- Slug: Sports–ASU Christopher MVP. 679 words.
- Photos available.
By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News
LAS VEGAS — The night before the Miami Heat’s second Summer League game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, former Arizona State University guard Josh Christopher was in the gym until 11 p.m. preparing for the contest. The following day, Christopher put up 20 points during the fourth quarter and posterized two OKC point guards, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Since being plucked from the NBA’s G League and named to the Heat’s 2024 Summer League roster, Christopher has made it his mission to show that he belongs on an NBA team. After helping Miami win the Summer League Championship Monday night and earning MVP of the game, Christopher left Vegas knowing he had done all he could to raise his stock.
“We’ve done a great job of just having camaraderie and understanding what the culture is,” Christopher, who averaged 19.3 points, three rebounds, and two steals for the tournament, said following Sunday’s semifinal win against the Golden State Warriors.
The Heat defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in Monday’s thrilling overtime win, 120-118, making it the highest-scoring game in Summer League Championship history. Christopher, the leading scorer in the title game, finished with 24 points, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks.
He averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds during his one season with the Sun Devils in 2020-2021 before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. His time with the Sun Devils under men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley prepared him for Miami’s style of play.
“He almost embeds a Heat culture type (of) situation, just how he pushes you,” Christopher said of Hurley.
The former Sun Devil played for three seasons in the NBA, including two in Houston, before heading to the G League. Christopher currently plays for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“We know that we’re going to be able to compete at a high level no matter what the stakes are,” Heat coach Dan Bisaccio said before Monday’s championship. Bisaccio commended his players for their willingness to learn and grow throughout their time in Las Vegas.
The NBA Summer League is an opportunity for players like Christopher, 22, to develop, showcase their skills and make themselves known to scouts and team recruiters. In Christopher’s case, he hoped his time in Vegas would be a springboard back to the NBA.
“If you have been through what I’ve been through in the last one or two years, you’ll do whatever,” he said.
Christopher wasn’t the only Heat player to play college basketball in the Valley. Pelle Larsson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Sweden, played for the Arizona Wildcats from 2021-24.
The championship game featured an Elam Ending, which, unlike traditional basketball games, requires teams to end the game by playing to reach a target score. Larsson was the overtime hero for Miami when he drove to the basket and scored to reach the 120-point target and win the game.
Larsson, drafted 44th overall by the Heat in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists throughout Summer League.
Keshad Johnson, a fellow Wildcat who transferred to Arizona in 2023 to play his final season of college eligibility, signed with the Heat in June as an undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 10 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Heat before suffering an ankle injury during the team’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, requiring him to sit out for the Heat’s remaining games.
“I was so happy that we can continue this journey together, and that’s a team (Arizona) I’ve probably played with the most,” Larsson said, describing his reaction to Miami signing Johnson, his former college teammate.
Christopher currently remains unsigned, but Miami fans have taken to social media platforms to encourage the team to add the young guard to the Heat’s roster.
“We all went together individually, we’ll get what we need out of it. But winning is fun,” Christopher said regarding his time playing for the Heat. “Playing together, it’s fun too.”
For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
