Former Tennessee basketball player Josiah-Jordan James will begin his professional career by competing for a spot on an NBA roster.
Josiah-Jordan James will begin his pro career with the Indiana Pacers.
After going undrafted in this week’s NBA Draft, the former Tennessee guard signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers on Friday morning, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year deal with a league-minimum pay that essentially serves as an official invitation to train with the Pacers and try out for a place. The Exhibit 10 agreement grants Indiana contractual rights to James, allowing the Pacers to convert the arrangement into a two-way contract or a G-League contract.
James, a five-star prospect from Charleston, South Carolina, arrived with a lot of expectations, and he lived up to them in many ways. He was a legendary tough, versatile, and selfless player who was a constant in Tennessee’s lineup throughout his career. He never lived up to the hype in terms of point production, transitioning from point guard to wing to stretch-four power forward, battling injuries, and frequently finding other ways — defense, facilitating the offense, leadership, etc. — to become an indispensable part of Rick Barnes’ and his staff’s plans.
While mostly playing the four position, James averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a super senior last season, but he had some memorable games along the way and performed admirably throughout the Vols’ NCAA Tournament run. James had a career-high 27 points in Tennessee basketball’s win over longtime rival Kentucky at Rupp Arena, 23 points in a win against eventual Final Four team North Carolina State, and 20 points in the Vols’ loss to North Carolina in the Dean Dome.
James’ professional career will begin with the very good Indiana Pacers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals (before being swept by the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics) and are anticipated to contend again next season. James will be with the Pacers’ NBA Summer League team next month, competing for a roster berth.
The Pacers acquired three players in the NBA Draft before signing James. Indiana traded for Kansas’ No. 35 overall pick, Johnny Furphy, and selected Tristen Newton of UConn and Enrique Freeman of Akron with the Nos. 49 and 50 picks, respectively.
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee’s SEC Player of the Year and first-team All-American, was selected in the 2024 draft. Knecht surprisingly fell out of the lottery before being selected No. 17 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will begin his NBA career alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Hollywood.
