 18 September 2020, Lessort signed with AS Monaco of the French LNB Pro A.

On 25 September 2021, Lessort signed a 2-month contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League in order to replace the injured Ante Žižić.

In five games, Lessort averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

He parted ways with the team on 26 November.

On 20 December 2021, Lessort signed with KK Partizan of the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League and the EuroCup.

On 18 July 2022, he signed a new contract with Partizan.

Under coach Željko Obradović.

He was one of the most useful players in the Euroleague, he was in the first team of the Euroleague, and he was also one of the main candidates for the MVP title.

During the 2022–23 season, Partizan was eliminated from the Real Madrid in tight playoffs series.

Over the season, Lessort averaged 12 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Partizan ended the 2022–23 season by lifting the ABA League championship trophy, after 3–2 score against Crvena zvezda in the Finals series.

On 27 June 2023, Lessort signed a two-year contract with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.

On 19 November 2020 his draft rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lessort's draft rights were traded again, to the New York Knicks, on 20 November.