Former Gonzaga great Drew Timme signs multi-year contract with Brooklyn Nets

Make room for another entry on Gonzaga’s NBA wall adjacent to the Zags’ locker room entrance at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Former GU standout Drew Timme, who has played in NBA Summer League games, NBA preseason games and a lot of NBA G League games, made his NBA regular-season debut with the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

Less than a week after scoring 50 points on 21-of-26 shooting from the field for G League Long Island, Timme joined the Nets after signing a multiyear contract. Terms were not announced, but it’s believed to be a two-year deal.

Timme made an immediate impact, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 25 minutes in the Nets’ 132-100 home loss to the L.A. Clippers. He became the fifth player in franchise history to post a double-double in their first game.

Timme made his first basket on a layup in the second quarter. He finished 4 of 4 on shots inside the arc, 1 of 3 on 3s and 2 of 3 at the foul line. He wore No. 26 with the No. 2 he wore at Gonzaga already taken by teammate Cameron Johnson.

Timme becomes the 12th Zag to play in an NBA game this season.

“I love March,” Timme told Erik Slater, who covers the Nets for ClutchPoints. “I have a 50-point game in March, I get a call-up in March, my brother (Walker) just got his first offer this morning. The month of March is doing good things for the Timme household.”

Younger brother Walker, a sophomore forward at College of Southern Idaho, posted on X that he received a scholarship offer from Northern Arizona.

Timme, named the G League Player of the Week earlier this week, averaged 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 29 games with Brooklyn’s G League squad. He made 57% from the field, including 38.5% on 3-pointers and 73.1% at the free-throw line.

Timme is the only player in the G League this season to average a double-double.

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Timme began this season with Stockton, Sacramento’s G League franchise, after playing for the Kings in Summer League. Long Island acquired Timme in a three-team trade in late December.

Timme is Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer with 2,307 points. The Richardson, Texas, native twice earned second-team All-America honors and was first-team in his senior season when he averaged a career-high 21.2 points. He was twice named West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Timme signed with Milwaukee after he wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. He played in four Summer League and two preseason games with the Bucks before joining the G League Wisconsin Herd.

He averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 boards in 29 games with the Herd. His rookie season ended two months early with a fractured foot.

Timme returned to play with Sacramento in the Summer League last summer before spending a second season in the G League with Stockton and Long Island.

Timme will have a Gonzaga connection with the Nets. Former GU walk-on Connor Griffin is an assistant coach on Jordi Fernandez’s staff.

Anton Watson, Timme’s former teammate and close friend, is also nearby after making his NBA debut about three weeks ago with the New York Knicks. The Knicks and Nets close the regular season on Sunday in Brooklyn.

Timme and Watson played against each other when Watson was on the Knicks’ and Boston’s G League teams.

Brooklyn has eight regular-season games left, including a road game Monday against Dallas.

The Nets, who listed six players out on Friday’s status report, are 13th in the Eastern Conference standings and will miss the playoffs.