Shamorie Ponds is getting his NBA shot. He just didn’t get a chance to hear his name called.
The day after the Brooklyn native went undrafted, the former St. John’s star has agreed to play with the Rockets’ NBA Summer League team, according to his agent Ryan Davis. The two sides were working on the details of his contract.
Davis said the Rockets appealed to the 6-foot Ponds because of their uptempo style of play and the opportunity to make the roster. He will be joined in Summer League by Queens native Moses Brown, a 7-footer who played one season at UCLA and went undrafted, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Ponds had 11 NBA workouts, including one with the Rockets. A two-time All-Big East first-team selection, he put up quality numbers in leading St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament, averaging team-highs of 19.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals while shooting a career-best 37.5 from 3-point range.
The last St. John’s player to get drafted was Sir’Dominic Pointer, who went 53rd to the Cavaliers in 2015. Former St. John’s forward Tariq Owens, who spent last year at Texas Tech, will play in Summer League with the Suns.