The NBA wrapped up its summer league on Sunday with the Golden State Warriors capturing the championship in Las Vegas. That put a bow on nearly two and a half weeks of basketball between the California Classic, the Salt Lake City Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League, and numerous players with local ties competed during that span.
Here’s a rundown of the former Cornhuskers, Bluejays and Mavericks and the Nebraska prep products who competed for NBA clubs during summer league.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Rienk Mast, Indiana Pacers
Stats: 15.3 PPG, 47.9% FG (33.3% 3FG), 66.7% FT, 9.0 RPG (4.5 ORPG), 1.8 APG, 1.5 TPG, 27.6 MPG, 4 GP, 3 GS
Mast recorded two double-doubles and nearly averaged one for the duration of his stay in Vegas. He started three games, but his best performance came off the bench with 23 points and 10 rebounds against Toronto. He ranked third in the entire Vegas Summer League in offensive rebounding with 4.5 per game, which includes seven offensive caroms in a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double against Cleveland and another six against the Raptors.
The swing skill for Mast as a pro will be his 3-point shooting. He went 3-13 from deep in his first two games before shooting 5-for-11 in his last two.
Mast signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers, which guarantees him a bonus and grants Indiana’s G League team his rights if the Pacers cut him and he opts to play in the G League.
Brice Williams, Detroit Pistons
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 45.7% FG (39.3% 3FG), 81.3% FT, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 2.4 TPG, 26.8 MPG, 5 GP, 5 GS
Williams showed off his shooting prowess in a featured role for the Pistons in Vegas, starting all five games and turning in a pair of 20-point outings. He dropped 21 while shooting 6-for-9 from deep and 3-for-3 from the line against Cleveland then followed it with 24 points on 7-of-13 from the field (3-of-6 from 3) and 5-of-7 from the foul line, six rebounds and four assists against Phoenix. Unfortunately, his final game in Vegas ended prematurely when he picked up two technical fouls against Miami, resulting in an ejection.
Williams signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons last summer before spending the season with Detroit’s G League team after the Pistons cut him.
Sam Hoiberg, Phoenix Suns
The Lincoln Pius X product and son of Husker head coach Fred Hoiberg played in all five games off the Phoenix bench, but he did not score, missing all seven of his shots, including six 3-pointers. He totaled 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals, averaging 11.1 minutes per game.
His biggest moment came in the Suns’ first game, a double-digit comeback win over Portland. He checked in for the final defensive possession and got the stop as time expired to secure the victory.
Josiah Allick, Charlotte Hornets
The Lincoln North Star graduate only played in two games for the Hornets, going scoreless and grabbing two rebounds in four minutes of action.
Creighton Bluejays
Creighton Bluejay Josh Dix (4) looks to pass during a college basketball game against Seton Hall on Feb 7, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
Josh Dix, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stats: 8.4 PPG, 44.9% FG (40.6% 3FG), 50% FT, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 TPG, 22.7 MPG, 7 GP, 7 GS
The Thunder played in both the Salt Lake City and the Las Vegas summer leagues, and Dix played in and started every game but one. The Council Bluffs (Iowa) Abraham Lincoln product was quiet at times, but he did produce three double-digit scoring games and shot the 3 at a high clip overall.
His best game saw him total 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting (4-of-6 from 3), four rebounds, two assists and a block in just 24 minutes against Utah. He also logged games with 14 and 11 points.
The Iowa transfer who finished his college career at Creighton signed a two-way contract with the Thunder after going undrafted and played alongside another former Hawkeye in the backcourt, first-round pick Bennett Stirtz.
Steven Ashworth, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 44.0% FG (40.9% 3FG), 90.9% FT, 2.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.6 TPG, 16.0 MPG, 5 GP, 1 GS
Dix also played alongside another former Bluejay as second-year pro Steven Ashworth signed with the Thunder after spending last year’s summer league with Indiana. He began last season in the G League before heading overseas midseason.
Ashworth showed off his deft shooting touch with a pair of games with four made triples. He earned the start (with Dix and Stirtz sitting) in Oklahoma City’s final game in Vegas and exploded for 22 points on 5-of-9 from the field (4-of-8 from deep) and 4-of-5 from the line plus four assists and two steals in just 21 minutes against Brooklyn. He also put up 16 points on 4-of-5 from 3 and 2-of-2 from the line in just 15 minutes off the bench against Utah in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Ashworth went 10-for-11 at the foul line, which carries added weight with the NBA experimenting with the G League rule where fouled players shoot one free throw for one, two or three points depending on the nature of the foul.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets
Stats: 5.3 PPG, 57.1% FG, 4.7 RPG (2.3 ORPG), 3.0 APG, 2.3 TPG, 1.0 SPG, 3.7 BPG, 26.5 MPG, 3 GP, 3 GS
Kalkbrenner is on a standard contract with the Hornets after a strong rookie season, leading the class in both dunks and blocks as an early second-round pick. Summer League isn’t a setting where Kalkbrenner is going to shine, but the Hornets didn’t need to see much from him anyway, sitting him after three games to get a more extended look at their lottery pick, Hannes Steinbach.
Kalkbrenner’s best outing came in Charlotte’s opener against Orlando with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, nine rebounds (seven offensive), five assists and three blocks. His 3.7 blocks-per-game average ranked second in Vegas behind only Minnesota’s Joan Berringer, who only played one game and notched four stuffs.
Trey Alexander, Utah Jazz
Stats: 7.3 PPG, 30.0% FG (37.5% 3FG), 45.5% FT, 4.7 RPG (1.7 ORPG), 3.3 APG, 1.3 TPG, 2.3 SPG, 22.9 MPG, 3 GP
Alexander signed a two-way deal with the Jazz relatively late. He joined Utah at the Salt Lake City Summer League but did not suit up in any of their three games. That changed in Vegas, where he played in three games before suffering an injury against Chicago that resulted in medical personnel taking him off the court on a stretcher. Fortunately, the diagnosis was a left rib contusion and not something more serious.
Alexander spent his first two seasons on two-way contracts, first with the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25 and then with the New Orleans Pelicans last season. He’s played in 33 NBA games thus far while putting up big numbers in the G League.
Arthur Kaluma, Los Angeles Lakers
Stats: 17.3 PPG, 55.1% FG (38.9% 3FG), 79.2% FT, 3.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 TPG, 23.0 MPG, 7 GP, 1 GS
The former Bluejay who finished his college career at Texas was one of the big winners of Summer League, parlaying a strong performance into a two-way contract with the Lakers.
Kaluma scored in double figures in all seven games he played in between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. He only started one game, but he made the most of it by going off for 34 points on 11-of-16 from the field (6-of-10 from 3) and 3-of-3 from the line.
Kaluma spent his rookie year with the Lakers’ G League team. Now he’ll get a chance with the big club.
Omaha Mavericks
Marquel Sutton celebrates a 3-pointer against the North Dakota State Bison during a college basketball game on Saturday, February 8, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Logan Hock.
Marquel Sutton, Sacramento Kings
Stats: 8.8 PPG, 51.2% FG (38.9% 3FG), 80.0% FT, 4.6 RPG (1.5 ORPG), 19.1 MPG, 8 GP, 2 GS
The JUCO product spent three seasons at Omaha, earning Summit League Player of the Year and leading the Mavericks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance before transferring to LSU for his extra season of eligibility. He turned in a strong season with the Tigers, and the Kings gave him a chance to compete in the California Classic and Las Vegas summer leagues.
Sutton’s playing time fluctuated as the Kings had two rostered bigs playing plus first-round pick Alex Karaban joining the mix in Vegas. However, he made the most of the extended runs he did get. Sutton turned in three double-digit scoring performances and shot it well from deep, which wasn’t a strength of his in college.
Sutton’s best showing came in the Kings’ final game in California as he put up 24 points, six rebounds and two blocks while shooting 4-of-8 from 3 and 5-of-5 from the line against Milwaukee, one of his two starts. That followed a 16-point, seven-rebound outing off the bench against Golden State. He closed out his stay in Vegas with another strong showing, totaling 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 5-of-7 from the field (1-of-2 from 3) and 1-of-1 from the line against Charlotte in his second start.
Nebraska Prep Products
John Tonje smiles during a basketball game Wednesday July 16th 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
John Tonje, Boston Celtics
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 51.0% FG (45.2% 3FG), 50.0% FT, 3.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 22.2 TPG, 1.2 SPG, 24.2 MPG, 5 GP, 5 GS
Tonje was the lone Nebraskan to average double figures, turning in a strong performance during his second NBA Summer League. The Omaha Central product hit double digits in four of his five outings while starting all five games in Vegas for the Celtics.
He went 5-for-8 from deep and scored 20 points against Toronto, adding five boards, three steals and two assists. He followed that with 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field (3-of-4 from 3) and five rebounds against Charlotte then went 6-for-10 from the field again against Sacramento, scoring 18 points while hitting three more triples. He closed out his stay in Vegas with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting (2-of-5 from 3), four rebounds and three assists.
The Utah Jazz selected Tonje with the 53rd pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and signed him to a two-way contract. He played for the Jazz’s G League team until Boston traded for him midseason. He initially signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics before later signing another two-way deal, playing six games in the NBA but otherwise spending the rest of the season with the Maine Celtics in the G League.
Boston decided not to bring him back after the season, but his summer league run made a strong case for the Celtics or another team to sign him to another two-way at least.
Frankie Fidler, Portland Trailblazers
Stats: 9.8 PPG, 29.8% FG (25.0% 3FG), 81.8% FT, 4.0 RPG (1.2 ORPG), 1.2 APG, 1.6 TPG, 21.9 MPG, 5 GP, 5 GS
After spending his rookie season in Estonia, the Bellevue West grad returned to NBA Summer League for a far more substantial role than he played with Milwaukee last summer. He started all five games for the Blazers, recording two double-digit scoring games.
Fidler scored 13 points with four boards and two steals against Phoenix, He also totaled 16 points and five rebounds against Brooklyn. Fidler struggled mightily from the field but got to the line and converted at a high clip.
Chucky Hepburn, Toronto Raptors
Stats: 6.5 PPG, 23.8% FG (8.3% 3FG), 100% FT, 3.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.0 TPG, 1.5 SPG, 29.6 MPG, 2 GP, 2 GS
The Raptors gave their second-year two-way floor general a couple games in Vegas before shutting him down. Shots didn’t fall, but he was one of only eight players who averaged over six assists.
Hepburn re-signed with the Raptors on a two-way deal prior to summer league. He played two NBA games as a rookie while also spending time with the Raptors’ G League affiliate.
Saint Thomas, Philadelphia 76ers
Stats: 4.5 PPG, 42.1% FG (25.0% 3FG), 4.3 RPG (1.0 ORPG), 1.0 APG, 1.5 TPG, 15.5 MPG, 4 GP, 3 GS
Thomas played with Philadelphia at Summer League for the second straight year, starting three of his four games. The Millard North product’s best game was an eight-point, seven rebound outing against Indiana.
Thomas signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the 76ers last season before spending his rookie year with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate.
Hunter Sallis, Brooklyn Nets
Stats: 7.0 PPG, 40.7% FG (37.5% 3FG), 83.3% FT, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 2.0 TPG, 16.8 MPG, 5 GP, 2 GS
Sallis played in five games between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. He started two of those games in scored in double figures in both of them.
The Millard North alumnus totaled 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks while shooting 3-of-5 from deep against Milwaukee. He also put up 12 points and three assists against Oklahoma City.
Sallis signed a two-way deal with the 76ers as a rookie, appearing in seven games before Philadelphia waived him. He spent the rest of the season in the G League, playing for multiple teams.
William Kyle III, Los Angeles Lakers
Stats: 2.5 PPG, 66.7% FG, 22.2% FT, 2.3 RPG (1.1 ORPG), 10.6 MPG, 8 GP, 1 GS
The Bellevue West grad signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers after going undrafted in June. He started the Lakers’ first game in the California Classic then came off the bench in the rest of the Lakers’ games.
Kyle totaled six points on 2-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from the line, here rebounds (two offensive), three steals and two assists against San Antonio in California. He also grabbed seven boards, blocked three shots and scored two points in just 14 minutes against the Clippers in Vegas.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Charlotte Hornets
Stats: 3.6 PPG, 30.4% FG (28.6% 3FG), 1.2 RPG, 12.1 MPG, 5 GP
The Omaha Central alumnus signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hornets after going undrafted in June. He appeared in all five games off the bench but struggled to knock down shots.
