Two former Boise State stars reunite on Golden State’s NBA summer league squad
Derrick Alston Jr. is about to get his first taste of NBA action.
The former Boise State men’s basketball player is scheduled to join the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, and he will be eligible to play in his first summer league game Monday in Las Vegas, a Warriors spokesperson told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday in an email.
After going undrafted last month, Alston was invited to play for the Warriors’ summer league team, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein at Priority Sports Entertainment.
The move will reunite Alston with former Boise State teammate Justinian Jessup, who was drafted by the Warriors in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft with the 51st overall pick. Jessup made his professional debut with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia this past season.
The Warriors began summer league play Tuesday with an 89-82 overtime win against the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic. Jessup was among Golden State’s starting five and totaled 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. On Wednesday, the Warriors lost 94-87 to the Miami Heat as Jessup made his second straight start and contributed two points, four rebounds and one steal.
Golden State next heads to Las Vegas for the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League, which features players representing all 30 NBA teams playing five games each. Once every team plays four games, the two teams with the best records will meet in the championship game Aug. 17, while the remaining teams will play a fifth game either Aug. 16 or Aug. 17.
Alston and Jessup could take the court for the first time together in Warriors gear when Golden State faces the Orlando Magic at 6 p.m. MT Monday. The game will be available on NBA TV and the Warriors app.
Jessup and Alston rank eighth and 10th, respectively, on Boise State’s career scoring list.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 6:59 PM.
