Former Rebel Star Breein Tyree Shines in Pro Debut
Former Ole Miss men’s basketball star Breein Tyree made his pro debut Wednesday night for the Raptors 905 in their season opener. The Raptors 905 are the G-League team directly affiliated with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.
Tyree scored 15 points on 4-6 shooting from the field and also notched a rebound and an assist. He played 23 minutes in Wednesday’s victory against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (affiliated with the Houston Rockets).
Couple of @Breeintyree highlights in here. 15 points in his debut.#ProRebels🏀 https://t.co/PigZa5GIKV
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 11, 2021
The Ole Miss legend, who went undrafted in November, initially signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent but was released after playing in a few preseason games. He then signed with the Raptors and was assigned to their G-League team.
Remember Tyree’s former big-man running mate, Terence Davis? Well, TD just happens to be on the Raptors’ NBA roster and plays about 16 minutes per game. To see those two possibly running the floor again, but this time on an NBA level, would be groundbreaking for Ole Miss basketball. In 2018 Davis and Tyree helped guide the Rebels to their last March Madness appearance.
As a Rebel (2016-2020), Tyree ranks sixth all-time scoring (1,797 points), sixth in three-pointers made (207), 10th in minutes played (3,634) and assists (325). He also earned First-team All-SEC recognition by SEC coaches in 2019 and 2020. The Associated Press also recognized Tyree as a second-team All-SEC player in 2019.
Hopefully, Breein continues to find success in the G-League so that he catches the attention of NBA teams and finds himself called up to play NBA minutes.
Any NBA team can sign any G-League player (no matter the G-League team) to its team, and some have gone on to make a nice career after going that route. NBA champions Pascal Siakam, Jeremy Lin, and Danny Green, to name a few, all started in the G-League.
(Feature Image courtesy of Raptors Republic)
