A year ago, forward Tyon Grant-Foster was anxiously awaiting word from the NCAA about his eligibility to play one final collegiate season, hoping to rebuild his NBA draft stock in Spokane with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Now, after a vicious legal battle, an up-and-down year with the Zags, and more anxious waiting to be medically cleared by the NBA , Grant-Foster will see his lifelong dream come true.
According to Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express, Grant-Foster is set to join the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA Summer League, which gets underway in July in Las Vegas. It does not appear the 6'7 wing has signed either a two-way or Exhibit 10 contract with San Antonio, but he'll get a chance to impress the Spurs next month as he fights for a roster spot.
It's been a long, long road for Grant-Foster - who first suited up in college back in 2018 at Indian Hills Community College. He made his way to Kansas in 2020-21 and then to DePaul in 2021-22, where he collapsed at halftime of his first game - suffering the first of two cardiac arrests that had doctors believing he would never play competitively again.
Instead, the lanky forward triumphantly emerged at Grand Canyon in the WAC in 2023-24, shocking the country by averaging 20.1 points and earning conference Player of the Year while putting himself in the NBA draft conversation.
TGF decided to return to GCU for 2024-25, and after a disappointing season, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Gonzaga - expecting one more year of eligibility.
He got it after a series of waivers and appeals ultimately led to a lawsuit, which granted him a preliminary injunction for the 2025-26 season...one week before games began.
Grant-Foster had an up-and-down season in Spokane with the Zags, averaging 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game. He at times looked like Gonzaga's best player and other times was borderline unplayable, although the lack of time spent with the coaching staff during the offseason certainly played a role in his slower learning curve.
Grant-Foster did not get many workouts during the pre-draft process as he was not cleared by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel until late last week, but now earns a chance to secure a roster spot with the Western Conference champions.
Mar 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk (8) | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
The Spurs made a surprise run to the NBA Finals this year, falling to the New York Knicks after the young team crumbled under the pressure. Grant-Foster will join a team that rostered former Zag Kelly Olynyk this past year, and he'll compete alongside rookies Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed from Kentucky and UConn, respectively.
San Antonio has many young wings on the roster, including former Arizona forward Carter Bryant , but Grant-Foster is used to battling adversity - and his style of play will bode well in summer league as he looks to earn his first NBA contract.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga forward Tyon Grant-Foster lands first NBA deal after getting cleared .
