ITHACA, N.Y. -- Former Cornell men's basketball star Chris Manon has signed a two-way NBA contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. A two-way contract allows a team to have players who can split time between the NBA and the G League to develop young talent and provide flexibility in roster management.
Manon averaged 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.8 steals in five games at the NBA 2K26 Summer League for the Golden State Warriors, catching the eye of the Lakers and several other organizations. The former Big Red and Vanderbilt star shot 50 percent from the floor overall and from 3-point range and 66 percent from the free-throw line. He scored 17 points with five rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks in a win over Cleveland and 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks against Toronto.
A first-team all-league and all-region selection as a senior in 2023-24 at Cornell, Manon was a two-time all-tournament selection at Ivy Madness. He led the Big Red to a three-year record of 54-30 with appearances in the Ivy League Tournament each season, culminating in a 22-8 campaign in 2023-24 that featured an Ivy runner-up finish and a spot in the NIT for the first time in program history. In just three seasons after missing his freshman season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Manon graduated with the school's all-time lead in steals per game (2.08). He recorded a school record 63 steals as both a junior and senior and graduated ranked No. 2 in career steals (173), as well as ranking seventh in career field goal percentage (.535) and third in dunks (45). Manon led the team in scoring as a senior and in blocked shots his junior campaign while pacing the Ancient Eight in steals all three seasons. The MVP of the Jacksonville Classic Bay Bracket in 2023, he was a three-time Ivy League weekly honoree (two-time Player of the Week, one-time Rookie of the Week). Manon recorded career totals of 929 points, 314 rebounds, 196 assists, 173 steals and 40 blocked shots in 83 games. Following his senior season, Manon played as a graduate transfer at Vanderbilt.
Cornell has had many connections to the NBA over the years, as four previous former student-athletes have played in the league with a total of 12 players being drafted over the years.
Nat Militzok was the first Cornellian to play in the NBA, seeing time for both the Toronto Huskies of the BAA (the forerunner of the NBA) and New York Knicks during the 1946-47 season. In 57 total games, Militzok averaged 4.3 points. He had the honor of playing in what is considered the first NBA game for the Knicks against the Huskies in Toronto on Nov. 1, 1946. The longest career belonged to Ed Peterson, who played a season with the Syracuse Nationals in 1949-50 before suiting up for the Tri-City Blackhawks the following year. In 115 NBA games, Peterson averaged 7.0 points. Gene Berce played three games for Tri-City during the 1949-50 season after being drafted by the New York Knicks a year earlier. He averaged 3.3 points and 0.7 assists. Jeff Foote '10 was the latest with the New Orleans Hornets. Foote played in four contests during the 2011-12 season, averaging 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds per contest.
The highest drafted player was Lee Morton '54, going 25th overall in the third round to the Rochester Royals in the 1954 draft. Both George Farley '60 (fifth round, 34th overall in 1960) and Louis Jordan '59 (6th round, 42nd overall in 1959) have also gone among the top 50 players drafted.
Additionally, former Big Red letter winners Jeffrion Aubry '99, Cody Toppert '05, Ryan Wittman '10, Shonn Miller '15 and Matt Morgan '19 have played in the G League, the NBA's sanctioned minor league. Off the court, Bryan Colangelo '87 was named the NBA's Executive of the Year in 2005 as the team president and general manager of the Phoenix Suns and currently serves in the same role for the Toronto Raptors organization.
