Former Tennessee basketball star Ja’Kobi Gillespie got his first taste of professional basketball on Friday night, making his NBA Summer League debut with the San Antonio Spurs in the California Classic.
Gillespie started for the Spurs and played 29 minutes in an 88-87 loss against the Miami Heat. The point guard struggled to find his shot against the Heat, scoring just 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
However, Gillespie did about everything else extremely well. He dished out a game-high eight assists with just one turnover while also totaling four rebounds and three steals.
Ja’Kobi ⬆️
Maliq ⬇️📺 ESPN | Prime | NBA TV pic.twitter.com/p88xGVZMgd
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 4, 2026
Gillespie is summer league teammates with former Vols Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr but neither played in the Spurs’ summer league opener.
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San Antonio drafted Gillespie with the 42nd pick of the NBA Draft last week following its run to the NBA Finals this past season. Gillespie spent just one season at Tennessee and did not play with Zeigler or Milicic.
While he was at Tennessee for just one season, Gillespie made the most of his time as a Vol. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds on his way to earning All-SEC honors and leading Tennessee back to the Elite Eight for a third straight season.
The 6-foot guard is small in stature but has deep range on his jump shot and is terrific at finishing at the rim with impressive balance. Gillespie shot 41% from the field, 34% from three-point range and 81% from the foul line in his lone season at Tennessee. He’s a 36% career three-point shooter.
Gillespie was also at his best at the most important time of the year, leading Tennessee back to the Elite Eight for a third straight season. He averaged 21.8 points and 5.3 assists in the Vols’ four NCAA Tournament games.
