Gamecocks in the Pros

Former Jacksonville State guard Walker Russell (2003-06) became the first Gamecock to play in the NBA on Jan . 20, 2012, when he was signed by the Detroit Pistons and made his debut against the Memphis Grizzlies in the same day . An All-OVC player for the Gamecocks and a member of JSU’s 1,000-Point Club, Russell played the remainder of the 2011-12 season with Detroit after a five-year career in the NBA Developmental league that saw him earn multiple all-star nods and average 15 .1 points, 8 .3 assists and 3 .4 rebounds per game .

Norbertas Giga

Former Jacksonville State forward/center Norbertas Giga became the first Gamecock to suit up in an NBA uniform in the summer of 2018 since Walker D . Russell in 2012 . The Kaunas, Lithuania native received an invitation to mini camp with the Philadelphia 76ers, aced the tryout and was named to the Sixers’ NBA Summer League roster less than a week later . Giga made his NBA Summer League debut July 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring four points on two shots with an offensive rebound . He also grabbed a rebound and recorded one helper July 9 against the Washington Wizards . He posted a summer-high 12 minutes against the Phoenix Suns on July 12, scoring four points with an assist, a rebound and two steals . He grabbed a summer-best four rebounds July 15 against the Memphis Grizzlies, had one steal and scored a point in his final game . Following the Summer League, Giga signed to play basketball with Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League .

Former Jacksonville State forward Nick Murphy (2007-11) played three seasons in the NBA Development League, two with the Iowa Energy and one with the Tulsa 66’ers . Murphy finished his JSU career as the school’s Division I record holder for points and rebounds, while his 1,498 career points ranks him fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list . Murphy grabbed 679 rebounds in his four seasons, just 20 away from landing him in the top 10 on the all-time rebounds list .

Jamall Gregory

During the 2019-20 season, former JSU guard Jamall Gregory became just the third Gamecock to compete in an NBA G League (formerly the NBA Development League) game . The Washington D .C . native played three games with the Capital City Go-Go, the G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards . Gregory was a two-year letter winner for Jax State following his JUCO career at Chipola College . The 6-foot-3 guard became quickly known for his thunderous dunks and hops that earned him the No . 1 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 once and the No . 2 highlight twice . Following the 2018-19 season, Gregory was invited to the College Slam Dunk Contest in Minneapolis, Minnesota . Gregory finishing third in the annual skills competition and received a standing ovation from guest judge/Minnesota Timberwolves star Derrick Rose after his first slam .

Jason Burnell

Former Gamecock star Jason Burnell has spent the last two years in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the FIBA Basketball Champions League (BCL) . He signed with Pallacanestro Cantù on July 17, 2019 . In his first professional season, Burnell averaged 11 .7 points, 5 .2 rebounds, 1 .5 assists and 1 .1 steals in 20 Serie A games . Burnell then signed with Dinamo Sassari on June 6, 2020 where he averaged 11 .3 points and 6 .8 rebounds per game . On July 8, 2021, he re-signed with the team following a short stint on the Denver Nuggets’ Summer League roster .