Seven former Huskies set to appear in 2025 NBA Summer League
UConn fans will have plenty of opportunities to see former Huskies in current and upcoming NBA Summer League action, which kicks off in Las Vegas on July 10 and has already started in Utah.
For some, the 11-day tournament will offer the first taste of professional basketball, albeit on a smaller scale. For others, these exhibition matches could be the last chance to salvage a career in the NBA. The tournament will put the rising stars of tomorrow on center stage, seven of whom are former UConn Huskies with something to prove. Those who don’t latch on are likely to head to leagues overseas but may also consider playing in the G League.
Here are the seven Huskies taking part in 2025 NBA Summer League play.
Adama Sanogo – Utah Jazz
Adama Sanogo falls into the category of the player looking to keep his career afloat. Though the Bulls waived the big man in February, it was not for a lack of production. Sanogo averaged a double-double over 11 games in the G League (16.2 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game), pairing his scoring ability with a feisty paint presence (1.3 blocks per game). Nonetheless, Chicago saw no fit for him, so Sanogo signed with Utah for the summer.
The former Husky began his summer early, making a pit stop in Salt Lake City for a three-day slate of games against the Grizzlies, 76ers, and Thunder. Sanogo had four points and five rebounds on July 5 against the 76ers, following it up on July 7 with two points against the Grizzlies. Sanogo’s played about 15 minutes each night, though the 23-year-old hit some in foul trouble.
Andre Jackson Jr. – Milwaukee Bucks
Andre Jackson Jr. enters his third season with Milwaukee having contributed modestly in each of his first two seasons. He and the Bucks have not yet reached an agreement to guarantee Jackson’s 2025-26 contract, though both parties did agree on a partial allotment of his salary — about $2.22 million — for pushing the guarantee date.
Essentially, Jackson is still a Buck, for now. While it would be somewhat unusual for the Bucks to give Jackson an advance on his contract and then cut him, it would not be unprecedented. He can help make that decision easier with his on-court production this summer. In 64 games last season, he averaged 3.4 points, albeit on a low minutes sample.
Cam Spencer – Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies proved to Cam Spencer that they believe in him when they extended the young shooting guard on a $4.5 million deal last week that spans the next two seasons. By assigning him to the summer league roster, they indirectly told him his game has some room for growth.
Behind Steph Castle and Donovan Clingan, Spencer saw the most minutes of any UConn-based rookie last season. He only played in 25 games, but averaged over 10 minutes, stuffing his line with about four points, one rebound, and one assist per contest. It is understood that the energy with which he competes will remain the same — the Grizzlies are just hoping Spencer can emerge from Las Vegas a more polished player, fundamentally.
In Salt Lake City, he is already showing flashes of doing exactly that. He finished a July 5 game against the Thunder with a +12 plus/minus rating, scoring 14 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing five assists. Two days later, he dropped 23 points on the Jazz and shot the lights out from beyond the arc, hitting seven threes on 10 attempts. He rounded out his line with six rebounds, three assists, and one steal and block apiece. More nights like those, and he will play much more than 25 games this upcoming season.
James Bouknight – Portland Trail Blazers
The Charlotte Hornets declined James Bouknight’s fourth-year option last February, waiving the former UConn guard. In October, he signed with Portland for the remainder of the season, averaging 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists with its G League affiliate Rip City Remix. Bouknight — the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — has struggled to ignite his career after he was selected with a lottery pick four years ago.
Good news for Bouknight, Portland recently traded emerging point guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics, opening space on the depth chart for guards. Bouknight has a long way to go, but if he can rediscover the same ability he had in his final year at UConn — 18.7 ppg his sophomore season — he could make a case for some minutes this upcoming year. That journey begins July 11 in the Trail Blazers’ preliminary game against Golden State.
Liam McNeeley – Charlotte Hornets
Liam McNeeley has a bone to pick with just about every team in the NBA for passing up on him during last month’s NBA Draft. The one-and-done Husky slid to No. 29 in the first-round order, though luckily for him, he wasn’t Charlotte’s only first-round draft pick.
Kon Knueppel will own the spotlight when the Hornets play their first game July 11 against the Jazz — and rightfully so, considering he was selected with the No. 4 pick. As he makes his highly anticipated debut, McNeeley will trail right behind him (as will Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, too). The Summer League is a great opportunity for McNeeley to show the league what it missed out on by not drafting him higher.
Following a tumultuous season that included a month missed due to injury and lower-than-anticipated shooting splits, McNeeley could come out in Las Vegas with his hair on fire. Charlotte is already fairly deep at the shooting guard position — McNeeley’s impetus to compete for every minute of potential play time.
Samson Johnson – Indiana Pacers
UConn’s all-time-winningest player joined the Indiana Pacers by way of an Exhibit 10 contract. He’ll make the vet minimum salary and can earn a bonus by signing with the G League if he is released. A consistent double-double threat at UConn, Johnson has a few deficiencies in his game that he must address if he wishes to make his NBA dreams a reality. He needs to find a way to avoid foul trouble and strengthen up defensively.
The Pacers have overhauled the big men on their roster, though any room for Johnson remains slim and entirely dependent on his summer league performance. Myles Turner has already walked to Milwaukee, but Indianapolis turned around and re-signed James Wiseman and traded for Memphis’ Jay Huff. Thomas Bryant is still a free agent, although it is unlikely he will resign with the defending Eastern Conference champions. Regardless, Johnson will make his pro debut on July 10 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, eager to bring his winning ways to a city that nearly won it all just weeks ago.
Tristen Newton – Minnesota Timberwolves
Summer league will be an uphill battle for Tristen Newton, who has caught on with Minnesota after he was waived by Indiana earlier in the year. Like Sanogo, Newton has been very productive in G League play, averaging 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists over 24 games played. He saw brief action in eight NBA games, though he never played more than a handful of minutes.
The 24-year-old is still looking to prove his game translates at the NBA level. This summer could be his chance, as he joins a Timberwolves roster that does not boast as much young talent as others.