DeAndre Liggins is making game-winners in The Basketball Tournament

The $1-million basketball tournament known as The Basketball Tournament is back for its eighth summer and a former Kentucky Wildcat called game in his Tournament debut last night.

Playing in the TBT for the first time, DeAndre Liggins made the game-winner for his team, top-seeded Heartfire, in the opening round of the New Mexico regional. The made basket came on Liggins’ second attempt at a corner 3-pointer to give Heartfire the ‘target score’ in the Tournament’s Elam Ending format of basketball.

He scored 14 points in the game.

Liggins DOESN'T MISS TWICE‼️

His @SLING Shot DELETES a furious Competitive Choice run in the Elam Ending! pic.twitter.com/IKqo5VrPsP

— TBT (@thetournament) July 19, 2022

Look familiar? This Kentucky Basketball fan immediately thought of Liggins’ 3-pointer against North Carolina in the 2011 Elite Eight.

DeAndre Liggins after Kentucky

After graduating from Kentucky with a 2011 NCAA runner-up trophy, Liggins played in 177 NBA games for seven different teams over eight seasons. A journeyman professional, Liggins also spent time in the G-League, where he is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and overseas in both Russia and Germany during that span of bouncing in and out of the league.

Since playing in his last NBA game for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017-18, Liggins has played most of his basketball beyond the United States with brief stops in Greece, Spain, London, and Taiwan. In 2021, he won British Basketball League Trophy Finals MVP, and his team, the London Lions, won British Basketball League Team of the Year.

Liggins and Heartfire are back in action tonight at 9 PM ET against Enchantment, a team of New Mexico Lobos alums.

Liggins’ Heartfire teammates are listed here.