Scottie Wilbekin has seen his basketball road go through twists and turns since his UF career came to a bittersweet end.
After leading the Gators to a Final Four berth and receiving accolade after accolade in 2014, the point guard and Gainesville native found himself undrafted and heading overseas to continue his basketball career that was hanging on by a thread.
But with his back against the wall, Wilbekin did what he does best: He stepped up.
Now, after a stellar year with the Cairns Taipans of Australia’s National Basketball League and a strong showing in his final NBA Summer League, Wilbekin finally has his shot to compete in the NBA.
The Philadelphia 76ers offered the 22-year-old Wilbekin a four-year contract after he averaged 16 points per game and shot 44.1 percent from downtown in their five summer league games in Las Vegas.
And frankly, it’s about time for Wilbekin.
He turned his life around in his final year at UF, becoming a better all-around player, athlete and person.
After his first three years with the Gators — three years that almost saw former UF coach Billy Donovan kick Wilbekin off the team on more than one occasion — Wilbekin transformed into one of Florida’s rocks on and off the court his senior year, a leader among leaders on an upperclassman-heavy roster.
He led the Gators in average minutes (34.0), steals (1.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1:1) while also putting up 13.1 points and committing just 59 personal fouls — the lowest among UF’s regular contributors.
He made plays when needed.
Yet when the 2014 NBA Draft rolled around, and his name went unannounced, his professional career in the United States looked bleak.
Teams didn’t want to risk seeing Wilbekin revert to his old ways once he moved away from the comfort of his hometown, his college team and his college coach who forced Wilbekin to make life-changing decisions to continue playing.
So Wilbekin moved overseas and played a season of basketball in Australia.
He proved his critics wrong.
The 6-foot-2 Wilbekin led the Cairns Taipans to their first playoff berth in four years while posting a team-best 15.2 points and 4.3 assists per game and finishing second with 1.1 steals per contest.
He played all 32 games for the Taipans — no suspensions, no injuries — and was on the court for a team-high 30.8 minutes each game.
Now he’s back in the U.S., looking to stay hot and ready to see his NBA career take off.
And his performance in his 10 NBA Summer League games — five with the Orlando Magic and five more with the 76ers — definitely didn’t hurt his stock.
Wilbekin flat-out dominated, averaging 12.8 points and 2.4 assists per game and sinking 42.4-percent of his three-pointers in the process.
He knows how to feed off his teammates.
He knows how to make his own plays.
And he knows he has what it takes to make it in the NBA.
All Wilbekin needed was an opportunity to prove himself, an opportunity the 76ers have given him.
Still, the move is a gamble.
Wilbekin had resigned with the Taipans for next season, but his contract included an NBA out clause.
Although he has a contract, he’s nowhere near a guaranteed roster spot. There are countless obstacles he'll still have to overcome.
Trades, last-second drops and straight up releases are all possibilities lingering over Wilbekin’s head.
And the 76ers — a team seemingly in a constant state of rebuilding — could decide at any point to treat Wilbekin like an asset and move him.
It’s up to him to make sure none of that happens.
The ball is in his court, and if the last 12 months have proved anything, Wilbekin will take advantage of every second he has.
Scottie Wilbekin drives down the court during Florida’s 79-68 win in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament against UCLA on March 27 inside the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.
