By R.L. Bynum
Brady Manek and Garrison Brooks make their professional basketball debuts Friday in the NBA’s 11-day Las Vegas Summer League that began Thursday.
Manek, Brooks and Day’Ron Sharpe are the only Tar Heels who will play in the league. Each NBA team has representation and will play five games between Thursday and July 16, and every game will be televised.
Manek is part of the Charlotte Hornets’ roster, along with former Duke player Mark Williams, who was the team’s 15th overall pick in the first round of last month’s draft.
Charlotte’s first game is at 6 p.m. Friday against the Indiana Pacers (ESPN2). The first game for Sharpe’s Brooklyn team is at 7 p.m. Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks (NBATV). Brooks’ New York team faces the Golden State Warriors at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPN2).
“It was really cool,” Manek said. “Just somebody taking a chance on me, to give me a chance to be a part of the Summer League and get to experience that and hopefully work from there.”
Manek, who went undrafted, has plenty of bragging rights over his Summer League teammate after UNC won at Duke and in the Final Four against Williams’ Blue Devils.
“Just play as hard as we can,” Manek said of his approach. “It’s a good feeling being in here and just having all support from the staff and the players and it’s a really, really good program.”
Manek was a key part of Carolina’s run to the national championship game, averaging 15.1 points per game, making 40.3% of his 3-point field-goal attempts and averaging 1.8 assists per game.
Brooks, who played a fifth college season at Mississippi State after four seasons at UNC, went undrafted. He signed a one-year Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks for the league-minimum salary. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds last season for the Bulldogs.
Among Brooks’ teammates on the Knicks’ Summer League team are former Duke guard Trevor Keels, former Florida State guard M.J. Walker and former Clemson center Aamir Simms.
Sharpe averaged 6.2 points in 32 games for the Brooklyn Nets during his rookie season. He averaged 18.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in 14 G League contests.
COVID and injury issues gave him an opportunity to show his skills in January and he put up five double-figure scoring nights in six games. He scored 14 points at Portland and 20 points at Chicago.
A teammate of Sharpe on Brooklyn’s Summer League team is former Wake Forest star Alondes Williams, last season’s ACC Player of the Year. Williams went undrafted and signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn.
When to see Tar Heels
Garrison Brooks, New York Knicks center
8 p.m. Friday vs. Golden State Warriors at Thomas & Mack Center, ESPN2
5 p.m. Sunday vs. Chicago Bulls at Cox Pavilion, ESPN2
11 p.m. Monday vs. Portland Trail Blazers at Thomas & Mack Center, ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14 vs. Orlando Magic at Thomas & Mack Center, NBATV
Game TBA July 16 or 17
Brady Manek, Charlotte Hornets forward
6 p.m. Friday vs. Indiana Pacers at Thomas & Mack Center, ESPN2
9:30 p.m. Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center, NBATV
5 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers at Cox Pavilion, NBATV
6 p.m. Thursday, July 14 vs. Chicago Bulls at Cox Pavilion, ESPN2
Game TBA July 16 or 17
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
7 p.m. Friday vs. Milwaukee Bucks at Cox Pavilion, NBATV
3:30 p.m. Sunday vs. Philadelphia 76ers at Thomas & Mack Center, NBATV
6:30 p.m. Tuesday vs. Memphis Grizzlies at Cox Pavilion, ESPN2
10 p.m. Thursday vs. Minnesota Timberwolves at Cox Pavilion, ESPN
Game TBA July 16 or 17
Photo via @hornets
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