Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban to begin NBA Summer League play in California

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July has arrived, which means the NBA Summer League is right around the corner.

Former Huskies Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr.’s will both start early in the California Classic, taking place from July 3-6. The main NBA Summer League will be in Las Vegas from July 9-19.

Karaban’s Sacramento Kings and Reed’s Spurs are in the field along with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat. The two UConn rookies are set to make their Summer League debuts this holiday weekend.

Sacramento Kings’ California Classic schedule:

Saturday, July 4 vs Brooklyn Nets at 5:00 PM ET

Sunday, July 5 vs Golden State Warriors Blue at 5:00 PM ET

Monday, July 6 vs Milwaukee Bucks at 10:00 PM ET



San Antonio Spurs’ schedule:

Friday, July 3 vs Miami Heat at 8:00 PM ET

Monday, July 6 vs Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 PM ET



With the draft over and the players now in their new cities, Karaban and Reed Jr. have had a chance to reflect on their journey from high school to college and the pros.

In Sacramento, GM Scott Perry mentioned basketball IQ as a separator as well as Karaban’s elite shooting and connecting ability along with winning mentality. He also shared that he observed a UConn practice, saying anyone coming out of that program is “battle-tested.”

Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry on Alex Karaban:

"Alex Karaban was one of the most accomplished players in college basketball. He's the winningest player of all time in UConn Huskies history. That says a lot. 2 time National Champion. So he brings a winning pedigree; he's an… pic.twitter.com/HcPXDpOrVu

— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) June 29, 2026

Karaban will immediately bring the winning DNA that a team like Sacramento needs. The Kings last won the NBA title in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals, and have only made the playoffs twice since 2006.

Karaban credited Dan Hurley for his development as a player, noting that he will bring the same mentality to the Kings.

Alex Karaban: Coach Hurley, he changed my life. I wouldn't be here without him… Those practices, the daily habits that we had every single day, those core values that he instilled in me are something I want to carry over to this organization."

(via @SacramentoKings) pic.twitter.com/yS4fkFT8k1

— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) June 29, 2026

With No. 11 being retired, AK chose No. 33 after fellow Massachusetts legend Larry Bird. That number was last worn for the Kings by Jake LaRavia in 2025.

Alex Karaban on choosing #33 as his jersey number on the Sacramento Kings:

"Coach Hurley called me Larry Bird a lot, so I had to go with 33."

(Via @SacramentoKings) pic.twitter.com/kRCYWlpTw9

— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) June 29, 2026

Over in San Antonio, Reed was introduced just a few days after the draft and got to work immediately.

“The first thing I noticed is the game is a lot faster than college. We played a little bit slow at UConn, but here it is just fast-paced, fast-tempo.” He described the game as one where you have to be on high alert on the defensive end and not get caught for a defensive three-second violation.

Let's get to it Tarris pic.twitter.com/tu8O3mK7CM

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 26, 2026

Reed chose the No. 10, last worn by Jeremy Sochan from 2023-2026. DeMar DeRozan and Dennis Rodman also wore that number for the franchise.

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