NBA Season Begins With Nine Former UConn Players On Active Rosters
Can you name all nine former UConn Huskies on active NBA rosters at the moment?
The NBA season commences on Tuesday evening with a double-header featuring the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves.
While neither of these games contains any former Huskies, Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs and eight other former UConn players will be starting their NBA seasons this week.
Castle and three other members of Dan Hurley’s 2023-24 championship squad were drafted in the 2024 NBA draft. Castle went No. 4 overall to the Spurs. Donovan Clingan went No. 7 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.
After a massive 20-rebound preseason performance, it looks like Clingan will be getting significant burn as part of Portland’s rotation this season.
Tristen Newton went No. 49 overall to the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 draft, and Cam Spencer went No. 53 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. Both Newton and Spencer signed two-way deals with those teams in July.
It will be surreal to watch Castle, Clingan, Newton, and Spencer with their NBA teams, especially since they were so recently playing at UConn. Just a few weeks ago, all four of these guys joined Hurley and the rest of their UConn teammates from last season to honor the team’s title at the White House.
Four additional Hurley players are on NBA rosters right now — Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans Pelicans), Adama Sanogo (Chicago Bulls, two-way), Tyrese Martin (Brooklyn Nets, two-way), and Andre Jackson Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks).
Hawkins has been excelling with the New Orleans Pelicans and recently saw the team pick up his team option.
Andre Drummond of the Philadelphia 76ers — who recently declared himself the greatest rebounder of all time — rounds out the list of current Huskies in the Association.
Which of these nine guys will you be following most closely this season?
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org