WATCH: NBA names former LSU star Trendon Watford Summer League championship game MVP
On Sunday afternoon, NBA fans got to see the Summer League crown their champions as the Portland Trailblazers defeated the New York Knicks 85-77. It was the Blazers who came out on top–bringing home their second Summer League championship. Former LSU star Trendon Watford brought home MVP honors, after stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Check it out as he hoists the MVP trophy in the postgame awards ceremony.
This year for Portland, Watford averaged 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He poured in a season-high 27 points against the Washington Wizards on March 12. On March 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he racked up a double-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 12 points and 14 rebounds–a season-high, and four assists.
Trendon Watford shined in his two seasons with the LSU Tigers
During his second season with the LSU Tigers, Watford averaged 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The former McDonald’s All-American had nine games of 20 points or more during his sophomore season with the Tigers. He also exploded for a career-high of 30 points in the SEC Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 6-9 forward also ranked fourth in SEC field goal percentage as a sophomore. Watford earned second team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches following the 2020-2021 season.
His freshman year at LSU, Watford started 30 of 31 games, averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He poured in a season-high of 26 points against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Feb. 1. The most rebounds he corralled his freshman year were 15 against Alabama on Jan. 29. Watford was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team following the 2019-2020 season.
Coming out of high school, the Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Alabama) product was one of the most highly touted players across the country. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2019 cycle, Watford was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 18 overall prospect in the country. He was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Alabama in 2018 and 2019. Not only that, Watford was also selected to the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American Game in 2019.