Former Illini going strong in professional ranks
Jun. 3—Nearly a dozen other former Illini beyond Ayo Dosunmu, Malcolm Hill, Meyers Leonard, Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn played professional basketball during the 2022-23 season. Beat writer Scott Richey breaks down how they fared:
Giorgi Bezhanishvili
Bezhanishvili just wrapped up his second season in the NBA G League with the College Park Skyhawks. The 6-9 forward averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games. Bezhanishvili recently signed with the Vancouver Bandits and will spend a second straight summer in the Canadian Elite Basketball League after playing for the Calgary Surge last year.
Adonis De La Rosa
De La Rosa's season with Metros in the Dominica Republic's Liga Nacional de Baloncesto got underway in May. The 7-foot backup center is averaging 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in eight games.
Andres Feliz
Feliz's second season with Joventut in Spain's high-level Liga Endesa has been as successful as his first. Feliz is currently averaging 10.8 points, 3.2 assists and three rebounds in a starting lineup that features three former NBA players in Ante Tomic, Henry Ellenson and Kyle Guy. Feliz also put up 9.6 points, four rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 21 Eurocup games.
Michael Finke
Finke played a key role in FC Porto's run to the Liga Betclic semifinals in Portugal's top league in addition to the team's FIBA Europe Cup success. The Centennial graduate averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists and shot 45 percent from three-point range in Liga Betclic and put up 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in FIBA Europe Cup play.
Kipper Nichols
Nichols returned to the Sheffield Sharks in the British Basketball League for a second season. The Sharks finished the season 17-19, and Nichols averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists with a 44/29/80 shooting slash.
Nunn was healthy again in 2022-23 after missing the previous season with a knee injury and split the year with the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards. Nunn was traded from Los Angeles to Washington in January in the deal that brought Rui Hachimura to the Lakers, and the former Illinois and Oakland guard had a slightly larger reserve role with the Wizards. Nunn ultimately played in 70 total games and averaged 7.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Brandon Paul
Paul started his 10th professional season with Shandong in the Chinese Basketball Association and averaged 14.3 points, six rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals in six games. The 6-4 guard then signed with Ulm in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga. Between BBL and Eurocup action, Paul averaged 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 41 total games.
Alfonso Plummer
Plummer played three games for Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico in the NBA G League before signing with Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional. The Fajardo, Puerto Rico, native averaged 13.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 40 percent from three-point range in 25 games for Santurce.
Rayvonte Rice
Rice played in his ninth and 10th different countries in the last year. The Centennial graduate played two games for the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the CEBL last summer in the Basketball Champions League Americas before signing with the Taichung Suns in Taiwan's T1 League. Rice had averages of 29.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in 19 games in the top Taiwanese league.
Jamar Smith
Smith, who finished his college career at Southern Indiana, is the longest-tenured professional among former Illini. The Peoria native has played for more than a decade and just wrapped up his second season with Bahcesehir Koleji and 12th overall. Smith averaged 13.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 39 games between Turkey's Basketbol Super Ligi and the FIBA Champions League.
Matic Vesel
Vesel returned home to Slovenia after his freshman season at Illinois and has played professionally there since. He spent a second year with Jezica in Slovenia's second-tier league and put up 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Da'Monte Williams
William's debut pro season unfortunately didn't last long. The former Illinois guard played two games for U.D. Oliveirense in Liga Betclic before suffering an injury and returning home. Williams averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in those games and made 5 of 13 three-pointers (while taking just 15 shots total).
