Isaac McKneely’s NBA path didn’t end with his name being left out of the draft. It just took a different turn.
The Louisville shooting guard has landed with the Atlanta Hawks and will suit up for their Summer League team, giving him a chance to keep his pro dream moving after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. Atlanta announced its Summer League roster Tuesday morning, and McKneely was on it.
For Louisville, the draft itself was already a notable one. The Cardinals had two players selected for the first time since the 2015 draft, with Mikel Brown Jr. going No. 6 overall to the Brooklyn Nets and Ryan Conwell taken No. 37 by the Miami Heat.
Brown ended a 36-year stretch by becoming the first Louisville Cardinal chosen in the first six picks since 1990, while Conwell joined him after both guards led the Cardinals in scoring last season. Conwell averaged 18.8 points per game and Brown averaged 18.2 in 21 games.
McKneely didn’t hear his name called, but there was still belief he could find a landing spot for the summer. The Virginia transfer came to Louisville last offseason as a unanimous 4-star prospect ranked inside the top 25, and he delivered a steady year for Pat Kelsey’s team. He averaged 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from 3-point range and 86.0 percent at the line.
His calling card has always been his shot. McKneely spent three seasons at Virginia before moving to Louisville, and he built a reputation as one of the best 3-point shooters in Cavaliers history.
He finished with the fifth-most career 3-pointers in program history, hitting 233. His numbers kept climbing each season in Charlottesville: 51 made 3s at 39.2 percent as a freshman, 81 at 44.5 percent as a sophomore and a career-best 101 as a junior while shooting 42.1 percent from deep.
At Louisville, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard kept firing. He made 96 3-pointers at 39.2 percent from beyond the arc and started every game for Kelsey. McKneely also played a major role in Louisville snapping its nine-year drought without an NCAA Tournament win, drilling seven 3-pointers and scoring 23 points in the opening-round win over USF to send the Cardinals into the second round.
Now the next stop is Summer League, where McKneely gets a chance to show that the shot still plays against NBA competition. He’ll join a Hawks roster that also includes their three 2026 NBA Draft picks, Kingston Flemmings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar.
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