Dec 1, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) and forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) celebrate a scoring run in the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Dale Young-Imagn Images

MSU's Akins, Bingham to Play With Richardson in Summer League

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 3:59 PM ET

The Orlando Magic may as well be called the Orlando Spartans this summer.

On Wednesday, the Magic revealed their roster for their 2025 Summer League team, and on it are former Michigan State center Marcus Bingham Jr. and guard Jaden Akins. They, of course, will be joining fellow Spartan Jase Richardson, whom Orlando selected with the 25th overall pick of the NBA Draft last week.

.@OrlandoMagic announce roster for @NBASummerLeague 2025 pic.twitter.com/Soc26zhCPG
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) July 2, 2025

Bingham got his shot at the NBA when he signed with the Dallas Mavericks after going undrafted in 2022. He was waived and got an opportunity to play for Dallas' G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, but suffered a season-ending injury in his debut.

Bingham had most recently been playing professionally in Israel and proved he deserves a second shot at the NBA, or at least the G League.

The former Spartan center is Michigan State's all-time leader in blocks.

Akins, meanwhile, went undrafted last week and will have a chance to prove himself as well. He led the Spartans in scoring last season with 12.8 points per game and earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors. He also made the Big Ten All-Defense team.

Akins comes off four seasons at Michigan State and finished with his best season of them all while helping lead the Spartans to a Big Ten title and Elite Eight appearance.

Richardson, of course, transformed into one of the top freshmen in the nation and had even been projected as a lottery pick before questions rose -- primarily regarding his size -- at the NBA Combine.

He would still be a first-round pick and will have his first opportunity to showcase his talents in an Orlando uniform in Summer League. And it should help that he'll have his former Spartan teammate, Akins, with him.

For Akins, he'll have the benefit of playing with two of his former Michigan State teammates, as he played with Bingham during his freshman season (Bingham's senior season). The Spartans would make it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament that season, where they fell to a No. 2-seeded Duke.

The 2025 NBA Summer League will begin on Saturday with sessions in Salt Lake City and San Francisco, followed by the main session in Las Vegas, which starts on July 10.