One former Michigan basketball player signed another Tuesday evening.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced they’d inked former Wolverine Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract. Rob Pelinka, another ex-Wolverine, is the Lakers’ general manager.
The 6-foot-5 Bufkin most recently played in seven games with the Lakers’ G League affiliate, averaging 28.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists per game. He will wear No. 18 for the storied Lakers franchise.
Bufkin, the 15th pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, has bounced around since Atlanta traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in September. The Nets waived him before the season started. He was briefly with the Motor City Cruise, a G League team, before the Lakers’ G League team traded a 2027 first-round draft pick for him. He was with the Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day contract earlier this season as well.
Bufkin has played in 27 NBA games, all during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 11.9 minutes, five points, two rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He’s been limited by injuries.
The 22-year-old from Grand Rapids Christian High School played at Michigan for two seasons under then-coach Juwan Howard. He averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a sophomore in 2022-23.
