Beloved CCHS star says he is ‘excited for the opportunity’

By THOMAS P. WEAVER

Horizon editor

LAS VEGAS (NV)-Fresh off a successful NBA G League debut, Clay County native Tyreke Key will continue his professional basketball career here next week playing for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025, and he said he is excited for another chance to showcase his skills.

“This is my first time doing the summer league, so I am not really sure what to expect, but obviously it is the next step towards what I want to do,” Key, who signed with Toronto’s Raptors 905 G League team last fall, said in a HORIZON telephone interview Monday.  “This is another stepping stone to try to make it to the NBA.

“Whether I play or don’t play, I think it is going to be a great experience for me.  I’m just going to go in with the right mindset, be prepared for whatever may come, and I’m just excited for the opportunity.”

The former Clay County High School star will hop a flight for Vegas Monday, practice a couple of days with his team in the Sin City during the week, and have a chance to take the Summer League court for the first time on Friday, July 11 at 7 p.m. versus the Chicago Bulls.

Key’s loyal local fans will be able to watch him in action too, as all of the Raptors’ games during the 11-day competition will air live on ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and ESPN3) or NBA TV, plus every game will also be available to stream on the ESPN App.

“Obviously being from Celina, the community there has always been special to me,” Key said.  “They’ve always supported me wherever I’ve been, and I’ll always be extremely grateful for that.

“For me it’s always been about being an example to show kids back home what they can do if they work hard.  Hopefully I can play well, just kinda keep proving myself, and keep climbing the ladder.”

One local who won’t have to rely on television to see her favorite player is Key’s mother Susan, who also has a plane ticket to Las Vegas booked next week, and her son has never taken his mother’s support for granted.

“My mom is my biggest supporter, so having her there is special,” he said.  “Everyone knows I’m a momma’s boy, so it is always good to have her at the games.”

For those who won’t be making the trip, Key’s Summer League opener versus the Bulls will appear on NBA TV, before Toronto’s Sunday, July 13 matchup with the Orlando Magic tips off at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

Key’s remaining scheduled NBA Summer League games will be played on Tuesday, July 15 at 7 p.m. versus the Denver Nuggets (ESPN+ and ESPN3), and on Thursday, July 17 at 9 p.m. against the Golden State Warriors (NBA TV).

Depending on the outcome of their first four games, the Raptors will then play at least one more contest between Friday, July 18 and Sunday, July 20 (details below).

And when locals see Key in action, they can expect a leaner look from the 26-year-old veteran player.

“I’ve been training hard this summer,” he said.  “I’ve actually lost 15 pounds.

“Cutting weight and getting a little quicker on my feet was the next step the Raptors wanted to see me take.  I’m down to 195 pounds and I haven’t been that since high school surprisingly!”

Key also explained the Summer League opportunity came via invitation.

“If you play well enough they invite you back, and obviously that’s what the Raptors did,” he said.  “They invited me back to the Summer League to play, and after that, I will be back with the Raptors G League team.”

Key’s continues

illustrious career

Playing in the G League this year and alongside the NBA’s top draft picks next week are just the latest steps in the beloved local athlete’s illustrious career.

Key became Clay County’s first-ever pro athlete when he kicked off his professional journey in the fall of 2023 overseas in the BNXT League as a star for the Stella Artois Leuven Bears, where he led the league in scoring averaging 19.6 points per game.

He then went to Canada to play for Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBA G-League team, in 2024.  There he posted double-figure scoring in nine games, including a 24-point performance against the Long Island Nets in November, where he made six three-pointers.

The year prior to turning pro, Key played his final collegiate season with the Tennessee Volunteers, where he appeared in 33 games and averaged nine points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

Key began his collegiate career and played four seasons at Indiana State University (ISU), where he scored over 1,600 points to rank sixth on the school’s all-time leading scorer list.

He averaged 17 points per game in his final season as a Sycamore playing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), before missing a year due to injury.

Key was named First Team All-MVC in his last two seasons at ISU and had interest from a wide array of Power 5 schools when he entered the transfer portal, before committing to UT.

During his high school career at Clay County, Key scored 3,237 points to become the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer.  The total also ranks him 10th all-time in Tennessee.

Additionally, Key was named Class A Mr. Basketball his senior season (2017), the same year he posted 1,383 points to break the state’s single-season scoring mark.

About the NBA’s

Summer League

The NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 featuring all 30 NBA teams begins on Thursday, July 10 and runs through Sunday, July 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Each team will play at least five games, the first four from July 10-17.  

After each team’s first four games, the top four teams will advance to participate in the playoffs, beginning with a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday, July 19 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The two winning teams from the semifinal games will meet in the championship game on Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

The four playoff teams and their seeds for playoff games will be determined by winning percentage in each team’s first four games, with tiebreaker criteria available here.  The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth game on either Friday, July 18, July 19, or July 20.

Prior to Key and the Raptors playing on Friday, seven games will tip off the event on Thursday, July 10, including an ESPN doubleheader featuring the Las Vegas debuts of the top three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft—No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe.

For the full schedule, visit www.nba.com/2025-summer-league-vegas-schedule.