Where former Tennessee basketball players are playing in NBA summer league
Mike WilsonEight Tennessee basketball products are taking part in the NBA summer league as it launches in Las Vegas on Friday.
Dalton Knecht headlines the list as the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers after his All-American season with the Vols. The summer league runs July 12-22 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion on UNLV's campus.
Here is what to know about the Vols in the summer league:
Dalton Knecht, Santiago Vescovi already got going in the summer league
Knecht made his debut with the Lakers, who took him No. 17 in the 2024 NBA Draft, during the California Classic. Guard Santiago Vescovi did the same with the Golden State Warriors.
Knecht averaged 14.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, finishing his three-game run with a 20-point, nine-rebound game against Miami on Wednesday. Vescovi scored nine points in three games with the Warriors.
Josiah-Jordan James, the third member of the outgoing class, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers. He plays his first game Friday.
Kennedy Chandler, Julian Phillips, and recent Vols first-rounders playing in NBA summer league
Knecht is one of three first-round picks out of Tennessee playing in the summer league.
Keon Johnson, who was picked No. 21 in the 2021 NBA Draft, is playing with the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson averaged 6.2 points in five games with the Nets last season, while he averaged 18.2 points with Brooklyn's G League team.
Jaden Springer won an NBA title this season with the Boston Celtics. He is playing with Boston's summer league team after averaging 2.1 points in 17 games with the Celtics. He was picked No. 28 by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021.
Julian Phillips is playing with the Chicago Bulls, who picked him No. 35 in the 2022 NBA Draft. He averaged 2.2 points in 40 games as a rookie.
Kennedy Chandler is playing with the Portland Trail Blazers after averaging 14.4 points and 5.0 assists for the Long Island Nets in the G League last season. Chandler was the No. 38 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jordan Bowden, Yves Pons playing in NBA summer league
Jordan Bowden, who played for the Vols from 2016-20, is playing with the Atlanta Hawks. He has spent time with Atlanta's G League team and has had stints overseas.
The Carter High School product played with the Montreal Alliance in the Canadian Elite Basketball League to prepare for the summer league. He averaged 18.5 points in 12 games for Montreal.
Yves Pons is playing with the Sacramento Kings. He has spent most of his professional career overseas, including a recent stint with with Basquet Girona. He played 12 games with the Memphis Grizzles in the 2021-22 season.
Where Tennessee basketball players are playing in NBA summer league
A full list of the Tennessee products in the summer league is below in alphabetical order:
- Jordan Bowden, Atlanta Hawks
- Kennedy Chandler, Portland Trail Blazers
- Josiah-Jordan James, Indiana Pacers
- Keon Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
- Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
- Julian Phillips, Chicago Bulls
- Yves Pons, Sacramento Kings
- Jaden Springer, Boston Celtics
- Santiago Vescovi, Golden State Warriors
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.