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UVA Basketball: How our three Virginia alums fared in the 2026 NBA Summer League

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Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP

The 2026 NBA Summer League is over and done with – yep, goes by fast – and we saw some good work put in by three UVA Basketball alums with their summer teams.

Starting with Reece Beekman, for whom it’s not a good sign that he’s still trying to latch on with an NBA team through the Summer League.

Beekman played with the Washington Wizards team in the Summer League, and averaged 7.8 points and 6.0 assists per game, with a rousing summer finale –13 points (5-of-10 FG) and 14 assists in 31 minutes in a 91-83 win over Atlanta in a consolation game on Saturday.

Landing a full-time gig with the Wiz is going to be tough for Beekman, a 2024 UVA Basketball alum – the depth chart at point guard for Washington starts with the new franchise guy, Trae Young, with 2024 lottery pick Bub Carrington (Pitt) in place as the backup.


ICYMI


Next up: 2026 second-round pick Ugonna Onyenso averaged 2.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game with the Detroit Pistons summer team.

Highlight game for Ugo: had five points (including a made three), eight rebounds and five blocked shots in 21 minutes in a 103-94 win over Cleveland on July 12.

Onyenso seems pegged for a two-way deal, and starting the season in the G League, waiting for a call-up.

Wrapping up: Malik Thomas, an undrafted free agent from the 2025-2026 UVA squad.

Thomas only got into two games with the Toronto Raptors summer team, but his second one was noteworthy: 13 points (6-of-14 FG, 1-of-7 3FG) in 22 minutes in a 96-89 loss to the Denver Nuggets summer team on Sunday.

Fourteen shots off the bench: Thomas, not bashful.

Thomas is a stretch to make an NBA roster this year, or to even get a two-way deal. He probably has to go the one-way G League route, and hope that he catches somebody’s eye.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].