Xavier Moon joined Zenit!
Xavier Moon was born on 2 January 1995 in Goodwater, Alabama (USA). Xavier is the oldest of three children born to Michelle Moon. Michelle's brother Jamario played professional basketball in the NBA.
Moon began playing basketball in seventh grade. He attended Central Coosa High School, where he played for local teams. As a high school senior, Xavier led Alabama in scoring with 35 points per game. Moon earned Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team honors and went to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game.
After graduating from high school, Moon gave his NCAA career a jumpstart and enrolled at Northwest Florida State College, where he attended two years. The guard averaged 4.5 points per game in his debut year and 7.7 points per game in his sophomore year. At season's end, he was named the Sixth Man of the Year when his team won the National Junior College Championship. Before the start of the next school year, Xavier transferred to Morehead State, choosing the Eagles because it felt like home. There he completed his remaining two years of college and graduated with a bachelor's degree. In his senior year, he led State statistically, averaging 16.3 points per game and contributing 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He was named to the First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference.
On 10 August 2017, Moon signed his first professional contract with ALM Évreux Basket of France's second league team, but left the club six months later to return home to Alabama. His uncle Jamario Moon suggested Xavier join his team Albany Patrons, and his nephew accepted. In the Patroon locker room, Xavier became known as "half Moon", in contrast with his uncle, known as "full Moon". The player averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game and was named North American Premier Basketball rookie of the year.
In the autumn of 2018, Moon signed with the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada, where he showed all his strengths and was noticed. At the end of the season, the player joined the Edmonton Stingers, who were playing in the new Canadian Elite Basketball League. The guard recorded 36 points in his first game. Moon averaged 19.3 points and 5.5 assists per game and was named league MVP. He led the team to the semifinals, but there the Stingers lost to the eventual champions. He returned to the Lighting for the 2019/2020 covid season where he averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game and was named to the First Team All-NBL Canada.
The guard started the 2020 CEBL season with the familiar Edmonton Lightning and won a title with the team. Xavier himself was again named MVP of the championship and the final. Already in August, Moon signed a contract with Maccabi Hod HaSharon of the Israeli National League. For 31 games in the tournament he averaged 24.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. After finishing the season overseas, Xavier went in the third round to Edmonton, where he confirmed his status as the league's most valuable player. With the Stingers, he won the championship for the second year in a row and again took home the Finals and Tournament MVP award.
In the autumn of 2021, Moon signed a contract with the Agua Caliente Clippers, playing in the G-League. The guard showed average stats of 15.8 points, 6.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game and was invited to the Los Angeles Clippers. Xavier made his debut in a game against the Brooklyn Nets, in which he scored his first points in the NBA. In the system of the Clippers, the player had several short-term contracts.
Xavier Moon played 2 games for the U.S. national team in FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, where he averaged 12.5 points per game, 4 assists, 1 rebound and had 13.5 points of efficiency.
Zenit Basketball Club welcomes the guard to St. Petersburg!
