From the courts of Baltimore to the global stage, DaJuan Summers has built a basketball journey shaped by experience, evolution, and perspective. Now lacing them up again in the BIG3, the former Georgetown standout and NBA veteran is embracing the next phase of his hoops career while staying deeply in tune with the direction the game is heading. In this exclusive sit-down, Summers opens up on why the BIG3 scratches the competitive itch, how his time overseas gave him a blueprint for today’s positionless NBA, and why he believes that American players aren’t getting enough credit for their work ethic and craft.
Throughout the conversation, Summers reflects on the players and moments that molded his identity. From pickup games in Baltimore to his first meeting with Carmelo Anthony, he shares a glimpse into the influence of a city that’s both a basketball factory and cultural hub. He also discusses whether Baltimore should be considered part of the DMV—an ongoing debate with prideful roots. That hometown pride followed him to Georgetown, where Summers carved out his path before being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft.
Summers doesn’t hold back when it comes to today’s NBA. He draws connections between the overseas game and stars like Nikola Jokić, discusses how Paul George has become a prototype for the modern-day NBA athlete, and even weighs in on the comparison floating around that PG is “Kyrie Irving with height.” In the same breath, he offers a sharp take on why Carmelo Anthony—one of his biggest inspirations—was never celebrated in that mold, despite his impact.
His stories stretch beyond just basketball. Summers details what it was like training with legendary point guard Mark Price, reveals whether he ever dared to challenge him one-on-one, and confirms if that famous jumper still hits. He also revisits his time in the NBA with the Pistons, Hornets, and the high-flying Lob City Clippers—reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and how things could’ve gone differently. Summers even peels back the curtain on his interactions with controversial former Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
And in true basketball-head fashion, Summers lets his imagination run, dissecting a hypothetical where Chris Paul ends up in Dallas alongside Cooper Flagg and a recovering Kyrie Irving. It’s part nostalgia, part analysis, and all DaJuan Summers—honest, thoughtful, and rich with game. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of DMV hoops, a BIG3 supporter, or a student of NBA history, this conversation covers it all.
Check out our Q&A below:
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How much do you see your overseas experience and positionless basketball finally catching up with the way the NBA is being played today?
DaJuan Summers: That’s a great question. I mean, I’ve been playing the game so long that I’ve seen it go through so many different phases. When I initially started playing basketball — let’s say when I started to get notoriety in high school, it was more important for bigs to be underneath the basket, you know? Like, under the basket, rebounding, setting screens… doing the dirty work as we would say. Now the game has transitioned to positionless basketball. Overseas I could get more of that — it was a system. You didn’t have to really worry about your skill set, it was more put in place for you but, just to see the transitions that have been made here at home with positionless basketball, I’m just proud of it. I’m proud to be a part of it. Guys like ‘Melo, myself, Rudy [Gay], Donté Greene… you know, we’re forwards that can play inside and out and coming up that really wasn’t the “norm”.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Which American players in today’s NBA best mirror the overseas style of play you’ve seen?
DaJuan Summers: That’s a great question! [smiles]… That’s American? I don’t know. I gotta think. I mean because, most of our American players in the league there, they’re positionless, you know? They can play multiple positions, you know? They can do everything. I would have to think about that; I don’t have a name off the top of my head, most of the names are European players like Luka [Dončić], [Giannis] Antetokounmpo even, but those guys are freaks of nature; anomalies even overseas.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Would you consider Nikola Jokić the gold standard for European basketball today?
DeJuan Summers: Jokić? He’s just special in general. I don’t think it matters where Jokić would’ve played, obviously him being European is highlighted but, Jokić is highly skilled and he loves the game so, he’s passing, he’s scoring, he’s rebounding AND he’s playing defense. He’s playing both sides of the ball so it’s hard to make that a standard when you have somebody that’s so great at so many things on the court.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What do you say to the myth that American players are lazy or less dedicated to their craft?
DaJuan Summers: I don’t think American basketball players have become lazy. I mean, the game has just grown so quickly and has such a wide reach that our guys are getting smarter here, you know? They’re starting to understand what best serves them in order to get to the next level. So whereas you had guys when we were coming up spent 3-4 hours in the gym doing team practices, now you have guys who spend an hour or hour and a half with their trainer working on specific skill sets and then you will have them go to the weight room. But in Europe you’ll have two practices a day with your team — rain, sleet, hail, snow… you know what I mean? So that develops a different kind of mental approach to the game in contrast to what our guys are doing here. I won’t say it’s more individualistic here, I just think our guys have more confidence starting out, you know? The confidence here in America is, With what my skill set and what I can do as an individual player and how I can add that to help the team… and overseas it’s like, How can I use my talent to best fit into the nature of the team rather than being me incorporating myself in the club with my talent? If that makes sense. I mean, I think that’s a fair assessment. There’s a lot riding on Ja Morant’s development; and Anthony Edwards’ development, you know? Those two guys have openly spoken about not wanting to be the face of the league but I don’t think they fully understand that kind of LeBron stirred the pot with that conversation, but our players are NOT lazy. It’s not even up for conversation. I don’t get into that. I think it was just more so about guys being controlled and trying to make you think ‘team first’ but our guys think/ play team-first. It’s just a different level of competitiveness that we have here and we take it personally. Overseas they think more about their club and their brand and things like that, but it’s different here in America.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Who were some of your inspirations growing up in Baltimore that made you fall in love with basketball?
DaJuan Summers: ‘Melo. I mean, I won’t say he’s the main one — ‘Melo was the main one but there were others who played a part in that: Sam Cassell, Reggie Lewis (RIP)… I’m a Cecil Kirk [Recreation Center] guy so I’ve always loved him. Rudy Gay is another Cecil Kirk guy but just as far as that time in my life when I was getting nationally ranked and getting players of the year in Baltimore, kind of seeing my success come to fruition, it was ‘Melo. ‘Melo won the National Championship at Syracuse and I went to a Big East school. And so just kind of just following his blueprint and his footsteps as far as his game and his talent was always something that motivated me and I found it very special that he was from Baltimore, you know? The WB tattoo on him always made me feel strong when I would play and not just aside from my Baltimore reputation about how gritty we are but, I appreciate what ‘Melo did and every time I see him, I thank him for it.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Can you take us back to your first interaction with Carmelo Anthony?
DaJuan Summers: Aw man, this was right after ‘Melo won the National Championship at Syracuse. I used to play with Team Baltimore before I started playing with Cecil and I had relationships with Dino, Phil Dixon, Juan Dixon and they knew ‘Melo well so he came over to Cloverdale [Courts] one day and we were just out there running 1-on-1’s and playing and I got to watch him and I was a kid, you know? Like, 12 or 13… something like that. But that was my first time getting to see ‘Melo up close and I was impressed at how big and powerful he was and how agile and quick and how soft his touch was and so that impressed me and it made me want to work harder.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What are your thoughts on younger players looking at Paul George as today’s NBA gold standard—and the idea that he’s basically Kyrie Irving with height?
DaJuan Summers: I don’t agree but I like Paul George’s game. I love his game but Kyrie is special with what he does with the basketball and I had seen some of ‘Melo’s son’s comments about Paul George in comparison to his father — and you know it’s funny that kids really don’t understand what’s going on but like you said, these YN’s… they haven’t had the opportunity to see ‘Melo you know? Dunk Contest ‘Melo. Syracuse ‘Melo. Oak Hill ‘Melo? Like, that’s the ‘Melo that I remember and I even had a chance to be teammates with ‘Melo when I was in New York for a short time. So it’s just… you know, it’s pick your poison; I guess it’s whatever you prefer but me I’m always going ‘Melo if you’re comparing him and Paul George. It’s not even a question.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Why do you think Carmelo Anthony didn’t get the same level of praise during his prime that someone like Paul George gets now?
DaJuan Summers: It’s definitely social media. That’s one of the aspects of our game that I struggle with myself personally because I’m from a different generation. I just believe in doing the work and letting your game speak. We used to have shirts back in our tournaments — any of these tournaments that I would go to and they would say, “Bring Your Name, Not Your Game” It was one of those kinds of things, right? But now you could have a kid go viral for a crossover or a dunk or a highlight reel and guys will be claiming that this kid is the GOAT. So you know, I think that Paul George has benefitted from this YN generation; the social media generation with guys wanting everything sensationalized versus over a long body of work.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was your overall experience like playing at Georgetown?
DeJuan Summers: Aw man! Georgetown was dope! I was torn between going to Georgetown, UConn or Maryland, you know? My mom and I met with Coach Thompson and I was like this feels like a good fit and obviously staying home in Maryland would’ve been close too so, I felt like Georgetown was the best thing for me but going to the Final Four and winning Big East titles and I had a couple All-Tournament teams in there so, it was just a blessing, man. I was happy to put on for the area — D.C., Baltimore… you know, the DMV; I know as a Baltimorean we don’t like to be claimed to be part of the DMV but the outside world and the rest of the nation looks at us all as a collective so trying to make us come together and I feel that I was a part of doing that and that part of the conversation is STILL ongoing.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: In your opinion, is Baltimore part of the DMV?
DaJuan Summers: [laughing] For me? Like I said, I have such a unique perspective because I’ve traveled so much, you know? You spoke about it earlier in my career that I’ve been everywhere, you know? I’ve been in Asia to South America, to Europe and obviously home. So I would say that Baltimore IS part of the DMV. We have a lot of things that make us closer than separate us but again, I know how my people feel about it [laughs]… I can see my cousins hitting me up now like, “Man we are NOT part of the DMV!” But for me, I would say that we are because it’s a small spot, you know? We’re closer than we are apart.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was your draft process like leading up to being selected by the Detroit Pistons in 2009?
DaJuan Summers: I did probably 10 workouts with different teams and I was traveling from here to there. I was in LA training; I was with Watson & Media Group Agency at that time so, I was just getting prepared for whatever the future held, you know? I was just working hard as I possibly could; I left school in April and went down to Atlanta; trained with Mark Price — he was the shooting coach… was down there training with him running the hills just getting my body in tip top shape and then I left and went to L.A. to start my draft training camp process. And all the while doing all that, my wife was pregnant with my son at the time so, my son was actually born on Draft Day — it was the day before… my son’s birthday was June 24th. I need to check. Either he was born that morning or the day after.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was it like training with the great Mark Price?
DaJuan Summers: So one of my family’s friends, he lived in Atlanta and he was in the industry as far as working with our football guys. So he would see Mark around at some of the training facilities, you know? The training facilities had football, basketball… all of the top sports so he was trying to get into basketball and mentioned my name and he was interested in doing some shooting. He wanted me to expand my jump shot from the college three to the NBA three. So just him having that conversation put me in touch with him and then, we just made it happen. That was probably some of the best training that I’ve had in my life! It was very challenging but it made my jump shot better in that short amount of time.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Did Mark Price ever share any memorable NBA stories with you during your time training together?
DaJuan Summers: [laughs] We really didn’t get too much in the stories because it was just work. Like, he had me doing these cone drills, shooting with conditioning, ball handling and shots and then I would run the hills and do weight training so, I really didn’t understand the magnitude of who he was back at that time when I was training with him, you know? It took me some time to reflect on it once I was in the league like, THAT’S MARK PRICE!!! But we didn’t get into too many stories… [laughs]
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Were you ever bold enough to challenge Mark Price to a one-on-one game?
DaJuan Summers: [laughs] No! We did not!
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Be honest—does Mark Price still have that jumper?
DaJuan Summers: He was STILL a sniper. He taught me so much about just being on balance with my jump shot. Like, you know if you go into a dribble move, a lot of the time as athletes we’re merging all these different moves together and we’re rushing. He taught me pace, cadence, and balance on my shot, you know? He said it was essential for me to follow through and he would mimic some of the drills that he wanted me to do and we STILL be knocking the shots down like about, 70-80 percent and I was kinda like, “Yo! There is no way I can let this dude outshoot me! I know he doesn’t play anymore but, he’s STILL a phenomenal shooter!”
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Why do you think things didn’t work out the way you hoped with the Pistons and the Hornets?
DaJuan Summers: With the Pistons? I think it was just a transition period, you know? It’s funny because looking back on that time in my life, everybody was asking me during the pre-Draft process they were like, “What’s your position? Are you a small forward or a power forward?” and I was like, ‘I’m just a player. I can play either position. Whatever position will get me on the floor is what I want to play, you know?’ But during that time in Detroit, Tayshaun [Prince] and I like how you guys mentioned him earlier, was giving me a lot of game about my defense with him, Richard (Rip) Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Will Bynum… these guys are still brothers to me today but, we had a great team and a great nucleus as far as camaraderie goes but, it was a transition period. Chauncey Billups just left. They just got rid of the coach — Joe Dumars had bought in [John] Kuester and I don’t Kuester even coaches anymore or is even in basketball so, it was just a lot of transitions that were taking place that made it hard to get my footing.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you see a modern-day version of Tayshaun Prince in today’s NBA?
DaJuan Summers: I don’t think so. And obviously I’m scouring my mind right now trying to think of some guys who fit that wiry long, 3-man, play both sides of the ball… I think that Tayhaun was really special with what he did on the defensive end and with his pace. What’s the name of my man he used to play for the Spurs, reminding me of him? Kyle Anderson! He’s the closest thing that reminds me of Tayshaun just because of his pace. Tayshaun was very cerebral. He was always thinking the game — one of the snippets he gave me and it seems so trivial but, you don’t really realize how it impacts you as a player until you hear another player tell you; but I would close out on people shooting jumpers and I would always try to block the shot. That was my mindset. Like, if I would close out on the swing-swing on the help and I’m closing out, I’m trying to get my hand on that basketball. And Tayshaun would tell me he was like, “D, when you close out, close out with your feet down on the floor and your hands high. DON’T leave the ground to try to block the shot because you gotta think most guys can’t make contested shots with a hand in their face and if you jump, it will take you out of position and get you a foul. If they miss, it’ll take you out of rebounding position.” He broke it down to me as a science and then at that point I stopped trying to jump to block the shots unless it was somewhere underneath the basket. But just those little nuggets that Tayshaun would give me shows how great of a player he was.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Where do you personally draw the line between Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton in terms of comparison—and how do you see their games differently?
DaJuan Summers: That’s tough. Well… I mean, Rip has championships! [laughs] So you know shout out to LeBron for his ‘disgust’ for the ring culture but that matters! I mean, they’re both guys that play off of the screens; a lot of movement off of the ball; kind of what Steph does as far as keeping the defense moving with constant movement. I think they’re very similar. Reggie, I feel like he had a little more clutchness to his game but obviously I’m a Detroit former player, so I’m gonna go Rip if I had to pick between the two but I think their games are very similar. Reggie shot way more threes. He was more efficient from the 3 than Richard was. Richard was more midrange.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What was it really like being part of that Lob City Clippers team?
DaJuan Summers: That was awesome man! Playing with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford… and it’s funny because I missed my opportunity in Detroit but I got a chance to play with him in Los Angeles — Lamar Odom, Eric Bledsoe… we had a mob! Matt Barnes… Willie Green… we had such a tight locker room. Grant Hill! I got a chance to play with so many legends on that team and I was happy to be there obviously, and I wanted to play but I got on at the end of the season so we got bumped in the playoffs by Memphis that year in 2013.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Did you ever have any direct interactions with Donald Sterling during your time in L.A.?
DeJuan Summers: I did not. But what’s interesting is that me and Chris [Paul] were in New Orleans together before that whole trade happened for Chris to go to L.A. — he was supposed to go to the Lakers but the league blocked the trade and he ended up going to the Clippers. So I had a close relationship with CP and we played on two teams together but I never had any run-ins with Sterling but I obviously saw the reports like everybody else, but I didn’t see him personally.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What would a Dallas Mavericks team look like with Chris Paul running the show, Cooper Flagg breaking out and Kyrie Irving on the mend?
DaJuan Summers: I live in Dallas now so, I would be very excited about that, you know what I mean? As I think most of the people would be too but, just from a basketball standpoint I think it would help Cooper Flagg’s development exponentially because when I look back at my career and any player’s career, where you go matters. Like Kawhi [Leonard] going to the Spurs changed the trajectory of his career, you know? So I feel like Cooper coming to a team with CP would just put him in a place of maturity and the intellectual side of the game that he probably would take him some years to develop on his own if he didn’t have a player like CP.
DaJuan Summers may not always be in the spotlight, but his voice is sharp, reflective and filled with perspective shaped by over a decade of basketball experiences on nearly every level. Whether it was learning under a legend like Mark Price, suiting up for storied franchises like the Pistons and Clippers, or adjusting to the pace and style of international play, Summers has lived the many dimensions of the game. And now, through the BIG3, he’s continuing to write his own story while mentoring others along the way.
His insight on the evolution of basketball from Baltimore to the global stage, offers a reminder that the game’s growth isn’t limited to highlight reels and analytics. Summers breaks down the cultural shifts, the style clashes, and the way overseas influence has not only caught up with, but helped shape today’s NBA. His takes on positionless play, the influence of Nikola Jokić, and the comparison between players like Paul George and Kyrie Irving show he’s not just watching the game—he’s studying it.
Beyond the Xs and Os, Summers shares a heartfelt appreciation for the people and places that molded him. Whether it was his first meeting with Carmelo Anthony, his years at Georgetown, or his pride in representing Baltimore, his reflections remind us that basketball is deeply personal. The city, the culture, the relationships—all of it matters just as much as what happens between the lines.
He’s also not afraid to speak on the business side—the draft process, team fits that didn’t pan out, and the behind-the-scenes stories that fans rarely hear about. His honesty about why things didn’t work in Detroit or New Orleans adds depth to a career that could’ve gone differently with a few tweaks. Still, Summers holds no bitterness—just lessons, gratitude, and the will to keep competing.
In an era where many voices echo the same narratives, DaJuan Summers offers something different: thoughtful, grounded insight from someone who’s lived it all. From the BIG3 to bold hypotheticals about Chris Paul and Cooper Flagg in Dallas, this conversation proves that Summers isn’t just watching basketball’s evolution—he’s still part of it.
