Tag: mckinley wright iv

NBA Summer League to feature three former Buffs

Keep an eye on these three former #cubuffs in the NBA Summer League

Former CU Buffs men’s basketball stars McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey and Jabari Walker were all selected by their respective teams to compete in the 2023 NBA Summer League, which will be held from July 7-17 in Las Vegas.

Wright, Colorado’s all-time leader in assists, played in 27 games last season for the Dallas Mavericks and will continue with them for what will be his third NBA Summer League appearance — the previous two coming with Minnesota in 2021 and Phoenix in 2022.

Walker averaged over 12 points in last year’s summer league to help the Portland Trail Blazers win the title. He’s back with the Blazers again this summer following a rookie season in which he scored just under four points per game for head coach Chauncey Billups.

Bey played overseas in 2022-23 for the Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Premier League but returns to the United States for his third NBA Summer League run, this time with the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Friday, Bey’s Bucks open against Denver at 3 p.m. on ESPNU and Walker’s Blazers face Houston at 5 p.m. on ESPN. The Mavericks and Wright play their first game against Oklahoma City on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2. (All times MDT.)

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=28]

Colorado men’s basketball all-time roster: CU Buffs legends

Who are you favorite players to ever hit the hardwood for CU?

Last August, we brought you the best Colorado Buffaloes football players of all-time and now, it’s time for the men’s basketball greats to shine.

Although 2022-23 has been a down season for the program, we are arguably still in the golden era of Colorado men’s basketball. Since the start of the early 2010s, the Buffs have produced several seasons of at least 20 wins and have made the NCAA Tournament five times.

Beyond the current iteration of the team, CU has had a ton of talent roll through Boulder.

We looked through the greatest teams in the nearly 125-year history of Colorado men’s basketball to give you our all-time roster:

REPORT: Dallas Mavericks signing McKinley Wright IV to training camp deal

REPORT: McKinely Wright IV will join the Dallas Mavericks on a training camp deal

Following a rookie season spent mostly in the G League, McKinley Wright IV is reportedly not returning for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Colorado men’s basketball great is going to Dallas on a training camp deal.

Wright appeared in just five NBA games last season but in the G League, he averaged 19.1 points and 7.7 assists in 18 games for the Iowa Wolves.

The Mavericks are coming off a run to the Western Conference Finals, led in part by fellow former Buff Spencer Dinwiddie. If Wright can impress in training camp and make the roster, Dallas’ backcourt could be fun to watch for Buffs fans.

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=8052]

PHOTOS: Former Buffs in the NBA summer league

Photos: Former Buffs in the 2022 summer league

The 2022 Las Vegas Summer League wrapped on Sunday with a pair of former Colorado Buffaloes — Jabari Walker and George King — winning it all with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Also playing in the league were McKinley Wright IV (Phoenix Suns), D’Shawn Schwartz (New York Knicks), Tyler Bey (Philadelphia 76ers) and Jeriah Horne (Sacramento Kings). It is, however, yet to be seen how many of those forever Buffs will get NBA playing time.

But especially with Spencer Dinwiddie and Derrick White, who both impressed in the NBA playoffs, Colorado has quite the group of young talent playing in the pros.

Check out the best pictures from the Buffs’ presence in the summer league:

CU Buffs in the NBA: Summer league roundup

Here’s how all six former Buffs performed in the NBA summer league

Colorado Buffaloes fans saw quite a few familiar names make their way to the Las Vegas Summer League.

All eyes were on Portland Trail Blazers rookie Jabari Walker, the most recent Buff playing in the circuit. Walker not only went home as a summer league champ, but he also signed a three-year contract in the process.

But, there were a few other notable players that also used to play college basketball at the CU Events Center. There were a total of six former Buffs who earned NBA summer league roster spots.

Let’s check in on them and recap how each of them performed:

Six former Buffs playing in the NBA Summer League

Who are you looking forward to watching in the Summer League?

The Colorado Buffaloes watched Jabari Walker get selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft.

He is headed for the Summer League, and a handful of other former Buffs are also set for Summer League action. The hope is for them to improve their craft and hopefully make a run at a big league roster spot when the 2022-23 season begins. As we’ve seen with McKinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey, staying on the NBA team as a rookie isn’t always easy, so the Summer League remains a valuable opportunity.

Let’s take a look at the six former Colorado men’s basketball players that will be playing in the 2022 Summer League:

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]

You Pick: Who should be the Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year?

Vote for the Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year

We’re turning it over to you, the fan, to pick our inaugural Colorado Buffaloes Wire Player of the Year.

You may not agree with our finalists, but we’ve narrowed it down to five Buffs for this prestigious award: McKinley Wright IV, Nate Landman, Carson Wells, Evan Battey and Mya Hollingshed.

To remind you just how special these Buffs were in 2021, check out our favorite article from each finalist.

These players all excelled in their respective sport. But who made the biggest impact? We’ll let you decide.

[polldaddy poll=11002981]

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.