NBA summer league games for the Sacramento Kings will be appointment viewing for Colorado State hoops fans.
It’s a reunion of Ram legends with the Kings after the franchise announced July 6 that point guard Isaiah Stevens will play for Sacramento’s summer league team.
He joins 2025 first round pick Nique Clifford on the roster as the two CSU greats team up once again.
Stevens wasn’t picked in the 2024 NBA draft but signed with the Miami Heat. He dominated in the G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and earned a two-way contract with the Heat.
Stevens appeared in three games for the Heat during the 2024-25 season, logging six minutes in total and recording zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal.
With the Skyforce, Stevens averaged 12.8 points on 45.1% shooting, 3.2 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.3 steals, while adding 11 double doubles. His 306 assists during 24-25 were the most since Larry Drew II, who had 402 in 2014-15. Stevens’ posted the third best passing season in franchise history.
But the Heat didn’t make an offer to Stevens after the season, making him a free agent.
Now he joins Clifford, who was the first-round pick for the Kings in the 2025 NBA draft. Stevens will try and use the summer league to showcase his talent to land a spot in the NBA.
Stevens and Clifford played together at CSU in the 2023-24 season as the Rams made the NCAA Tournament and the two are good friends.
“With Nique, we hung out every day. Those relationships got sped up in a short amount of time. We still talk to this day. We play a video game together to keep in touch. We check in on each other games,” Stevens said of Clifford before the NBA draft.
“He’s watching G League games and NBA games to see if I’m getting in and getting a chance and I’m obviously watching (CSU) games. That’s my brother, for real.”
Stevens played five seasons at CSU (2019-24), rewriting the record books. The point guard started all 153 games he played as a Ram, helping CSU make two NCAA Tournament appearances (plus an NIT Final Four) in his time in college.
He is CSU’s career leader in points (2,350), assists (863) and 3-pointers (629). Stevens averaged 16 points and 6.8 assists per game his final season in 2023-24.
Sacramento Kings summer league scheduleThursday, July 10: Kings vs Magic, 5:30 p.m., NBA TV/ESPN+Saturday, July 12: Kings vs Bulls, 6 p.m., NBA TV/ESPN+Monday, July 14: Kings vs Suns, 8 p.m., ESPNU/ESPN+Wednesday, July 16: Kings vs Cavaliers, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN+
*Games are in Las Vegas. Mountain time listed for games.
After each team’s first four games, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs and participate in the semifinals on July 19. The two winning teams from the semifinals will meet on July 20 for the championship. The 26 teams that do not advance to the playoffs will play a fifth game on either July 18 or July 19.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.