Who is Josh Christopher? Closer look at 2024 Summer League Finals MVP's journey
Miami Heat guard Josh Christopher was named the 2024 NBA Summer League championship MVP after he led his team's victory charge against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday to secure the Summer League title.
The 24th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft concluded the championship game with 24 points, four rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two blocks to lead the Heat to a 120-118 overtime win. He also shot 9-of-17 from the field including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc as he came up clutch for Miami down the stretch.
Josh Christopher was born on December 8, 2001, in Carson, California, and is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom have played basketball. His father, Laron, is a musician and his eldest brother, Patrick, even had a brief stint with the Utah Jazz in the NBA.
Christopher's spectacular performances in the 2024 NBA Summer League have put him on the map after his previous season which was filled with uncertainty. With that let's take a look at what the young guard's basketball career has been like previously.
Josh Christopher's basketball career
Josh Christopher was a consensus five-star recruit and the number two shooting guard in the 2020 recruiting class. He chose to take his talents to Arizona State in 2020 where his brother, Caleb, had previously played for a year.
After Christopher averaged 14.3 points in his maiden college season at Arizona State, the Houston Rockets had high expectations from him when they drafted him 24th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Christopher spent two seasons with the Rockets averaging 7.9 points in his rookie season and 5.8 points in the following season. The Rockets then traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies, who further waived the young guard ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Josh Christopher then went on to join the Utah Jazz in October 2023, signing a two-way contract with the team. However, he did not play in the NBA with the team and instead made 22 appearances with the Jazz's G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars before being waived again in January.
He was then picked up by the Miami Heat on a two-way contract for the remainder of the season. He concluded the 2023-24 season with the Heat's G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and averaged 17.0 points, and 4.5 rebounds playing for the two G League teams in the season.
Following a year of uncertainty, Josh Christopher talked about finally getting a taste of victory after the Heat clinched the Summer League title, and him being named the championship MVP.
“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!”
Though the future is unclear for Christopher, his recent showing at the NBA Summer League has made a strong case for him as he hopes to get a more secure deal with the Miami Heat and possibly make their rotation next season.