Skal Labissiere signs 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings

Skal Labissiere is grabbing yet another cup of coffee in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings are signing the former Kentucky center to a 10-day contract, giving them some short-term help as they only have 13 players currently on standard NBA contracts. He will give the Kings some big-man depth as their star player, Damontas Sebonis, is out with a hamstring injury.

Labissiere has spent the last two seasons with Sacramento’s G-League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. This season, he is averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, almost identical numbers to what he put up last year.

Somehow, this is Labisierre’s ninth year of professional basketball after spending one season in Lexington back in 2015-16. He will turn 29 later this month. As a high school recruit, several draft analysts projected Skal to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, but after a disappointing freshman season at Kentucky, he slipped to the 28th pick in the draft. He has bounced around to a few different teams, last seeing action on an NBA court in December 2019. But like that old t-shirt in your drawer that won’t find its way to the Goodwill pile, Skal just keeps hanging around.

Labissiere has been a strong presence in the G-League since 2020. This year, players showed him respect by voting him into the G-League Next Up Game over All-Star weekend. Fitting, because now he really is the next man up.

Labissiere will get paid $128,603 on his 10-day deal, which will run the course of five games. Best of luck to the former Wildcat getting another shot in the NBA.