Three former Oregon Ducks got their shot in Las Vegas during 2026 NBA Summer League, and Nate Bittle came away looking like the one who made the strongest case for what comes next.
Bittle was the biggest name of the group after earning third-team All-Big Ten honors two seasons ago and then signing an Exhibit-10 deal with the Toronto Raptors after going undrafted in the 2026 draft. Across four games, the former Oregon center put up 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. He also showed real range, hitting 43.8% of his three-point tries on 16 attempts.
It wasn’t a spotless run. His turnover late in Toronto’s opener ended up costing the Raptors against the Boston Celtics. But he answered that setback with a nine-point, six-rebound effort in a one-point Raptors win a few days later.
Brandon Angel was also with Toronto, though his role was much smaller. He appeared in three games, averaged 2.7 points and 3.0 rebounds, and finished the event with only 34 minutes played. Angel spent last season in the Israel Winner League, where he averaged 16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and he could be in line for another year overseas.
TJ Bamba had an even quieter stay with the Denver Nuggets. He logged just 26 minutes, scored seven total points and pulled down three rebounds, leaving little time to make much of an impression.
Bamba played in Germany’s easyCredit BBL League last season and averaged 12.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also suited up for the Brooklyn Nets’ summer league team in 2025, but again saw limited action.
For Angel and Bamba, the 10-day event didn’t offer much traction. Bittle, though, may have done enough to keep his name in the mix for Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate, next season.
In Other News...
Will Stein Admits One Oregon Player Made Leaving Even Harder
Will Stein has only been Kentuckys head coach for seven months, but the transition has already required him to juggle a lot at once. He spent that stretch putting together a staff, recruiting players and finishing out his final season as Oregons offensive coordinator, all while laying out the kind of offense he wants to build in Lexington. The principles he keeps coming back to are familiar ones for Ducks fans: quarterback accuracy, strong offensive-line play and enough balance to keep defenses honest.
Stein also made clear that his move was about returning to his home state and taking a deeply personal opportunity, not about any frustration with Oregon. Even with that explanation, there is still a layer of unfinished business in how he talks about the Ducks and the people around the program, including Dan Lanning and the roster he left behind. For Oregon, it is a reminder that Steins departure was not a clean break, and that one of the more interesting parts of this story is still the part he did not fully spell out. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Entered A Huge Recruiting Battle For Elite Safety
Dan Lannings push to keep Oregon stocked at safety got another boost with four-star 2028 recruit CJ Craig-James listing the Ducks among his finalists. It fits the broader picture in Eugene, where Oregon has made the secondary a priority and continues to chase blue-chip defensive backs across multiple classes while riding the momentum of a No. 4-ranked 2027 recruiting class, according to Rivals.
Craig-James is hardly the only name on the board, either. Oregon is also in the mix for four-star defensive back Jordan Hicks, who recently narrowed his own list to eight schools and kept the Ducks in the conversation, even as the program still looks to land its first 2028 commitment. For a staff trying to build depth and long-term stability in the back end, the next few decisions could shape that room for years. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ducks Just Reinforced Oregon's Place Among NFL Young Stars
Penei Sewell and Christian Gonzalez keep giving Oregon another kind of recruiting pitch, one that comes after college. CBS Sports recently slotted Sewell third on its list of the best NFL players age 25 and under, with Gonzalez coming in at No. 13, a reminder that the Ducks are not just producing draft picks but players who are already shaping games for the Lions and Patriots.
The bigger picture for Oregon is hard to miss. Since 2024, 25 Ducks have been selected in NFL drafts, including a program-record 10 in the 2025 draft, and the pipeline does not look like it is slowing down anytime soon. NFL Mock Draft Database even projects 11 Oregon players to go in the 2027 draft, which would set another school mark and keep the Ducks right in the middle of the leagues young-star conversation. [Read more 🡒]