Once having adorned the end of the bench of the LA Clippers, Xavier Moon now stands tall as the focal point of the Clippers’ summer league squad.
And there was a lot that happened leading up to Moon’s eventual rise to the glowing vast sky that the NBA is.
After playing college basketball for Northwest Florida State and Morehead State, the Goodwater, Ala. native declared for the 2017 NBA Draft. Undersized and not graduating from the most prestigious of collegiate basketball programs, he went undrafted.
But that didn’t stop Moon from continuing to pursue his hoop dreams.
He was a bona fide journeyman — he didn’t cower from opportunities by new teams in foreign countries. He flew to France, then back to Alabama, to London, to Edmonton, back to London, again to Edmonton, to Israel and finally back to Edmonton — in the span of four long years.
By the time he had came back to the US, he had a lot of suitcases, definitely more mileage and a more refined, accomplished basketball résumé. He had won CEBL Player of the Year three years in a row during his stint(s) with the Edmonton Stingers.
So, the shooting guard finally got his first, much-deserved shot at the NBA. And it only made sense that it happened in the magical city of dreams and opportunities, Los Angeles, Calif.
It didn’t take long for Moon to make a lasting impression playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers, the Clippers’ G-League affiliate. His 12.4 point and 7.3 assist averages earned him a ten-day contract with the LA Clippers just two months after his G-League debut.
But playing as an old yet unproven guard didn’t bode too well for a deep, star-stacked, guard-heavy team like the Clippers. He couldn’t defend quite like Patrick Beverley, win games like Paul George or offer youthful energy like Terance Mann, after all.
Moon, thus, saw limited playing time and went through a series of call-ups and call-downs that put him back to, again, traveling back and forth from one team to another. And he was largely forgotten by the Clippers organization and fans until this year’s summer league. A perfect showcase for a player that has lots to prove.
Xavier Moon showcased his dominance for the LA Clippers’ 2023 summer league squad.
As a 28-year-old in a league full of teenagers and newborns, Moon put his offensive skillset on full display. His smaller frame allowed him to maneuver freely around defenders — at times, putting them on an island. Not to mention, he flaunted a pretty jump shot, one that yielded consistent results throughout the five-game season.
Moon shot at the buzzer! pic.twitter.com/7zY7k6fI4T
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 11, 2023
Moon was one of the leading forces behind the Clippers’ 3-2 record in the summer league: he stuffed the stat sheets, averaging 19.6 points on 55.4 percent field-goal shooting, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals. The Morehead State graduate was later named to the All-Summer League Second Team.
https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1681039931001667584
Coming off a notable run in the Summer League, Moon is looking to continue building on his basketball journey. And from the looks of it, Moon, sooner or later, will shine more brightly than ever.