Matt Morgan ’19 Shines In NBA Summer League
ITHACA, N.Y. — After another all-star season overseas, Cornell men’s basketball great Matt Morgan ’19 has been excelling at the NBA Summer League while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, leading the team to a 4-1 mark thus far.
Morgan averaged 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds as the Hornets swept the Cali Classic with a 3-0 record, posting a +29 rating in 45 minutes of action off the bench. Included was a 13-point, three-assist effort in a 97-65 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opening contest. After moving over to the NBA 2K25 Summer League, he has averaged 9.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.0 minutes of play in two contests with two additional games and a potential playoff series to go.
Morgan previously played in the NBA Summer League last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and in 2021 with the Toronto Raptors.
The 6-2 guard is coming off a tremendous season for the London Lions, earning MVP of the British Basketball League. He helped the Lions to a league title while averaged 19.1 points, 3.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He shot 56 percent from the floor overall, connecting on 46 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 88 percent from the free-throw line in 30 contests. In all, London posted a 28-2 record and earned unanimous All-League Team of the Year honors.
Cornell’s all-time leading scorer, Morgan graduated with career records for points scored (2,333), scoring average (20.5 ppg.), field goals made (743), field goals attempted (1,580) and free throws made (513), season records for points scored (687 in 2018-19) and 3-pointers made per game (3.32 in 2018-19), and game records for 3-pointers in a game (9, twice). In addition, he ranks in the top 10 in career 3-pointers made (second, 334), games started (second, 112), minutes played (third, 3,705), games played (third, 113), free-throw percentage (fourth, .834) and assists (eighth, 296) and just outside the top 10 in steals (12th, 126).
The four-time All-Ivy pick was a Lou Henson All-American as a junior, a two-time NBA Draft early entrant and the all-time leading freshman scorer in conference history. Morgan was an eight-time Ivy Player of the Week and a five-time conference rookie of the week pick. The second leading scorer in Ivy League history with 2,333 points, he finished behind only Princeton’s Bill Bradley (2,503), becoming the sixth Ivy League and 574th Division I basketball player to surpass 2,000 career points. He compiled an 80-game streak of scoring in double figures – an Ivy record and the 12th-longest in NCAA history. Morgan was a two-time first-team and two-time second-team All-Ivy pick, joining Big Red greats Bob DeLuca, John Bajusz, Louis Dale, Ryan Wittman and Shonn Miller as the only players in school history to be named All-Ivy first team more than once.
