Bears' James Akinjo Signs NBA Summer League Deal
Former Baylor men's basketball senior James Akinjo may not have heard his name called on Thursday night at the 2022 NBA Draft, but the guard still has a shot of making it to the pros.
Akinjo inked a summer league contract with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Baylor's James Akinjo will play summer league with the Atlanta Hawks, a source told ESPN. The 6'1 point guard was an All-American this year and awarded first-team All-Conference honors in consecutive seasons.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2022
Baylor men's basketball was quick to jump on board and congratulate Akinjo on social media.
.@james_akinjo is headed to the @ATLHawks for NBA Summer League!#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/Pm3YVUvoKd
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) June 24, 2022
A 6-1, 190-pound guard out of Oakland, California, Akinjo averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per contest for Baylor during the 2021-22 season.
Prior to his lone year with coach Scott Drew and the Bears this past season, Akinjo played at both Arizona (2020-21 season) and Georgetown (from 2018-2020).
He made 97 starts in 98 college career contests and was named Third-Team All-American by Sporting News, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), according to BaylorBears.com.
Other accolades include being named to the first-team All-Big 12 (2022), first-team All-Pac-12 (2021), Big East Freshman of the Year (2019) and Big East All-Freshman Team (2019).
As a student at Salesian College Preparatory, the four-star prospect averaged 20.7 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game as a senior.
Akinjo's Baylor teammates, Jeremy Sochan (No. 9 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs) and Kendall Brown (No. 48 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves before trading his rights to the Indiana Pacers) were both drafted on Thursday night.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com