Guide to ex-Cats playing in NBA summer leagues over Fourth of July weekend

The first of the NBA’s three summer leagues starts play Saturday morning in Orlando, where eight teams will compete over six days.

That will include former University of Kentucky star Bam Adebayo in the event’s opener at 11 a.m. ET when the Miami Heat face the Hornets.

Charlotte’s top pick, ex-Cat Malik Monk, is on its roster but he is expected to miss all of summer league play with an ankle injury.

A 5 p.m. Saturday matchup will feature former Cats Dakari Johnson with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Derek Willis with the Detroit Pistons.

Another game to watch in Orlando will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, when Adebayo and the Heat take on Willis and the Pistons.

Utah’s four-team event will follow, starting on Monday, and then most of the NBA will head to Las Vegas when that league opens play July 7.

All of the NBA summer league games in Orlando and Utah are scheduled to be televised on NBA TV.

Here is a look at the former UK stars and others with ties to the Bluegrass state, on NBA summer league rosters for Orlando and Utah:

Orlando Summer League

Play in Orlando, the first of three NBA summer league locations, starts Saturday, July 1, and ends with a “Championship Day” on Thursday, July 6.

Heat: Bam Adebayo (UK)

Hornets: Malik Monk (UK) and Mangok Mathiang (Louisville)

Thunder: Dakari Johnson (Sayre, UK)

Pistons: Derek Willis (Bullitt East, UK)

Knicks: Luke Kornet (Lexington native, Vanderbilt)

Pacers, Magic and Mavericks: None

Utah Jazz Summer League

Utah’s league starts Monday, July 3, with round-robin games on July 5 and July 6.

76ers: Philadelphia’s roster is not yet official. The team’s mini-camp participants include former UK stars Alex Poythress, Aaron Harrison and Isaiah Briscoe. Also in camp is ex-Indiana star James Blackmon Jr., whose dad, James Blackmon, played at UK from 1983 to 1987.

The Sixers’ first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on July 3 against the Boston Celtics.

Jazz: Donovan Mitchell (Louisville)

Celtics and Spurs: None

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Guide to ex-Cats playing in NBA summer leagues over Fourth of July weekend."