BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Guard Ira Graham has been invited to participate in a tryout with the NBA’s Washington Wizards this summer, the Bellingham Slam announced today.
Graham will head to Washington, D.C. next month to participate in the Wizards’ tryout. The occasion marks the first time a Slam player has been offered a direct tryout with an NBA team.
Should Graham impress at the tryout, he could potentially be signed by the Wizards as a free agent and placed on Washington’s roster or assigned to their NBA Development League team, the Dakota Wizards.
Graham, 23, completed a superb rookie professional season with the Slam earlier this month. He started all 22 games for the Slam, averaging 18.5 points per game on 52.9 percent shooting from the floor. He was also the team’s assist leader this season with 120, good for a 5.5 per game average. Graham scored a season-high 40 points against the Edmonton Energy on May 16, then gave the Slam their most dramatic win of the season with a buzzer-beating shot against the Vancouver Volcanoes on May 23. Earlier this week, Graham was one of four Bellingham players to be included on the International Basketball League all-star roster.
Prior to joining the Slam, Graham wrapped up an impressive collegiate career at Western Washington in March. As a senior, he led the Vikings with a 19.1 points per game scoring average and helped WWU to their first ever outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. Graham was named the GNAC’s player of the year and appeared in the Division II All-Star Game alongside Slam teammate and ex-Saint Martin’s standout Jake Linton.