Jordan Ford witnessed things come full circle this week.
The 25-year-old guard, who grew up a little over 20 miles east of Sacramento in Folsom, Calif., earned a spot on the Kings' 2023 summer league roster.
"It's a great opportunity," Ford said after the Kings' 100-94 win over the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the California Classic at Golden 1 Center (h/t FOX40's Sean Cunningham). "For those that don't know, I'm from Sacramento, the area, so just to come full circle and end up back here in my hometown and get an opportunity to play here in summer league with guys that are on the roster, it's been great and I'm looking forward to the rest of summer league.
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Ford attended Folsom High School and was named the Sacramento Bee's player of the year twice. He received college offers from Gonzaga, U.C. Berkley, Oregon and Oregon State but committed to play for Saint Mary's.
As a sophomore, Ford averaged 11.1 points on 50.8-percent shooting from the field and 44.3 percent from 3-point range, adding 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. In the next two seasons, his game elevated to a whole other level.
Ford averaged 21.1 points in 2018-19 and 21.9 points in 2019-20, respectively. At the end of the regular season of his senior year, he was named to the First Team All-WCC.
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ford signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Clippers before being waived by the team that December. He played the rest of the 2020-21 season in the Greek club with the Peristeri.
NBA
Ford returned to the Clippers' G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers and played with them during summer league.
Last November, Ford was named to the opening night roster for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento's G League affiliate, and he earned a spot on the summer league team. On Monday, Ford stepped onto the hardwood inside Golden 1 Center with a Kings uniform on for the first time.
"Shoot, I grew up watching the Kings and being a local guy, coming to some of the games, and to actually go from being in the stands, being a fan, to being a player now, it's a great moment," Ford said. "And just to see the fans in there, some people I know, some I don't, it's just been awesome."
And Ford's debut with his hometown team didn't disappoint, dropping 18 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting (75 percent) from the field and was a perfect 3 of 3 from both behind the arc and at the free-throw line.
He appears to be making a case for himself to be on Sacramento's roster by the end of the summer, eyeing that third-string point guard spot. If he continues to ball out as he did Monday, the "local guy" could make a dream a reality.
