Zakai Zeigler, one of the most decorated players to ever play for Tennessee basketball, is back in Knoxville over the holidays. Vols assistant director of player development Riley Collins posted a photo of Zeigler getting shots up inside Food City Center on his Instagram story on Monday.
Zeigler currently plays professionally in France for Nanterre 92. The team plays in the top-level professional basketball league in the country. The organization has rostered the likes of Victor Wembanyama, Evan Fournier and Frank Jackson in the past. Nanterre 92 is going on 98 years of being an organization. They have gone under the current name since 2016 and were previously JSF Nanterre.
Zeigler also had a stint with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA in the Summer League. He averaged nine points per game to go with three assists and 0.8 steals per outing. His finest game came against the Heat, where he produced 15 points and four assists. He also managed a six-point, five-assist game to go with a steal against the Spurs. He was teamed up with his Vols’ backcourt partner, Chaz Lanier, on the Pistons for this stretch.
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Zeigler has also agreed to play for the Puerto Rico National Team. They will play in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying window.
“Welcome Zakai Zeigler to our National Team!,” @fbpur said on Instagram. “The star player from the University of Tennessee and now from France’s LNB Pro A club Nanterre 92 will make his debut in the @fibawc 2027 World Cup qualifying window.”
Zeigler was a four-year star for Tennessee. By the end of his senior year, he had put together one of the best careers in UT history. His awards include Second-Team All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Tournament team nods just in his senior season.
In his final year, Zeigler averaged 13.6 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the field and 32.2% on threes. He also produced 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per outing. His career marks of 747 assists and 251 steals are both Tennessee records.
