Tennessee basketball’s Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack were both selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft Thursday night with Lanier landing with the Detroit Pistons and Mashack landing with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Three other Vols— Zakai Zeigler, Jordan Gainey and Igor Milicic Jr— signed deals with NBA teams in the aftermath of this week’s draft.
Zeigler and Lanier are teaming up again this summer with Zeigler agreeing to play on the Pistons during the NBA Summer League.
A two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Zeigler heads to professional basketball after a storied four-year college career. Zeigler leaves Tennessee as the career steals and assists leader as well as the Tennessee and SEC single-season assists record.
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Gainey will also play in the NBA Summer League but with the Phoenix Suns, he told RTI Friday. One of the nation’s best sixth men during his senior season, Gainey averaged 11.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The former USC Upstate transfer scored in double figures in eight of Tennessee’s final 10 games of the season.
Milicic agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum salary contract. The stretch forward is unlikely to play in the NBA Summer League after suffering an injury during draft workouts.
The Charlotte transfer spent one season at Tennessee, averaging 9.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on the Vols’ Elite Eight team. Milicic was a true stretch four-man, making 38 total three-pointers at 31.4% clip.
Tennessee basketball returns two of its seven key rotational players from its 2024-25 team and the five others were either drafted or have agreed to undrafted deals with NBA teams. The five players helped lead Tennessee to a 30-8 (12-6 SEC) record and to the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
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