The other day, an Erik Stevenson sighting came into view.
In a seven-second video clip posted on social media by the NBA Summer League, the former University of Washington guard and man of many, many teams made a hard move forward on the dribble to set up a step-back 3-pointer for the Denver Nuggets that drew an audible crowd response when it swished through.
Stevenson, 27, is still at it, wearing his trademark crewcut, never lacking for brashness and firing up shots as often as he can.
While he's starting for the Nuggets' summer team, he's played in Spain, Turkey and France in recent years and spent two seasons in the NBA G League, with all of this coming after playing for four different college teams.
A Lacey, Washington, native, Stevenson came home from Wichita State during the COVID pandemic to share in a most unforgettable Husky basketball experience.
Playing in empty gyms and with everyone wearing protective masks courtside, the 6-foot-3 guard was part of a 5-21 Husky team -- the second worst record in school history -- that had zero cohesiveness, a serious lack of talent and a coach who would last just three more seasons before he was fired.
Playing poorly himself, Stevenson couldn't get out of town fast enough after averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting 29.8 percent from 3-point range.
No one threw him a going-away party either.
His college career ended after stops at South Carolina and West Virginia, with the shoot-first Stevenson launching 1,541 attempts and making 584 of them. He went undrafted in 2023.
Since then, Stevenson has been a wandering basketball vagabond, with his stops including a 2024 summertime involvement with the Washington Wizards .
He has yet to play in a regulation NBA game.
The good news for him is the Nuggets have started him in each of their three games this month so he's getting a full audition.
Stevenson scored 6 points on 3-for-8 shooting, 0 for 4 from 3-point range, in his summer debut, a 97-86 loss to the Houston Rockets .
Last Saturday, he had a breakout game with a team-best 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, which included going 4 of 7 from behind the line, in a 101-82 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves .
On Tuesday, he came up with a well-rounded outing of 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, while chipping in 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a 106-103 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder .
Stevenson won't go away. Maybe this NBA thing will work out for him yet.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/washington as Former Husky Stevenson Still Chasing NBA Job .
