Former KU Jayhawks guard Devonté Graham to join another NBA player at event in Europe

Former Kansas guard Devonté Graham of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and Collin Sexton of the Utah Jazz will be headed overseas to instruct 60 of the top 18-and-under male and female players from Europe at the 21st Basketball Without Borders development camp May 31 to June 3 in Malaga, Spain.

The announcement was made earlier this week by the NBA, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB).

Former KU center Udoka Azubuike of the Phoenix Suns worked the camp in September of 2022 in Cairo, Egypt.

This marks the third time the Basketball Without Borders camp will be held in Spain following previous camps in Barcelona (2010) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2015).

Graham, Sexton and additional coaches to be announced at a later date will teach basketball skills as well as run 5-on-5 games at The Embassy Training Center Higuerón in Malaga.

“For more than 20 years, BWB Europe has helped develop so many talented players who have gone on to play in the NBA, WNBA and for their national teams,” said NBA Europe and Middle East vice president of basketball operations Neal Meyer.

“We look forward to hosting BWB in Malaga for the first time and welcoming the next generation of players from across Europe for a memorable experience as they learn from current and former NBA and WNBA players and coaches,” Meyer added.

FIBA Europe president and former NBA player Jorge Garbajosa said: “With basketball’s significant popularity across the region, highlighted by the success of numerous European teams in last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup and the standout performances of many European players in the NBA, we’re confident that all participants will gain valuable insights from this experience, both on and off the court. With this edition boosted by the strong support of the Spanish Basketball Federation, we are sure that this event will be a success.”

In all, 41 former Basketball Without Borders participants were among the record 125 international players on opening-night rosters for the 2023-24 NBA season. Such players with BWB experience include Danilo Gallinari (Milwaukee Bucks), Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards), Dario Saric (Golden State Warriors) and Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans).

Since 2001, 119 former campers have advanced to the NBA or WNBA. The NBA and FIBA have staged 74 BWB camps in 49 cities across 33 countries on six continents.

Graham season in review

Six-year NBA veteran Graham, who played at KU from the 2014-15 season through the 2017-18 campaign, played in a career-low 23 games for the Spurs in 2023-24.

The 6-foot-1, 29-year-old point guard from Raleigh, North Carolina averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 assists per game. His personal highlight of the season came when he hit a game-winning shot against the Denver Nuggets on April 12.

For his career, which has included stints with the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, Graham has averaged 11.1 points and 2.1 assists in 336 games.

Graham — he made $12,100,000 last season and has career earnings of $38,630,624 — is about to enter the final year of a four-year contract.

He is ticketed to earn $12,650,000 in 2024-25. However only $2,850,000 is guaranteed. The contract becomes fully guaranteed if he is not waived by July 1.

“It will be tough to make a case for retaining him,” wrote Jeje Gomez of poundingtherock.com. “In the late March-early April stretch in which he got minutes, he shot 33% from the floor and 28% from beyond the arc. He would likely shoot better from outside with a regular role that allows him to develop some rhythm, but he won’t fix his shot selection this late in his career.

“A return to San Antonio is not completely out of the question, as the Spurs might have the quiet offseason they have been rumored to be gearing up for, which would make waiving Graham to create cap space not a priority. The guard is on a midsized deal and will be on the last year of his contract, so he could be salary ballast for a midseason trade. But it seems much more likely that the decision will be to move on since Graham doesn’t fit the timeline and the Spurs might need roster spots,” added Gomez.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised Graham for being a team leader despite not being in the regular rotation.

“We’ve had to compliment him a couple of times, just because we understand he’s got to be extremely frustrated not playing,” Popovich said of Graham as reported by si.com. “But he practices hard. He’s up off the bench with his teammates. He’s very respected.”

Graham during his senior season at KU (2017-18) was named Big 12 player of the year and consensus first-team All-American. He was a Naismith Trophy finalist and Wooden Award finalist.

Graham also was named to the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team. He was the only player in NCAA Division I to average 17.0-plus points, 7.0-plus assists, 1.6-plus steals and fewer than 3.0 turnovers per game. He was third in the Big 12 in scoring (17.3), second in assists (7.2, sixth nationally), seventh in free throw percentage (82.7), sixth in steals (1.6), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (40.6), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and first in minutes played (37.5, ninth nationally).

He started all 39 games, giving him 82 consecutive starts to end his Kansas career. The Jayhawks went 31-8 and reached the Final Four, losing to Villanova in the national semifinals.