Action at the NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 is in full swing this week, as eight former University of Tennessee men's basketball players are on rosters for this month's competition in Las Vegas.
VFLs 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), Jaden Springer (Boston Celtics) and Santiago Vescovi (Warriors) will each showcase their skills at the 11-day tournament.
The event features all 30 NBA teams and runs July 12-22 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
All 76 games will air live on ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and ESPN3) or NBA TV. Every game will also be available to stream on the ESPN App.
Each team will play at least five games, including four from July 12-19. After each team's first four games, the top four teams will advance to participate in the playoffs, beginning with a semifinal doubleheader on July 21 on ESPN. The two winning teams from the semifinal games will meet in the championship game on July 22 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The four playoff teams will be determined by winning percentage in each team's first four games, with tiebreak criteria available HERE. The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth game on either July 20 or July 21.
Knecht, a 2024 first-round NBA Draft selection will begin play Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, as his Lakers take on the Houston Rockets.
James and Vescovi, fellow key components of Tennessee's SEC Championship-winning 2023-24 squad, get underway Friday and Saturday, respectively.
In all, there are five scheduled VFL-versus-VFL Summer League matchups. The first will tip off Friday at 8 p.m., as the Nets (Johnson) face the Pacers (James) on NBA TV.
Jordan Bowden | Atlanta Hawks
The College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, acquired Bowden on Feb. 15 in exchange for its own first round pick in the 2025 G League Draft.
Bowden saw action in 16 contests—11 starts—for the Skyhawks and tallied 17.2 PPG on 49.5 percent shooting, a 48.2 percent mark from 3-point territory, 3.4 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.3 SPG.
Bowden previously played nine games during the 2023-24 season with the Maine Celtics and spent the three seasons prior in the Long Island Nets system from 2020-23.
On May 10, Bowden signed with the Montréal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). In 12 games with the Alliance, Bowden registered averages of 18.5 PPG on 44.5 percent shooting, 4.8 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.7 SPG.
Kennedy Chandler | Portland Trail Blazers
The No. 38 overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chandler played in 33 games for the Long Island Nets in 2023-24. He posted averages of 14.4 PPG, 5.0 APG and 2.9 RPG. He had a 48.1 percent success rate on field-goal attempts for the Nets, knocking down 34.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Josiah-Jordan James | Indiana Pacers
Following five seasons with Tennessee, where he played for the Volunteers from 2019-20 to 2023-24, James is set to commence his professional journey with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Summer League.
James is one of two players in Tennessee history with 1,250 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 steals and 100 blocks, alongside Vincent Yarbrough (1998-2002). He is third all-time among Volunteers in appearances (144), wins (114) and minutes (4,068).
The Charleston, S.C., native is fifth at Tennessee in starts (123), co-fifth in steals (183), eighth in made 3-pointers (196) and eighth in rebounds (844), as well as No. 12 in offensive rebounds (201) and No. 30 in scoring (1,270).
Keon Johnson | Brooklyn Nets
Johnson averaged 6.2 PPG across five appearances for the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24. Also playing for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn's G League affiliate, in his third season of professional basketball, Johnson made 26 appearances, averaging 18.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 3.4 APG.
Dalton Knecht | Los Angeles Lakers
In three appearances for the Lakers during the California Classic this past week, Knecht logged averages of 14.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.3 SPG. He was the only Laker to reach the 20-point threshold in any of the team's three California Classic contests, shooting 7-for-18 from the floor Wednesday night in a 20-point, nine-rebound effort in 31 minutes of action versus the Miami HEAT.
Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American in 2023-24, became the ninth-highest drafted player in Tennessee men's basketball history, as he went No. 17 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers. The highest-drafted Volunteer since Marcus Haislip went No. 13 in 2002, Knecht is the 10th top-20 pick in Tennessee history and the first since Tobias Harris went No. 19 in 2011. He is the 54th total NBA Draft choice from Tennessee, including the 16th in the top 30 and the 12th in the first round.
Julian Phillips | Chicago Bulls
Phillips, a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and the fifth one-and-done draft selection in Tennessee program history, saw action in 40 contests during his rookie campaign with the Bulls, recording averages of 2.2 PPG and nearly 1.0 RPG.
In last year's NBA Summer League, Phillips connected on 56.3 percent (9-of-16) of his field goal attempts.
Jaden Springer | Boston Celtics
Springer, who won an NBA Championship as a member of the Boston Celtics in 2023-24, logged averages of 2.1 PPG on 43.3 percent shooting, adding 1.2 RPG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 APG in 17 appearances during his third NBA season. In one game with the Maine Celtics in the G League this season, he totaled 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor, adding six rebounds and three assists.
Santiago Vescovi | Golden State Warriors
After spending five seasons at Tennessee, competing for the Volunteers from 2019-20 through 2023-24, Vescovi will begin his professional career with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League.
Competing in the California Classic Summer League series over the past week, Vescovi posted averages of 3.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 2.0 APG, while shooting at a 50.0 percent clip from the field.
Vescovi is one of two Volunteers with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists, joining Allan Houston (1989-93). He is the program's all-time leader in steals (212) and starts (144), while placing second in appearances (149) and minutes (4,432), plus third in made 3-pointers (325), the latter mark eighth-best in SEC history.
A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Vescovi ranks fourth at Tennessee in wins (106), fourth in made 3-pointers per game (2.18), eighth in assists (453), No. 10 in 3-point percentage (37.2), No. 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75), No. 11 in free-throw percentage (79.8), No. 13 in steals per game (1.42) and No. 18 in scoring (1,540).
NBA 2K25 SUMMER LEAGUE TV SCHEDULE
Friday, July 12
Rockets vs. Lakers (Knecht) – 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Nets (Johnson) vs. Pacers (James) – 8 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Hawks (Bowden) vs. Wizards – 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Saturday, July 13
Bucks vs. Bulls (Phillips) – 4:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Heat vs. Celtics (Springer) – 6:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers (Chandler) – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Suns vs. Warriors (Vescovi) – 11 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Sunday, July 14
Nets (Johnson) vs. Clippers – 4 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
Timberwolves vs. Pacers (James) – 5:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Spurs vs. Hawks (Bowden) – 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Bulls (Phillips) vs. Warriors (Vescovi) – 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Monday, July 15
Trail Blazers (Chandler) vs. 76ers – 8:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Celtics (Springer) vs. Lakers (Knecht) – 10:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Tuesday, July 16
Pacers (James) vs. Suns – 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Knicks vs. Nets (Johnson) – 4:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Bulls (Phillips) vs. Pistons – 6:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Wizards vs. Trail Blazers (Chandler) – 8:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Wednesday, July 17
Celtics (Springer) vs. Hornets – 5:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Lakers (Knecht) vs. Hawks (Bowden) – 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Warriors (Vescovi) vs. Cavaliers – 10 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Thursday, July 18
Pacers (James) vs. Nuggets – 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Magic vs. Nets (Johnson) – 8 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Lakers (Knecht) vs. Cavaliers – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday, July 19
Mavericks vs. Celtics (Springer) – 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Hawks (Bowden) vs. Bulls (Phillips) – 6 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Warriors (Vescovi) vs. Thunder – 10:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Trail Blazers (Chandler) vs. Hornets – 11 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Saturday, July 20 – Monday, July 22
TBD
In addition, Olivier Nkamhoua, a Tennessee graduate who played four years for the Volunteers (2019-23) before grad-transferring to Michigan for his extra season of eligibility—his "COVID year"—in 2023-24, will play for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League.