Gonzaga Well Represented as NBA Summer League Gets Underway

Gonzaga Well Represented as NBA Summer League Gets Underway originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The 2025 NBA Summer League is underway, with games in Salt Lake City and San Francisco running from July 5-8, while the rest of the action will take place in Las Vegas from July 10-20.

Summer league gives fans a chance to see their team's future stars in action. Cooper Flagg (Dallas) and Dylan Harper (San Antonio) will be two of the biggest must-see names, while VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia) has already made waves with his first few performances.

For Gonzaga fans, it's a chance to see 10 former Zags in action, spread out across eight different clubs. 

Of the 10 former Gonzaga players participating, only one (Drew Timme) has an NBA contract, while the rest are either on two-way deals or have been invited as a tryout to earn a spot in training camp and/or on a G-League roster.

Here is a look at each of the 10 former Gonzaga stars in action:

Dallas Mavericks: Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman

Dallas snatched up Gonzaga's starting backcourt from the past two seasons, inking Nembhard to a two-way contract shortly after the second round of the NBA draft concluded and inviting Hickman to join the summer league roster a few weeks later.

Nembhard will get a chance to prove his height doesn't preclude him from making an impact as a facilitator and shooter, while Hickman will look to prove his outside shooting is worthy of a spot on the roster or in the G-League.

Memphis Grizzlies: Jeremy Jones, Efton Reid

Jones made his G League debut last year, appearing in 34 games for the Rio Grande Vipers and averaging 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 31.4% from three.

Reid completed his college career at Wake Forest, averaging 9.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in two seasons with the Demon Deacons. The big man is not a modern NBA big, shooting 26.1% from three on less than one attempt per game, but his hulking size and rebounding could garner some attention at the G-League level.

Brooklyn Nets: Drew Timme

Timme opted to participate in summer league for a third straight season despite an NBA contract with Brooklyn, coming off a late season stretch where he averaged over 12 points per game.

New York Knicks: Anton Watson

Watson was drafted by Boston and played most of last season with the Maine Celtics in the G League before he was waived and claimed by New York, where he made his NBA debut with eight appearances down the stretch. He'll now join the Knicks again in summer league, looking to get back to the big show in the Big Apple.

Boston Celtics: Ben Gregg

Boston has loved adding Gonzaga bigs to summer league, with Anton Watson and Killian Tillie both participating with the Celtics over the past couple years. Gregg will take his energy, physicality, and floor spacing to Vegas in the hopes of earning a spot in the G-League this year.

Phoenix Suns: Khalif Battle

Battle's play-style could lead to a strong performance in summer league if he gets the playing time, but unless his outside shot looks outstanding his odds of finding a bench role in the NBA are slim. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Hunter Sallis

Sallis, like Nembhard, was surprisingly not selected in the NBA draft, but quickly inked a two-way deal with Philadelphia. His defensive intensity and length make him a nice prospect on that end of the floor, but the real question for him is the outside shot. If he finds consistency as a deep threat, Philadelphia might have a steal on their hands.

Miami Heat: Oumar Ballo

Ballo spent just one year at Gonzaga before moving on to Arizona and then Indiana for one final season. The big man doesn't really fit the modern NBA, but will get a chance in Miami to showcase his footwork and touch around the rim on offense, as well as his rim protection and rebounding skills.

Related: Projecting Gonzaga's Lineup and Rotation After Adding Spanish Guard Mario Saint-Supery

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.