Buddy Boeheim spoke Sunday afternoon from Indiana after wrapping up practice with the Pacers’ organization.
Boeheim has signed on to play for the Pacers in the NBA Summer League, following a near-championship run by the team last month. He explained that Indiana reached out to his agent during their playoff push, expressing interest in evaluating him over the summer.
“They’re looking for a big guard who can shoot, and there’s a chance at a two-way contract,” Boeheim said. “It was hard to pass up. My goal is to get back to the NBA, so this is a great opportunity. I jumped at it.”
The Pacers will conclude their training camp on Tuesday and travel to Las Vegas. Their first Summer League game is scheduled for Thursday at 5 p.m. ET against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’ll play their final game on July 17 at 5:30 p.m. against the New York Knicks, with playoffs running from July 18 to July 20.
That schedule overlaps with The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a \$1 million, winner-take-all competition. Boeheim has committed to playing for Boeheim’s Army for the first time this summer. The team opens TBT play on July 19 at 6 p.m. against the Herkimer Originals at Onondaga Community College.
Depending on how the Pacers perform in Las Vegas, Boeheim may miss Boeheim’s Army’s first game.
“It’s going to be close either way,” Boeheim said. “If I can make it, I’ll definitely be there. But I don’t want to be too worn out from Summer League. The priority is playing well and staying healthy. Belbey knows the plan. If I can’t make that first game, I’ll be ready for the second—and I’ll be in shape.”
Shaun Belbey, general manager of Boeheim’s Army, said the team will announce ahead of time if Boeheim can’t play against the Herkimer Originals.
Boeheim and Elijah Hughes are the latest high-profile additions to the 2025 Boeheim’s Army squad, both former Syracuse standouts. At 6-foot-6, Boeheim ranks second in Syracuse history in made 3-pointers (309) and 3-point attempts (854), and 13th in career points (1,765) from 2018 to 2022. He shot 36.2% from beyond the arc in college.
He’s recently recovered from thumb surgery on his shooting hand, an injury sustained while playing for Oklahoma City’s G League team last season, but expects to be fully ready with no lingering issues.