Former Michigan State guard Tyson Walker joining Phoenix Suns for NBA Summer League
East Lansing, Mich. – Former Michigan State standout Tyson Walker will begin his professional career with the Phoenix Suns at the NBA’s upcoming Summer League, the Spartan program announced Sunday. Walker was not selected during this year’s NBA Draft.
Walker, a Westbury, N.Y., native and three-year Spartan veteran, will now play for a familiar face in former Spartan basketball walk-on and current Suns owner Mat Ishbia. Ishbia won a national championship at Michigan State in 2000 before becoming the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage in 2013.
Walker, who began his college career at Northeastern, emerged as the Spartans’ most prolific scorer during his last two seasons in East Lansing.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Walker averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34 games as a fifth-year senior for the Spartans last season. He shot 44.9 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three while playing through a groin injury late in the year.
A two-time All-Big Ten Second Team selection and three-year letterwinner, Walker helped lead the Spartans to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023. Walker’s Spartan career ended with a loss to No. 1-seed North Carolina in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament this past March.
Now Walker will look to prove himself at the professional level. The Suns open up Summer League play against the Golden State Warriors on July 13. The game will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Former Michigan State forward Malik Hall – who worked out with the Warriors, among other teams, during the pre-draft process – has yet to announce his professional plans after going undrafted earlier this week.
