Former K-State star Beasley Joins Brooklyn Nets for NBA Restart

(Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Former Kansas State forward Michael Beasley has joined the Brooklyn Nets as a Substitute Player for the reminder of the 2019-20 NBA season, which is scheduled to resume later this month at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

Beasley will playing for his eighth NBA franchise in a professional career that spans 11 seasons and includes stints with the Miami Heat (2008-10; 2013-15), Minnesota Timberwolves (2010-12), Phoenix Suns (2012-13), Houston Rockets (2015-16), Milwaukee Bucks (2016-17), New York Knicks (2017-18) and the L.A. Lakers (2018-19). He has played in 609 games in his NBA career, averaging 12.4 points on 46.5 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range, with 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.8 minutes per game.

Beasley will be returning to the NBA for the first time since February 2019, as he played in 26 games for the Lakers during the 2018-19 season. He most recently played professionally in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2019, averaging 22.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in helping the squad to the 2019 CBA Championship.

The Nets currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 30-34 record. They will play three preseason games (New Orleans, San Antonio and Utah) – starting Wednesday, July 22 – before officially opening the restart on Friday, July 31 against and the Orlando Magic at 1:30 p.m., CT at the HP Field House. They are scheduled to play eight regular season games before a possible playoff berth.

Although former Wildcat Jerry Venable was drafted by the then New York Nets in the 1970 ABA Draft, Beasley is the first Wildcat to play with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets franchise.

Beasley will be joined in the NBA restart by Wildcat alums Wes Iwundu (2013-17) of the Orlando Magic and Rodney McGruder (2009-13) of the L.A. Clippers.

Perhaps the greatest one-year player in school history, Beasley became the 11th and most recent first team All-American and the first Wildcat to be the consensus National Freshman of the Year during the 2007-08 campaign, as he posted the third-most points (866) and second-most rebounds (408) by a freshman in NCAA history. The recipient of the 2008 Pete Newell Big Man of the Year given annually to the nation’s top Big Man by the NABC, he became just the second consensus first team All-American in school history and the first since Bob Boozer earned the recognition in back-to-back seasons in 1958 and 1959.

Beasley led the nation in 40-point games (3), 30-point, 10-rebound (13), 20-point, 10-rebound games (22), rebounding average (12.4 rpg.) and double-doubles (28). He broke the then NCAA freshman mark for double-doubles and was just the 11th player in NCAA Division I history to post 28 or more double-doubles in a single season. He set 30 school records and 17 Big 12 marks, including single-season points (866), scoring average (26.2 ppg.), 30-point games (13), 20-point games (26), double-doubles (28) and rebounds (408).

Beasley became the second-highest draft pick in school history, as he was selected with the second pick by the Miami Heat in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Beasley led K-State to a 21-win campaign and their first NCAA Tournament in 12 seasons in 2007-08, as the Wildcats upset 6-seed USC, 80-67, in the first round before falling to 3-seed Wisconsin, 72-55, in the second round. The win over the Trojans was the first by the Wildcat in the NCAA Tournament since 1988.