With the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies battling it out for the Summer League Championship on Monday, all eyes were on Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center. And it was Pat Riley’s determined squad that came out on top following a thrilling overtime encounter. Star of the show? Well, it was 22YO shooting guard Josh Christopher, who took home the MVP trophy after dropping 24 points to lead Miami to the Summer League title with a 120-118 victory.

But Christopher hasn’t emerged out of the blue to become the MVP. In fact, his basketball journey has been full of ups and downs.

Josh Christopher early life

Born on December 8, 2001, Josh is the youngest of four siblings in a household full of athletes. The oldest of all, his sister, Paris, was a high school basketball star. But her aspirations were cut short after a career ending meniscus tear during her freshman year at Saint Mary’s. Meanwhile, their brother, Caleb spent two years playing for Arizona State, which also influenced Josh’s decision to eventually pick the same college over UCLA, USC, Michigan, and Missouri. But his most successful sibling at the time was his brother Patrick, who played briefly for the Utah Jazz following his dominant run in the University of California, where he averaged 15.6 points as a senior. With such an athletic family background, it looked like Josh was also destined for greatness.

Josh Christopher College success and NBA draft

As a five-star recruit and the second-best shooting guard in his class, Josh had a ton of college offers on the table. But he followed in his brother Caleb’s footsteps to join Arizona State University. While he spent only one year there, Josh made a huge impact, averaging 14.3 points along with nearly five rebounds. And NBA scouts took notice as he was drafted by the Houston Rockets as the number 24 pick right after his freshman year three years ago. With his insane athleticism, elite ball handling skills, and defensive tenacity, Josh seemed perfect for the modern NBA. However, things did not turn out too well for the Arizona star.

Josh Christopher career stats

Being a first-rounder, the Rockets had high expectations from Christopher when they drafted him. And he did show some promise in the beginning as he spent two seasons there, averaging 7.9 points in his rookie season and 5.8 points the following year. However, that was not enough to keep him on the roster as he was soon traded to the Grizzlies, who further waived the young guard before the year began. Not losing hope, Josh joined the Utah Jazz, but was waived again, only to be picked up by the Miami Heat in January on a two-way contract.

As expected, he spent most of this year playing in the G League, averaging seventeen points along with 4.5 rebounds for two separate teams, with the most recent one being Heat’s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. While his future is still a bit shaky, his dominant performance in the Summer League, especially in the Championship game might help him bag a more secure deal with the Heat in the coming days.

Josh’s Summer League Success

Going undefeated in the last eight games, the Heat had a dominant run in the Summer League, finishing with an 8-1 record with their only loss coming early during the California classic. And it was Josh’s continued dominance on the court that helped his team reach that level of success. Even in the Championship game, going up against talented players like GG Jackson II and Scotty Pippen Jr., Josh hit six crucial three pointers with no hesitation. The most important one coming in the closing seconds of overtime as the game was tied at 115-115, the shooting guard hit a step-back dagger to give Miami a three-point lead. Moreover, his clutch three gave his team the chance to hit the game-winning shot and clinch the title.

When asked what the MVP trophy means to him, Christopher showed true team spirit instead of hogging all the credit, “I mean this is cool, but honestly like we couldn’t do this if it wasn’t for y’all at all bro.” proceeding to shout out all his teammates standing on the podium with him. Maybe because, he was just happy to be on the winning side for once, “We been grinding from the start of the season. I got waived at the beginning of the year, found my way to Sioux Falls with these guys and now we winning!”

While the Summer League MVP is a great accomplishment for the youngster, his primary goal still remains to book a roster spot on an NBA team. With the promise he has shown and the Heat fanbase’s support after the Summer League win, many expect the Miami Heat to reward the former first-rounder with another two-way contract and a possible roster spot for next season.