Tennessee Two star players has signed professional contracts with NBA franchises.
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Two of the most successful players in the history of the men’s basketball program at the University of Tennessee have signed professional contracts with NBA franchises.
While Santiago Vescovi reached an agreement with the Golden State Warriors, Josiah-Jordan James did so with the Indiana Pacers. The guards played for the Volunteers for five seasons at Tennessee, from 2019–20 to 2023–24.
James will make his NBA Summer League debut with the Pacers from July 12–22 in Las Vegas. Before leaving for Las Vegas, Vescovi will participate in the California Classic, which is scheduled for July 6–10 in San Francisco.
While guard Dalton Knecht is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers after being taken No. 17 in the NBA Draft, the three scholarship seniors from Tennessee who used up their eligibility in 2023–2024 will be participating in the NBA Summer League.
James and Vincent Yarbrough (1998–2002) are the only two players in Tennessee history with 1,250 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 steals, and 100 blocks. In terms of appearances (144), wins (114), and minutes (4,068), he ranks third all-time among Volunteers.
Currently ranked No. 12 in offensive rebounds (201), No. 30 in scoring (1,270), fifth in starts (123), co-fifth in steals (183), eighth in made 3-pointers (196), and eighth in rebounds (844).
James, who owns Tennessee’s career records for steals (16) and rebounds (65) in NCAA Tournament play, was selected twice to the Preseason All-SEC team and was a member of the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team. At Tennessee, he recorded 62 points in double digits and eight double-doubles.
Along with Allan Houston (1989–1993), Vescovi is one of just two Volunteers with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 400 assists. He leads the program in thefts (212) and starts (144) all-time, is second in minutes (4,432) and appearances (149), and ranks third in made 3-pointers (325), the latter of which is eighth-best in SEC history.
The Uruguayan native Vescovi is ranked fourth at Tennessee in terms of wins (106), fourth in terms of made 3-pointers per game (2.18), eighth in terms of assists (453), tenth in terms of 3-point percentage (37.2), tenth in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75), eleventh in terms of free-throw percentage (79.8), thirteenth in terms of steals per game (1.42), and eighteenth in terms of scoring (1,540).
Vescovi has been selected twice for the NABC All-District, twice for the USBWA All-District, and twice for the First Team All-SEC honors. At Tennessee, he scored double digits points eighteen times, with ten of those scoring in excess of twenty.
The NBA Summer League schedule for 2024 may be seen HERE, along with tip times and TV assignments.
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