Arkansas’s pipeline to the pros is flowing wide open this summer.
Eleven former Razorbacks are set to compete in the 2026 NBA Summer League. It kicked off Friday with the California Classic in San Francisco and runs through the championship game on July 19.
The Hogs presence doesn’t stop at the player level.
Arkansas legend Corliss Williamson is getting a head coaching opportunity this summer, leading the San Antonio Spurs Summer League squad.
Williamson currently works as an assistant with San Antonio, which reached the NBA Finals this past season.
He was originally scheduled to coach the Timberwolves’ Summer League team last summer before leaving to join the Spurs’ staff instead.
The most prominent name in the bunch is Darius Acuff Jr., who went No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings in last week’s NBA Draft.
Three Razorbacks drafted in back-to-back-to-back picks
The California Classic has Acuff and the Kings matched up against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at 4 p.m., the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 4 p.m. and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at 9 p.m..
All California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League games are available to stream on NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video or ESPN+.
Two more former Hogs heard their names called in the draft just after Acuff. Meleek Thomas landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 34 overall.
The 6-3, 190-pound guard signed a four-year, $9.3 million rookie deal earlier this week with $6.4 million guaranteed over the first three seasons.
Thomas will wear No. 15 for Cleveland and opens his Summer League slate on July 10 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 against the Indiana Pacers.
He’s joining a Cavs team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in five games.
Trevon Brazile came off the board one pick after Thomas, going No. 35 to the Denver Nuggets.
The 6-10, 220-pound forward will wear No. 7 for Denver and makes his Summer League debut on July 10 at 5:30 p.m. against the Houston Rockets.
Terms of his rookie contract haven’t been announced yet, but he joins a Nuggets roster looking to push back into Western Conference contention.
Adou Thiero isn’t starting from scratch this summer. The former Razorback enters his second season with the Lakers after being selected No. 36 overall in the NBA Draft.
A knee injury kept him out of last year’s Summer League, but he eventually made his NBA debut on Nov. 15. He appeared in 25 games for the Lakers, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in roughly six minutes per game.
Thiero and the Lakers open their California Classic schedule against the Warriors on July 3 at 9:30 p.m..
G-League veterans get their shots
Jonas Aidoo spent last season earning his opportunity the hard way. He went undrafted and joined the Charlotte Hornets training camp before landing with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G-League affiliate.
Aidoo was in the NBA G-League All-Star game, on championship squad, putting up 4.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
He’s now on the Utah Jazz roster for Summer League.
Three former Hogs are sharing a locker room together with the Orlando Magic this summer. Johnell Davis, Ricky Council IV and Au’Diese Toney are all there.
Davis went undrafted last year and joined Orlando’s G-League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. Council spent last season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers while Toney played for the Noblesville Boom.
The trio makes their Summer League debut together. They will face the Charlotte Hornets on July 9 at 6:30 p.m. on Prime Video.
Nick Pringle also earned his spot after going undrafted in last week’s draft. He averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in his lone season with the Razorbacks. Then he landed on the Boston Celtics roster for the summer.
Pringle and Boston open their Summer League run on July 10 at 8 p.m. on ESPN against the Toronto Raptors.
Two players with Arkansas ties who finished their college careers elsewhere are also in the mix.
Tramon Mark spent one season with the Hogs before transferring to Texas for his final two years. He will suit up with the Phoenix Suns this summer.
Barry Dunning committed to Arkansas out of high school. He began his career in Fayetteville before transferring to UAB then South Alabama and finally Pittsburgh.
He’ll appear on the Portland Trail Blazers roster when Summer League gets underway.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas will have 11 former players competing in the 2026 NBA Summer League, with three of them — Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7), Meleek Thomas (No. 34) and Trevon Brazile (No. 35) — appearing in their first games after being drafted last week
- Corliss Williamson, a current San Antonio Spurs assistant, will serve as head coach of the Spurs’ Summer League squad, giving an Arkansas legend a chance to lead from the bench
- The Orlando Magic Summer League roster features three ex-Hogs simultaneously — Johnell Davis, Ricky Council IV and Au’Diese Toney — all of whom spent last season in the G-League
