Mar 5, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) reacts after shooting a three-point basket against the Florida Gators during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Mark Sears Agrees to Two-Way Deal With NBA Team

Originally posted on Alabama Crimson Tide on SI
By Hunter De | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 10:41 PM ET

Former Alabama guard Mark Sears is signing a two-way deal with the Milwaukee Bucks after not being selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Sears is the first member of Alabama's 2025 draft prospects to sign with a team, as fellow Crimson Tide undrafted free agents forward Grant Nelson, center Clifford Omoruyi and guard Chris Youngblood are still waiting for a deal.

Sears became the Crimson Tide's first-ever consensus First Team All-American after yet another stellar season averaging team-highs of 18.6 points and 5.1 assists. Sears was also named a Preseason All-American by the Associated Press a few months ago, and now he's exceeded those extremely high expectations. Division I's active leading scorer was also a Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year finalist and Naismith Trophy semifinalist.

Sears, alongside NBA players Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, led Alabama to the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed in the guard's first season with the Crimson Tide in 2022-23, as it reached the Sweet 16. But after Miller and Clowney were drafted, Sears became the leader last season and paved the way to Alabama's first-ever Final Four.

As previously stated, Sears was Division I’s active leader in points with 2,706 in his career by the time he exhausted his collegiate eligibility. The dual-threat is also the only player in the SEC to rank in the top-2 in scoring and assists. He's had so many incredible performances but perhaps the best one came against South Carolina last season when he dropped 31 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Sears turned the basketball world upside down during the shooting drills at the 2025 NBA Combine in May. Sears shot 26-for-30 on off-dribble mid-range pull-ups (tied for first); 21-for-25 on spot-up 3s (first); 16-for-25 in the 3-point star drill (tied for 11th); 25-for-27 in the side-mid-side 3-point drill (first), per ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello.

When combining all of his attempts, Sears shot 69 percent from the field—easily the best performance of the day, per ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony. Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier was the runner-up after shooting 63 percent.