Trevelin Queen’s relentless journey has brought him to the 76ers

SALT LAKE CITY – Trevelin Queen’s basketball journey is an example of relentlessness and perseverance.

It’s a journey that includes attending two high schools — being ineligible to play at one — having zero scholarship offers, attending three junior colleges, living in a car, and going undrafted.

Yet, Queen has always found ways to weather through obstacles even when it would have been easy to give up.

“It’s all part of the process,” said the 25-year-old, who, on Friday, signed a two-year contract with the 76ers that is partially guaranteed for $300,000 next season.

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“Some people don’t get to where they have to get until 30 years old,” he added. “Some people get it by 18. But for me, I’m into it for longevity. You know what I mean? I want to play 15 more years of the game.

“So for me, I’m not satisfied with a two-year deal or nothing like that. I’m more satisfied with being remembered for what I did.”

But the 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard will definitely be remembered for what he’s overcome.

Right now, he’s recognized as the 2022 NBA G League MVP while playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate. The Glen Burnie, Md., native was also the G Finals MVP, averaging 34.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as the Vipers swept the Delaware Blue Coats in the best-of-three series.

A Rockets two-way player last season, Queen averaged 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10 NBA appearances.

Now, he’s looking to display his skills as a Sixer. Queen didn’t participate in Saturday’s Sixers summer-league team scrimmages at the University of Utah because he arrived in Salt Lake City from Philadelphia that morning.

However, he’s one of the headliners on the team that will participate in this week’s Salt Lake City Summer League before traveling to Las Vegas for the NBA2K23 Summer league. And he’ll try to earn a rotation spot on the Sixers’ 15-man roster this upcoming season.

For motivation, he can look at what he’s overcome.

“I never got discouraged,” he said of his journey. “I knew it was bigger than me. I knew I had to keep going. If I quit, I’m not just letting myself down, I’m letting my family down and everybody who invested in me. So for me, it’s always been bigger than me.”

Things looked promising during Queen’s sophomore season at North County High School in Maryland. He was moved up to the varsity for the final playoff game.

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Queen then moved to Florida during his junior year. However, he was ruled ineligible to play due to transferring rules. Queen returned to North County for his senior season. The problem was that the Knights had a new coach and Queen played in only nine games. As a result, he had zero scholarship offers.

Determined to continue his career, Queen intended to play for a former AAU coach at Prince George’s Community College. However, he was forced to redshirt after missing the deadline for his financial-aid paperwork.

So Queen transferred to the College of Marin in California for the 2016-17 season. He excelled there on the court, averaging 21.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in 14 games as a freshman.

But the living arrangements were bad. Fifteen teammates were housed in a two-bedroom apartment in what Queen said felt like retirement community.

The players were kicked out of the apartment for being too noisy. With no other option, Queen and three teammates ended up sleeping in a 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale in the streets of North Oakland.

“I lost my grandmother at that time, too,” he said. “We couldn’t afford for me to get back and see the funeral. I didn’t get to see her and say goodbyes or nothing like that. So that was the toughest time. I was about to give up everything.”

But he remembered what his grandmother told him about being able “to do all things through Christ and strength in me.”

At his family request, he transferred to New Mexico Military Institute, a combined junior college and high school, for the 2017-18 school year.

He experienced instant success with the Broncos, scoring 40 points in his first game. He went on to average 26 points and 7.3 rebounds during his sophomore season.

Queen was supposed to play basketball at Western Kentucky following his stint at NMMI. However, he later decommitted from a program that was already over the scholarship limit and he accepted an offer to play at New Mexico State.

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As a senior, Queen was named second-team All-WAC and regarded as one of the conference’s best defenders.

After going undrafted in 2020, he signed with the Rockets on Nov. 12, 2020. The team waived him on Dec. 18, 2020 and Queen went on to play for the Vipers.

On Sept. 29, 2021, he signed a partially guaranteed training-camp deal with the Los Angeles Lakers before being waived a month later. Queen rejoined the Vipers and signed a two-way contract with the Rockets on Dec 18.

Now, his journey continues, but as a Sixer.