Axel Hervelle

Axel Marie Gustave Hervelle (born 12 May 1983) is a Belgian former professional basketball player. He represented the senior Belgian national basketball team.^[1]

Axel Hervelle

Hervelle in 2007
Personal information
Born	(1983-05-12) 12 May 1983 (age 42) Liège, Belgium
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2005: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick
Drafted by	Denver Nuggets
Playing career	2000–2020
Position	Power forward
Career history
2000–2004	Verviers-Pepinster
2004–2009	Real Madrid
2009–2018	Bilbao
2018–2020	Spirou
Career highlights
2x Liga ACB champion (2005, 2007) EuroCup champion (2007) EuroBasket rebounding leader (2013)
Stats at Basketball Reference

Professional career

Hervelle spent the early part of his career in Belgium. He first played with Verviers-Pepinster in the Belgian League for four years, averaging 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, in 16 Belgian League games during the 2003–04 season, and becoming the team's captain at only 20 years old. He then signed with the Spanish ACB League club Real Madrid. In the 2005/06 season, he averaged 24 minutes, 8.5 points, and 5.5 rebounds per game, over 32 games played in the Spanish League. In January 2010, Hervelle signed with Bilbao.^[2]

On 3 August 2018, Hervelle signed a one-year contract with Spirou of the Belgian League.^[3][4]

On 30 November 2020, Hervelle announced his retirement.^[5]

NBA draft rights

Hervelle was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, in the second round (52nd pick overall) of the 2005 NBA draft. He became the first Belgian player ever to be drafted by an NBA team. In 2009, his NBA draft rights were traded to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for James White.^[6] On 27 November 2020, Hervelle's draft rights were traded to the New York Knicks.^[7]

National team career

Hervelle has been a member of the senior Belgian national basketball team. He represented Belgium at the EuroBasket 2015, where they lost to Greece, in the tournament's eighth finals, by a score of 75–54.^[8][9]

Career statistics

Domestic leagues

Season	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2000–01	Verviers-Pepinster	Ethias League	6	?	.571	--	1.000	1.0	.0	.0	.3	1.7
2001–02			24	?	.473	.278	.710	2.9	.5	.7	.3	4.0
2002–03			25	?	.494	.206	.642	7.4	1.4	1.0	.4	8.8
2003–04			18	?	.521	.414	.714	9.6	1.2	.0	.0	10.2
2004–05	Real Madrid	ACB	39	18.6	.518	.213	.581	5.3	.4	1.1	.4	6.3
2005–06			32	23.9	.534	.355	.719	5.3	.9	.8	.4	8.5
2006–07			47	24.3	.562	.331	.826	6.0	1.2	1.2	.7	9.5
2007–08			36	21.7	.680	.324	.762	5.4	1.0	.8	.7	9.4
2008–09			35	20.7	.578	.330	.681	4.5	1.1	1.3	.5	8.1
2009–10			7	12.3	.308	.250	1.000	2.6	.9	.4	.1	1.9
	Bilbao Basket		18	23.6	.620	.191	.806	5.1	2.2	1.4	.9	7.8
2010–11			39	21.6	.543	.233	.636	5.3	1.5	1.0	.2	6.7
2011–12			30	17.4	.455	.278	.578	3.3	1.0	.5	.2	4.7
2012–13			36	24.2	.541	.362	.804	4.4	1.7	.9	.3	7.9
2013–14			28	22.6	.554	.342	.776	6.1	1.3	1.0	.2	7.2
2014–15			30	25.3	.505	.414	.762	5.2	1.3	1.0	.1	7.7

Achievements

• 2× Liga ACB champion: (2004–05, 2006–07)
• EuroCup champion: (2006–07)