Omaha natives and Millard North graduates Hunter Sallis and Saint Thomas have seen their basketball journeys come full circle in 2025.
The former Mustangs grew up playing basketball together and spent the past couple weeks as teammates on the Philadelphia 76ers at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Summer League is a 10-day meeting between all 30 NBA teams in which each team plays a minimum of five games each, with the squads with the best records moving on to a four-team tournament. A total of 76 games take place over the course of the event. This tradition has been held over the last 20 years in Vegas and gives drafted players, undrafted free agents, G League players and overseas pros a chance to showcase their talent in front of teams, scouts, coaches and fans.
The 76ers also played three games at the Salk Late City Classic, a separate summer league that takes place prior to the big league. Between the two leagues, Sallis and Thomas got the chance to spend two weeks and eight games together to begin their professional careers.
Thomas said that it means a lot getting to play with Sallis again.
“It was everything that we dreamed of,” he told Hurrdat Sports. “We talked about it before, like if we end up on the same team draft night, and then I got the text after that I was going to the ‘Sixers too. Like I said, it was everything that we dreamed of and now we’re here. It was fun to actually got to play with him again.”
Sallis echoed the sentiment about playing with Thomas.
“Man, it’s crazy,” Sallis said. “I just know I’ve been playing with him since I’ve been in the first grade. So just being able to share an NBA court with him is definitely a surreal feeling for sure. It’s something we’ve worked for our whole lives, and something that we made a goal and tried to accomplish. So being here definitely is huge.”
After high school, Thomas began his career at Loyola Chicago before transferring to Northern Colorado in 2023, then finished his career at USC in 2025. While playing with the Trojans, the small forward was the only player on the team to start every game. Thomas averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds while leading the team in assists (4.2 per game) and steals (1.3 per game). Thomas concluded his college career with a total of 1,057 points.
Sallis was a McDonald’s All-American in 2021 while playing for Millard North. The 6-foot-4 guard began his career at Gonzaga before transferring to Wake Forest in 2023. While playing for the Demon Deacons, he earned first-team All-ACC in back-to-back seasons. In his senior season, he led the team in scoring (18.3 points per game), 3-point field goals (43), field goals (211) and assists (2.8 per game). He concluded his college career with a total of 1,498 points including 1,197 at Wake Forest.
Both players went undrafted last month, but Sallis agreed a two-way contract with Philadelphia shortly after the draft. Two-way players split their time between the NBA club and its G League affiliate.
Thomas also signed a deal to compete for the 76ers during Summer League, reuniting with his friend and former teammate. Sallis said that he imaged them both making it to the NBA, but that he did not think that they would be playing for the same team.
“I knew we’d both be at this level, get to this point, but I’d never think that we’d be on the same team,” Sallis said. “So yeah, it’s crazy.”
Nebraska is represented well at this year’s Summer League with five Omaha natives participating. Thomas said that it feels great to show all the skill that Nebraskans bring to the table in basketball.
“I think it means the world,” Thomas said. “Most of them came from my class, other than John (Tonje), but it means the world. Especially playing with Hunt again, I can’t ask for more than that.”
While playing at Millard North, the two created a lot of great memories together on the court. Thomas’ favorite is when the Mustangs beat Bellevue West in the Class A state championship during his senior season in 2021, after losing to the Thunderbirds in the previous year’s final game.
“I don’t think anything beats when we just won our state championship our senior year, after we lost to that team our junior year,” Thomas said. “So just to get those guys back. I mean, love competing against Chucky (Hepburn) and Frankie (Fidler), but we had a little rivalry going for a couple years, even past this. But just to get those guys back to the state championship was probably the best feeling ever.”
Both Sallis and Thomas want to take this opportunity to not only prove themselves, but also to show the basketball talent that is in the Omaha area. Sallis said that he hopes to show younger kids in Nebraska that there is a way and set an example for the younger generation.
“I’d say we’re definitely changing that narrative, and I think that’s a thing we’re taking highly,” Sallis said. “I think that’s something that we’re trying to do, just pave a way for all the other little kids back home. So it’s definitely huge.”
For now, Sallis and Thomas will continue to work and prove themselves on the court with the hopes of playing professionally in the NBA one day.
