Otega Oweh‘s NBA journey started officially when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected the 23-year-old at No. 41 overall in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft. That journey got real on Saturday in Oweh’s pro basketball debut on the floor.
Summer League action is underway in Salt Lake City. Oweh made a splash in his debut.
Otega Oweh putting his two-way impact on display 💯
The Thunder’s second round pick is showing off at the Salt Lake City Summer League! pic.twitter.com/zDBmKKSWUj
— NBA (@NBA) July 4, 2026
Memphis rolled to a 111-74 victory, but Otega Oweh made a solid first impression. The former Oklahoma transfer and New Jersey native finished the game with eight points on seven shot attempts with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 25 minutes. Oweh appeared in the starting lineup along with Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern), Josh Dix (Creighton), Aday Mara (Michigan), and Bennett Stirtz (Iowa).
Otega Oweh transferred to Kentucky for Mark Pope’s debut season in 2024-25. The 6-foot-5 guard went on to earn back-to-back All-SEC Second Team honors. Oweh scored 1,255 total points as a Wildcat. He tested the draft waters last offseason before returning to UK as a senior. Oweh posted 18.6 points on .465/.333/.731 shooting splits with 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in 32.8 minutes per game as a senior. Oweh started all 72 games he played for Kentucky.
Kentucky’s latest draft pick will be surrounded by some familiar faces as he moves back to Oklahoma. Oweh has joined a title contender where former Kentucky guards in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the two-time defending MVP) and Cason Wallace are entrenched.
The rookie will be looking to earn a spot on the Thunder’s regular season roster during Summer League. Oweh made some plays in his debut and will look to continue to make a positive impression throughout this summer before the regular season push arrives in the fall.
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