De León was born in the Dominican Republic, but his family emigrated to the United States and settled down in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

In 2011, De León and NBA player Brandon Jennings competed against each other for the moniker of "2 Hard 2 Guard".

De León led his East squad to a 78–55 win over Jennings and his West team, which included fellow NBA player DeMar DeRozan.

[1] In December 2009, De León joined Canadian team the Halifax Rainmen for the 2010 PBL season.

In February 2011, De León signed with Spanish team Palencia Baloncesto for the rest of the 2010–11 season.

[9] In October 2011, De León signed with Australian team the Gold Coast Blaze for the 2011–12 NBL season.

[10][11][12] In his debut for the Blaze on October 29, De León recorded two points and one steal in just under 14 minutes against the Townsville Crocodiles.