It shouldn’t take too long to locate a member of Gonzaga’s starting backcourt at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas later this week.
Khalif Battle became the third Gonzaga guard to lock down an opportunity at Summer League, landing on the Phoenix Suns’ roster that was released on Monday.
Social media account “League Him” had previously reported Battle and the Suns agreed to a “deal” after the veteran guard went unselected in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Battle joins GU backcourt mates Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman, who will represent the Dallas Mavericks, at NBA Summer League, which runs July 10-20 at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg will also play at Summer League, with the Boston Celtics, and three other former Zag players – Drew Timme (Nets), Anton Watson (Knicks) and Jeremy Jones (Grizzlies) – have been named to rosters already.
Battle started in 31 of 35 games at Gonzaga after previous playing stints at Butler, Temple and Arkansas. The 6-5 guard averaged 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists for a GU team that won the West Coast Conference Tournament title and extended the program’s streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Battle ranked No. 3 nationally in free throw percentage, making 123 of 132 (93.2%) attempts during the season, and shot 34.7% from the 3-point line.
The New Jersey native scored a season-high 26 points in Gonzaga’s road win at LMU on Jan. 4 and had a strong stretch to close the year, reaching double figures in the team’s final six games while averaging 18.5 ppg during that span. That included a 24-point game against Georgia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, also signifying Battle’s March Madness debut.
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