The Real First Virgin Islander in the NBA

Everyone Owes Kleon Penn an Apology

Kleon Penn said that he learned to play basketball on the Bell Vue Court in Tortola under the guidance of coaches Morris Wattley and Eddie Fahie. His parents and sports journalist Dean Greenaway were his biggest inspirations. During his time at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, Penn made waves in the Virgin Islands Basketball community as one of the best players that our country had to offer.

Although Penn was just a young man from our small community, he managed to stand out in the United States at the NCAA Division I level while playing for McNeese State University. It was during his college career that ESPN named him one of their Five Favourite Underrated College Hoopsters of 2008-2009. “McNeese State's Kleon Penn is a monster. Not the kind with fangs and claws, but the sort who shreds opponents' FG ratios with his monstrous blocks,” wrote ESPN editor Jenn Holmes.

In his second year, Penn was able to lead the conference, ranking fourth in the nation and setting a single season school record for blocked shots. After this impressive college career, Penn made it to the 2009 NBA Draft, but unfortunately went undrafted. However, Penn did not give up. After playing for teams in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, he found himself once again catching the attention of the NBA and was signed to the Minnesota Timberwolves in September of 2015, making him the first Virgin Islander to ever sign a contract with an NBA team.

However, less than a decade later this accolade has been publicly bestowed on another young Virgin Islander, effectively erasing Penn’s impressive trail-blazing.

While Penn was eventually waived by the Timberwolves after appearing in three preseason games, his feat is still a remarkable one worth celebrating and is the first of its kind long before the world of fan pages and two-way contracts. The love and support shown to D’Moi Hodge before he’s even granted the opportunity to play an NBA game already vastly outranks the acknowledgement and coverage that Penn received.

This stark difference in reception could be due to a number of factors. It could be because it’s simply a different time. Penn’s college career occurred before people were accustomed to getting their news via social media. On the other hand, many of us were easily able to watch D’Moi grow throughout his journey. It could be the timing of when both men were signed respectively. We all watched the NBA Draft in 2023 and the news of D’Moi’s two-way contract broke the next day. However, Kleon was unsuccessful in 2009 and then signed six years later, resulting in a not-so linear path. It could also be, dare we say, that the L.A. Lakers perhaps resonate more with the Virgin Islands than the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Regardless of the reason, Kleon Penn is owed an apology from the Government and the media alike who have completely ignored his journey from the Belle Vue Court to the NBA stage. To have one of our own compete at such a level and still stand out and rise in the rankings is something we should take pride in the same way we now proudly display our purple and gold attire.