Rex Leblanc
 | |
| No. 13 – Hawaii Kahunas | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Species | Checkered Giant Rabbit ( Leporidae ) |
| Gender | Male |
| Nickname(s) | |
| The King, Big Hop | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
December 22, 2004 Woodstown, New Jersey |
| Listed height | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) |
| Listed weight | 295 lb (134 kg) |
| Shoots | Left-handed |
| Career information | |
| School | Paw Point University, Wilmington, Delaware |
| FBA draft | 2025 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall |
| Selected by the Hawaii Kahunas | |
| Pro playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025 - present | Hawaii Kahunas |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Contract information | |
| Contract year | 2025 |
| 2026 Salary | $4 million |
| 2027 Salary | $4 million |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | Whitehorse Consulting and Management |
| (OOC) Creator | Robbie |
| (OOC) Actor | Unknown |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
Rex comes from rather humble beginnings. Born in a small town in rural New Jersey, Rex and his twin brother, Regan, were the first born of eight children. Living where they did, it was a struggle for the family to stay afloat and, to help with this, their father tended to travel for work. Often not coming home for weeks at a time and leaving just their mother to deal with the large number of children. And because of this, Rex and Regan spent much of their young lives helping their mother deal with the younger six children. Forced to act as the men of the house, as it were, Rex and Regan found themselves in a situation where they were rarely ever seen as a priority amid their family, nor were they often given the chance to treat themselves as the priority. His years of being relied on by his mother and brother have left Rex carrying a hefty weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
In middle school, he dared to seek some personal time by trying out for the school’s basketball team. He didn’t hold out much hope that he’d be accepted, but he knew he’d try something else if he didn’t. The level of stress that he was under was far more than any young teen should have to cope with, and he needed a release from that. Even if it was just a few evenings a week for practice and games. At 12 years old (grade 7), he was on the smaller side for his age at the time, so he was quite shocked to be selected for the team; the coach stated that he saw promise in his speed, agility, and jumping abilities and wanted to give him a chance as a point guard on the team.
It took a lot of effort and determination on Rex’s part to prove himself worthy of the chance he’d been given, but luckily for the rabbit he had both of those things in droves. This was his chance at even a small taste of freedom from his family, his responsibilities, and his stress. And he wouldn’t squander it. He used every free moment he had to train; practicing drills in their backyard or at the local park (sometimes even going out after all his younger siblings and mother had gone to bed). And it paid off; before long, he was showing a great improvement to his skills, sporting an impressive vertical jump that only continued to get better and surprising fleetness of foot. Although he played off the bench for his first year on the team, in his second year the coach gave him more and more starting time as his skills continued to improve. By his third year, he’d proved himself enough (and grown a bit more) and the coach decided to give him a chance as their starting point guard, wanting to take advantage of his speed and agility. And Rex didn’t disappoint, showing off powerful jump shots, dunks, and speedy run-ups.
At 15, in his sophomore year, Rex came back to the team with the surprise of a massive growth spurt. He seemed like he’d sprung up like a weed over the summer, shooting up a full five inches from his “modest” 6’2” to a towering 6’7” practically overnight. His high school coach was both dismayed and alarmed. But seeing how hard Rex had worked to get to where he was, he decided to move the rabbit from a point guard to a small forward. Which, unfortunately for Rex, meant that he had to spend more time playing off the bench as he learned and honed the new skills that this position required. Despite playing off the bench for his sophomore year, the coach was pleased with the hard work that Rex continued to put in, the effort and determination he showed, not to mention an ability to be an extremely quick learner. Rex picked up his new role quicker than expected, and started to hone them both through the team’s training and through his own personal training. He’d even started to work out at the school gym whenever he had a chance to try and bulk up a little more. In his junior year, he was given the starting role.
And Rex didn’t disappoint. He racked up an average points per game of 13 that season, along with an average of 5 rebounds and notable assists, passes, and other skills. Proving himself to be a competent all-rounder on the court with impressive speed and overall athleticism. It was why he retained his starting position into his senior year and seemed to really start to shine. Not that anybody but his coach and teammates seemed to notice.
While Rex was starting to show promise, gaining several MVP accolades and starting to show some decent averages, one thing stood out to Rex; unlike his teammates, he was never able to look at the cheering crowd and see his family members. They never seemed to bother taking the time to come out and cheer on their son and brother. Rex understood why Regan couldn’t; he had to take up the slack made by his absence, and it made the rabbit feel quite guilty at times. Nobody ever said anything, but it was impossible for him to hide the sadness in his eyes even behind a smile. Was it wrong for him to crave some freedom? Even more so, though, should he feel guilty for wanting it?
Pushing past this, Rex played through until his high school graduation, and although he didn’t manage to receive an athletic scholarship, he did receive some academic scholarships that would allow him to attend university. He had applied for a couple of different universities, some further from home than others, but in the end he decided to attend Paw Point University in Delaware. Perhaps it was his lingering guilt, but the fact that it was just across the river from his hometown was perhaps a deciding factor. It helped that Paw Point had a university team that was open for tryouts, basketball apparently being a new sport for the school’s roster.
Another massive growth spurt cursed him once more just before university (please let this be the last one!), and when he walked into the university court the first time, he towered above all the other hopeful players at 7’2”. When asked to show off some of his “skills at center” he hesitantly informed the coach that he’d never played center, explaining his time as a point guard and small forward in middle school and high school, as well as his drastic growth spurts. The coach looked him over and decided to run him through a few different drills for different positions, as well as some vertical testing (the results of which absolutely shocked the coaches, as the big bunny showed off an insane almost 40” vertical, something that had improved greatly from his 26” vertical he’d had in his early days in the game and the reason he’d earned the nickname Big Hop).
After the tryouts, it took some time for results to come out of who would be welcomed onto the team that year, but when it did, Rex was on the list. And at their first training session, he was rather unnecessarily shocked to find out that he’d be playing center for his new team. But, as he’d done each time he’d been forced to change roles, he took it on with determination and focus. He spent more time working out at the gym to bulk up at his coach’s urging (couldn’t be having a scrawny center, and the rest of his body hadn’t really caught up to his height yet), he practiced controlling his jumps (there really wasn’t a need for a center like him to be leaping 40” off the ground), and worked on his footwork and ball handling every chance he got outside of the normal practices.
With the university’s basketball program being a brand new feature, the team was far from being the top of their game for that first season; most of their players were from D3 and low D2 high schools, there on academic scholarships but clearly showing talent and passion for the game. But it ended up making for a bit of a motley crew, and Rex was no exception. They eked out a few wins that first year, but it was clear the team was finding their groove and players were settling in. Rex proved to be a pillar on the team; he worked hard, encouraged his teammates to do the same, kept the morale up, and always seemed to wear what was rather a trademark smile. Some might say all his years spent caring for his younger siblings had set him up perfectly for a pseudo-leadership role on the team even as early as this.
While away at college he spoke to Regan sometimes, but only when Rex himself reached out with a phone call, and even though his brother tried to act like he was happy for him, twins couldn’t hide anything from each other. It was impossible to avoid the guilt; no matter how much he buried himself in his studies or his training. He never bothered going home on his breaks, staying at the dorms for the summer instead and working in Wilmington to earn his money for the coming years to help cover expenses that his academic scholarship didn’t.
Come his second year at Paw Point, the team started to come together a little more; though they weren’t yet good enough to draw in top tier high school athletes, they got a few more players that proved to be strong in their positions and the team started to find some semblance of balance. And Rex seemed to be finding his own groove as he started to master the necessary blocking and rebounding skills he needed as a center. The team climbed the ranks that year, but still fell far-short of the finals.
And then came third year. A fire seemed to have been lit. The fledgling team was finally gelling. And Rex seemed to have become sort of a leader to them, an inspiration to the other players that also came from smaller schools and districts. And this would be the year that he earned his nickname “King”.
The team started to gain wins, with Rex playing at starting center and proving that his hard work had paid off as his overall size made him a force to be reckoned with on defense and his ball handling was better than ever as he helped move the ball up-court, could shoot with accuracy at md-range, and racked up the rebounds regularly. The team had a record year, finishing just shy of making the playoffs, an impressive feat for such a young program. And the entire team cheered on Rex, their King, for their season MVP. The underdogs were finally proving themselves in the D3 circuit, and there were even some whispers going on about Rex and a couple of his other teammates saying that “they were too good for the D3 circuit”.
And this was enough to put eyes on the team; not just those of potential students/athletes, but those of talent scouts. The main focus of their attention? The giant white and chocolate rabbit that had come to captain the team, that seemed to rack up the rebounds every game and put in a noticeable amount of points through both rebounds and shooting. The rabbit that charged up the court with speed not usually seen in a center of his size.
So when Rex’s fourth year of university started, and the training ramped up and the season opened, he wasn’t even aware that he was being closely watched. He focused on his team, his game, and his classes (throughout university he had maintained excellent grades in order to maintain his scholarship and earn extra financial aid in the form of further bursaries and grants). Rex maintained himself as the heart of the team, balancing his necessary role as the main defender on the team and his ability as somewhat of an all-rounder to help rack up extra points or move the ball when necessary. He continued to impress his coaches, and those scouts that had decided to watch him.
In Rex’s fourth and final year at university, the Paw Point Privateers did what nobody had expected of the former underdog of the D3 league even after their near miss the previous year; they made the playoffs tournament. When they found out that they had earned their place in the D3 championships, the whole team nearly broke down crying with their overwhelming pride and joy. All but Rex, who held his usual calm composure with a small smile that still didn’t quite reach his eyes.
The team played hard and managed to make it all the way to round three for the east before being knocked out in an overtime loss. But the team walked off the court with their heads held high, especially as they received congratulations from their winning opponents on the handshake. Praise for making it as far as they did from their humble beginnings. Just a few years before, the team was barely a whisper in the FCAA, and now here they were. In the championship games and making it all the way to the third round. Rex came out of that season showing some of his best stats yet with an solid average of 17 PPG, 10 REB, and 3 BLK.
Part of Rex felt the same joy his teammates did, and part of him still felt that awful feeling of neglect and guilt as he was reminded that his family probably didn’t even care enough to turn on the TV to watch. And that he had left his family behind to follow this dream he’d built. But before he could sink too deep into the darkness of his emotions, he was called over by their coach, who was talking to some stranger. Turns out, that stranger was an FBA talent scout who smiled and handed Rex an envelope; a formal invitation to the FBA draft. Rex was absolutely shocked by this; after all, there were other players on other teams that were moving onward and upward in the championship, but they still chose to hand him an invitation.
The FBA. It was not something he’d ever really even dreamed of, but he found himself enthused by the prospect even as he warred with his responsibility for his family. Part of his goal of going to university was to help his family. But…he could do that if he goes to the FBA as well. He could make enough money to give Regan his freedom from the responsibility. He could help make it so his father didn’t have to travel so much for work. He could do what he wanted to do and still help his family for a change, so how could it be wrong? Maybe…just maybe.
Stories
Stats
| Season | Team | G | Min | FGM | FGA | 3PtM | 3PtA | FTM | FTA | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts | MPG | FG% | TP% | FT% | RPG | APG | TPG | SPG | BPG | FPG | PPG | Ast/TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | HWI | 71 | 1889.5 | 374 | 840 | 11 | 55 | 150 | 229 | 113 | 531 | 259 | 105 | 33 | 43 | 217 | 909 | 26.6 | 0.445 | 0.200 | 0.655 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 12.8 | 2.5 |
| Career Total | 71 | 1889.5 | 374 | 840 | 11 | 55 | 150 | 229 | 113 | 531 | 259 | 105 | 33 | 43 | 217 | 909 | 26.6 | 0.445 | 0.200 | 0.655 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 12.8 | 2.5 |