Former BYU standout Elijah Bryant signs with Milwaukee Bucks

BYU men’s basketball alumnus Elijah Bryant signed with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, the team announced Thursday morning, after spending nearly three years playing overseas in Israel.

Bryant finally made his way to an NBA roster after going undrafted out of BYU in 2018. He averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his final season with the Cougars. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the NBA Summer League in 2018 but was unable to make the final roster.

Bryant then went to Israel, where he spent three seasons between Hapoel Eilat and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He averaged 11.1 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game for Maccabi Tel Aviv the last season in domestic and European play.

Maccabi Tel Aviv won a championship with Bryant during the 2019-20 season. The Universe detailed the championship run and Bryant’s experience in Israel in a piece last fall.

Between Bryant’s stints in Israel, he appeared in four games with the Bucks Summer League team in 2019, where he averaged 14.3 points in 23.3 minutes per game.

Bryant’s recent play in Israel impressed the Bucks so much that they bought out his Maccabi Tel Aviv contract for $500,000 and signed him to a two-year deal in the NBA.

Bryant’s deal with the Bucks marks the first time a former Cougar has been on an NBA roster since Jimmer Fredette was on the Phoenix Suns in 2019.

The former Cougar will wear No. 3 with the Bucks, his college number.

The Bucks are gearing up for a playoff run as they are currently third in the Eastern Conference, three games back of first place, with a 44-25 record and three games remaining in the regular season.

Bryant will be playing alongside the reigning league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and fellow Utah college product Sam Merrill, who played for the Utah State Aggies and was drafted by the Bucks in 2020.