Shannon Evans competed in the NBA Summer League last month and learned a lot with the opportunity.

The Suffolk native is currently in transition to play pro basketball. The Arizona State University alumni competed in the prestigious NBA Summer League event in July in Las Vegas with the Houston Rockets. He enjoyed the experience and all that it had to offer.

“It was great being a part of the Rockets’ summer league,” he said. “I learned a lot from mini-camp and being around those guys every day.”

One of Evans’ closest friends is 2018 NBA MVP James Harden, who is an alumnus of ASU as well. Evans said they kept in contact throughout his time in school and his pre-draft process. Harden, who is a Houston Rocket, has been a role model to Evans.

“James is my brother,” he said. “We talk a lot through the season and things like that. He is a great role model on and off the court.”

Evans is currently not signed by an NBA team, even though he played in summer league. When the Suffolk native went through the pre-draft process, he worked out for different teams and met with different coaches. The biggest concern most of the coaches had was Evans’ ability to be a true point guard. While at ASU, Evans played off the ball even though he has the prototypical size for a point guard.

For the time being, Evans is likely headed overseas. However, he won’t let that stop his ultimate dream he had as a kid, which was to play in the NBA. Sometimes the path to get to the NBA involves playing overseas. Being out of the country will be the ultimate experience for the former Nansemond River High School Warrior.

“I’m a competitor, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “I also would like to put myself in a position to get into the league (NBA). The league has always been a childhood dream of mine, and I won’t stop until I make that childhood dream a reality.”

Evans has been in Arizona training and working out for his next journey. At 10 a.m., he gets his first workout in, and then later on in the evening he works out with his old teammates. It is all a part of the process of him reaching his dream.

Before transferring to Arizona State, Evans spent time at Buffalo, where he was a double-digit scorer. As a senior, he helped lead ASU to the NCAA tournament and has scored over 1,000 career points in his two seasons at ASU.