Former Tennessee basketball guard Jordan Gainey will play for the Phoenix Suns in next month's NBA Summer League, according to a report from Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express.
Gainey is one of multiple Vols off last year's Elite Eight team who will likely appear in summer league. Chaz Lanier was drafted Thursday by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, while Jahmai Mashack was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies later that night with the No. 59 pick. It was announced shortly after the two-round draft that Zakai Zeigler will play with the Pistons in summer league and that Igor Milicic Jr. signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Gainey was one of four Volunteers to appear in all 38 games during his final year with the Vols, setting a new single-season program record. He averaged 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steal in 27.8 minutes per game, while shooting 81.3% at the free throw line. The guard ranked second on the team in made free throws (117), free-throw attempts (144), free-throw percentage (81.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90) and total assists (72), and placed third in scoring, assists average, steals, made field goals (137) and made 3-pointers (49). He was fourth in minutes and fifth in offensive rebounding (0.7), defensive rebounding (2.6) and total blocks (14).
As a junior during the 2023-24 season, Gainey was among six Vols to play in all 36 games, coming off the bench in all of them during his first season with the program. Gainey ranked fifth on the team with 6.8 points per game, adding 1.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals in 18.4 minutes. He shot 87% from the charity stripe to lead the team and tied for fourth in made 3-pointers (43), to become the second Tennessee player in the last 18 seasons to shoot 87% percent from the line in a single season.
Gainey — the son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey — spent his first two seasons of college basketball at USC Upstate. He was the Big South's Freshman of the Year during the 2021-22 season. The product of South Kent High School in Tucson, Arizona was also named to the All-Big South Second Team and the Big South All-Freshman Team.
The 6-foot-4 guard appeared in and started all 32 games as a true freshman, averaging 13.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game. He shot 47.1% from the floor, 49.3% from the three-point line and 81.7% from the free throw line.
As a sophomore in 2022-23, Gainey averaged 15.4 points as he started in 26 of 29 games for Upstate before electing to transfer. He shot 39.3% from the floor and 33.9% from three. He also averaged 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, tallied 60 steals and blocked 10 shots.