Former Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball center Hunter Dickinson scored five points with one rebound and two assists in his NBA 2K26 summer league debut on Thursday in Las Vegas.
The 7-foot-2, 265-pound, 24-year-old Dickinson, who signed a two-way contract with New Orleans after not being selected in last month’s 2025 NBA Draft, hit 2 of 3 shots in 11 minutes in the Pelicans’ 98-91 loss to Minnesota. He was 1-of-2 from the free-throw line and did not attempt a 3-pointer.
On Tuesday, Dickinson spoke with reporters at a Pelicans summer league practice. He said New Orleans “was a great fit for me. I feel like wherever I wanted to go, I wanted someone that believed in me and believed that I was an NBA caliber player.
“I felt like here, after my (pre-draft individual) workout, they spoke really highly of me and felt really confident in my game. And that’s where I wanted to go: somewhere that believed in me and wanted to give me a chance.”
Of training camp practices he said: “They’ve been good. It’s definitely a transition from college, just playing with so many great players and playing against really good defensive players and stuff like that. It’s been a good transition for me. It’s been a lot of fun. And I feel like we got a good chance to go out there and win a couple games in Vegas.”
Dickinson noted that: “even as a rookie I’m one of the older guys. So I feel like I’ve got some experience out there. It’s not NBA experience, but I’ve still got a lot of games under my belt. I think I can provide a big presence down there, somebody that can really make plays for others and then help guys get open, whether it’s screening passing, rebounding.”
Dickinson, who turns 25 in November, averaged 17.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in 34 games (all starts) last season at KU. He was named third-team All-America by the AP and USBWA. He scored in double figures in 32 games and posted a double-double in 16 games.
The 7-foot-2 native of Alexandria, Virginia appeared in 161 games (156 starts) over five collegiate seasons between Michigan (three seasons) and KU (two), averaging 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in 30.8 minutes per game.