7/5/2023 basketball Edit

Eight former Vols prepare for NBA Summer League

Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler (1) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (The Associated Press)

Noah Taylor • VolReport

Managing Editor

Noah is a graduate of the UT College of Journalism & Electronic Media and has covered Tennessee football since 2019. He joined Rivals in 2022.

Eight former Tennessee basketball players will compete in the NBA Summer League this month.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, Jaden Springer scored 11 points along with two blocks and two steals against the Memphis Grizzlies in Salt Lake City on July 3.

Following a three-game slate in Utah, Springer will join Kyle Alexander (Washington Wizards), Jordan Bowden (Los Angeles Clippers), Kennedy Chandler (Brooklyn Nets), Keon Johnson (Portland Trailblazers), Julian Phillips (Chicago Bulls), Uros Plavsic (Atlanta Hawks) and Yves Pons (Atlanta Hawks) at the Las Vegas Summer League competition beginning July 7.

The full TV schedule for the event that will wrap up on July 17 can be found here.

Phillips was recently selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft last month by the Bulls after averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 32 appearances as a freshman last season.

Plavsic, who made 20 starts in the 34 games he appeared in, signed with the Hawks as an undrafted free agent and joins former teammate Pons.

Pons previously played for the Grizzlies on a two-way contract as a rookie during the 2021-22 season.

Alexander starred for Tennessee from 2015-19 and began his NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2020 before playing the last three seasons in Europe. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds with the Valencia Basket team in Spain.

Bowden has spent the last three seasons in the NBA G League with the Long Island Nets where he averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season.

After going No. 38 overall in the 2022 draft, Chandler played the 2022-23 season with the Grizzlies where he appeared in 36 games and averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 assists per game.

Another recent high draft pick under Rick Barnes, Barnes was initially a first round selection by the Clippers but was traded to the Trailblazers. He averaged 4.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 40 games in his second season in the NBA.

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