Category: Buffs in NBA

Former Buff George King added to USA Basketball World Cup Qualifying Team

George King will represent the U.S. on a big stage

Former Colorado Buffaloes star George King has been a busy man lately. He has spent time with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League and has now been added to the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team.

This is a terrific opportunity for King to showcase his talents on the national stage and get some much-needed playing time in hopes of earning another NBA contract.

The injury to Paul Watson opened up the space for King to be added to the roster.

King has performed well with the Clippers G League affiliate, averaging 11.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 33.2 minutes in 17 contests. The highlight of it was swapping jerseys with fellow Buffs alum McKinley Wright IV earlier this year.

King signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season and he has appeared in just five games between the Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns.

King will join the team late as training camp started on Feb. 18 in preparation for games on Thursday and Sunday, so it will be worth monitoring to see if King gets any playing time or not.

Nonetheless, being added to the roster is a big step for him, and hopefully, he can perform well and perhaps earn another 10-day NBA contract with a solid showing.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[vertical-gallery id=4731]

How Colorado football Twitter reacted to Cliff Branch’s Pro Football Hall of Fame election

Cliff Branch was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

One of the greatest players to ever wear the black and gold was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night. That was of course Cliff Branch, who played two years at Colorado as a receiver from 1970-71.

In his 22-game college career, he had 36 receptions for a whopping 665 yards, but his talents really shined as a kickoff and punt returner. Branch had four kickoff return touchdowns in both of his seasons in Boulder and returned six career punts for a score.

The speedy receiver was then drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1972 and won three titles during his 14-year NFL career. Just over two years after he passed away in 2019, Branch is now the first former Buff to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Also elected on Thursday was former Jacksonville Jaguars lineman Tony Boselli, who grew up in Boulder and played at Fairview High School. He did, however, play his college ball at USC.

Here’s how Colorado football Twitter reacted to Branch’s historic election:

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=4476]

REPORT: Derrick White will rock a new jersey after NBA Deadline deal

Derrick White is reportedly headed to Boston

The NBA trade deadline has been all about Ben Simmons and James Harden. However, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the San Antonio Spurs traded former Colorado Buffaloes player Derrick White to the Boston Celtics for a nice package.

White has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 14.4 points and 42.6% from the field in 49 games for the Spurs.

White has scored double-digits in the past six games, including 22 points on Feb. 3 against the Miami Heat, and will now head to the Celtics to try and give Boston an uptick.

White has been known for his three-point shooting, although he’s at a career-low 31.4% from downtown.

Nonetheless, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston points out, the Celtics are likely hoping that White can get back to those ways.

The Spurs are 20-35 and appear to be doing whatever it takes to stockpile assets with this season out the window. On the other hand, the Celtics are 31-25 and fighting for a playoff spot, so hopefully White can give them a nice boost on both ends of the floor.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=4476]

LOOK: McKinley Wright IV and George King swap jerseys following G-League game

George King and McKinley Wright IV exchanged jerseys following a G-League game

Former Buffs McKinley Wright IV and George King showed each other the ultimate sign of respect on Thursday when they faced each other in an NBA G-League game.

The two played together in Boulder for one season back in 2017-18 with King being a seasoned vet responsible for leading Wright and that talented 2017 class. But with both of them now chasing their NBA dreams, they crossed paths again when King’s Agua Caliente Clippers hosted Wright’s Iowa Wolves.

Wright, as he has done all season for the Wolves, was a scoring machine and finished the contest with 19 points and six assists. However, King and his 14-point, 10-rebound double-double helped the Clippers come away victorious, 116-108.

After the game, Wright and King met up and exchanged jerseys.

It’s going to be even sweeter, though, when they do this following an NBA game.

Both have played sparingly in the NBA this season with Wright in Minnesota and King, who was recently released by the Dallas Mavericks following a 10-day contract, returning to the Clippers organization.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[vertical-gallery id=3235]

McKinley Wright IV is our Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year

Give it up for McKinley Wright IV

The fans have spoken.

With 40% of the vote, McKinley Wright IV is our inaugural Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year.

Wright, who currently dawns a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform, was an integral part of the Buffs’ March Madness team from this past spring. In 23 games played in 2021, Wright scored double-digit points in 21 of them en route to a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance and an NCAA Tournament win over Georgetown. His senior season also earned him All-Pac-12 First Team honors for the third consecutive year.

After his name went uncalled in the 2021 NBA Draft, Wright was still able to sign a two-way contract with his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves. He made Buff nation proud in October when he drained a three-pointer on his first NBA field goal attempt. While he has yet to appear in an NBA game since, the CU legend put up some gaudy numbers in a stint with the G-League’s Iowa Wolves.

Wright continues to be an avid supporter of Colorado hoops and is a well-deserved selection for our Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year.

[vertical-gallery id=2871]

Forever Buff Alec Burks ties career-high in Knicks’ win

Alec Burks had himself a night for the Knicks

Eleven-year NBA veteran Alec Burks can still ball with the best of them.

In the New York Knicks’ 94-85 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, the Buffaloes great scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and 34 total to match his career-high. He did, however, score 36 points back in 2011 when the Buffs upset No. 9 Missouri.

Burks has bounced around a bit recently in the NBA, but it appears he has found a good home in New York. And if he keeps putting up over 30 points, then all the better for the Knicks.

Burks, who remains CU’s all-time single-season scoring king with 779 points in 2011, is averaging 12.1 for the Knicks while shooting a career-high 42.2% from three.

[listicle id=3329]

George King inks 10-day deal with Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs have signed George King to a contract.

The NBA is just another sports league ravaged by COVID-19 lately. The NFL, NHL and college sports have been impacted severely over the past couple of weeks as the virus has broken out.

With all of the teams bothered by COVID-19 issues, the NBA announced a new rule to allow more players to be signed, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

With these changes taking place, NBA teams flocked to sign players to 10-day deals to give them more flexibility.

In turn, former Colorado Buffaloes star George King signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, as reported by Charania.

King has bounced around quite a bit, including a summer league contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and then a preseason run with the Los Angeles Clippers before eventually being released.

After a successful run in Colorado, King was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 59th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and played in just one NBA game for the Suns. Instead, he was primarily used in the G League.

King then bounced around in the international world of hoops for some time before making his way back to the states.

Reggie Bullock and Josh Green tested positive for Dallas, and with the way things have gone down in the NBA, there could be more positive results coming soon.

King could get a chance to get some decent run during his 10-day deal with games on Tuesday, Thursday and a Christmas Day matchup against the Utah Jazz.

Buffs in the NBA: Part 2

Examining the Buffs in the NBA once again!

It is that time again!

After the start of the NBA season, we took a look at the former Colorado Buffaloes in the NBA and examined how they were performing.

Now with the season approaching the two-month mark, it is time to check in again on these players.

Rookie McKinley Wright IV made some noise with the Minnesota Timberwolves and then exploded for their G League team.

Alec Burks has played well for the New York Knicks, and Spencer Dinwiddie is, well, Spencer Dinwiddie.

With the NBA season in full force, let’s dive in and take a look at how these former Buffs have fared during this 2021-2022 NBA campaign.

Colorado Buffaloes in the NBA: Part 1

The NBA season is here and let’s examine how the former Buffs have fared in the early part of the season.

The NBA season is here!

With the NFL in full force and the MLB World Series beginning Tuesday, the NBA is garnering its fair share of attention during its opening week.

Previously, we discussed the former Buffs players in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Now we can examine how the former Buffs have done thus far in the early stages of the 2021-2022 NBA season. There aren’t a ton of names, but that will change over the next few seasons as the Buffs basketball team continues to improve.

The most accomplished name is Spencer Dinwiddie, who executed a massive sign-and-trade to go from the Brooklyn Nets to the Washington Wizards. Dinwiddie is now the starting point guard in D.C., something that has been a long time coming for the talented guard.

Alec Burks and Derrick White are still on the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

Former Buffs Tyler Bey of the Houston Rockets and George King of the Los Angeles Clippers will start the season in the NBA’s G League.

But, the newest Buffs alum is McKinley Wright IV, who made the Minnesota Timberwolves roster after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Let’s examine how the former Buffs have done after a week of the NBA season.

McKinley Wright IV makes NBA debut for Timberwolves

McKinley Wright IV made a three-pointer in his NBA debut

In his four years at the University of Colorado, McKinley Wright IV tallied a school-record 683 assists along with several other Buffalo bests. Wright’s final season at CU was perhaps his best, as he led the Buffs to a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament last March.

The 22-year-old guard somehow went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft but was able to sign a two-way contract with his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves. Wright shined during the preseason and made the NBA roster for Minnesota’s season opener against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

While the Timberwolves cruised past the Rockets 124-106, the highlight of the night for CU Buffs fans was when Wright checked in late in the game. He made his presence known quickly by draining a three-pointer in his first and only shot of the night.

The blowout game was a perfect opportunity for Wright to get his feet wet. We’ll see if his immediate impact was enough to convince Minnesota head coach Chris Finch to give his rookie some more minutes.

Wright and the T-Wolves will have another home game on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans.