Jekiri Joins Houston for NBA Summer League
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami center Tonye Jekiri will join the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League from July 8-18 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus.
In his time at Miami, Jekiri was a member of both the 2013 and 2016 Hurricane teams that played in the NCAA Sweet 16, becoming the first player in program history to advance that far twice. He was a two-time All-ACC player and twice he was on the All-ACC Defensive Team. As a junior in 2014-15 the native of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, led the ACC in rebounds.
Jekiri pulled down double-digit rebounds in 40 games and recorded 16 career double-doubles at The U. In his senior season, he was ranked No. 42 nationally in total rebounds (300), No. 73 in rebounds per game (8.6), No. 75 in defensive rebounds per game (5.9) and No. 117 in offensive rebounds per game (2.7).
A 7-foot center, Jekiri left Miami ranking fourth in school history in rebounds (901), sixth in blocked shots (126) and first in career games played (139). As a senior he averaged 7.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 0.8 assists and 0.4 steals in 28.4 minutes per game He made 52.5 percent (114-217) of his shots from the field and grabbed double-digit rebounds in 15 games.
ESPN and NBA TV will provide non-stop coverage starting on opening day. In total, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will broadcast 25 games, including all four quarterfinal games, both semifinal games and the Championship Game on Monday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET at the Thomas & Mack Center. Fans can also log on to ESPN3, where all 67 games will be live-streamed. NBA TV will also present a full slate of Samsung NBA Summer League action, televising a total of 30 games. A complete schedule of games and broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Samsung NBA Summer League has long served as the launch pad for future NBA stars. Two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of Golden State played in Las Vegas prior to his rookie season, as did the last two Kia NBA Rookies of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns (2015-16 winner) and Andrew Wiggins (2014-15) of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Teams will compete in three preliminary games beginning on July 8 before being seeded in a tournament that leads to the Championship Game on July 18. Each team will play at least five games in Las Vegas. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com.
Samsung, the official mobile device, tablet and television partner of the NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League, is the title partner of NBA Summer League for the third consecutive year. Through this partnership, Samsung provides technology solutions which power the Summer League.
