Quinones Could Become Shandong Men’s Basketball Team’s Third Foreign Player

Following Shandong Hi-Speed Men’s Basketball Team’s official announcement of Banton’s signing, the third highly anticipated foreign player candidate has gradually emerged. Lester Quinones, who had a brief stint with Qingdao last season, is highly likely to become Shandong’s third foreign player this season, joining Faye and Banton in an effort to challenge for the championship. The 27-year-old Lester Quinones is 1.91 meters tall and comes from the Dominican Republic. He is an outstanding shooting guard. Quinones went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, but earned a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors through his impressive Summer League performances. He spent two seasons with the Warriors and won the NBA G League Most Improved Player Award in the 2022-23 season. In 2024, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans respectively.

On the international stage, Quinones represented the Dominican Republic national team at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and helped the team make a historic run to the Round of 16. It is worth noting that Quinones had relatively limited playing time with Qingdao last season, appearing in only two regular-season games and two playoff games, making the sample size too small. However, those appearances showed his outstanding scoring ability. In the two regular-season games, he averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game. In a game against Beijing Shougang, he came off the bench and played about 28 minutes, recording 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, demonstrating strong ball-handling offensive ability.