By Joe Reardon, Newswire Intern

Three former Xavier Musketeers are now a part of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Though none of them were at Xavier together, Naji Marshall, Colby Jones and Quincy Olivari are now representing Xavier with the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.  

Marshall played three seasons at Xavier as a starter for the entirety of his sophomore and junior years. During his junior year, Marshall averaged 35.6 minutes per, 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He was named to the All-Big East First Team in 2020.

Marshall joined the NBA in 2020 after initially going unselected in the NBA draft and is now in his fifth season. He spent his first four years in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans, playing in 230 games and averaging 7.5 points per game across his four seasons. During this past offseason, Marshall signed a three-year, $27-million contract with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Similar to Marshall, Jones also played three seasons with Xavier. During his final season with the Musketeers, Jones played 36 games, averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. In 2023, he was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District (5) Second Team and All-Big East Second Team.

Jones is in his second season in the NBA, currently playing for the Sacramento Kings. He was drafted 34th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, originally to the Charlotte Hornets. After some draft trades, he ultimately ended up with the Kings. He played in 30 games with the Kings during his rookie season and averaged 2.1 points per game. 

Olivari only played one season for the Musketeers, but he was a highly influential player on the team. He started all 34 games of the 2023-24 NCAA season, averaging 32.2 minutes, 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Olivari also set the school’s single-season record for three-pointers with 106. He was named NABC All-District (5) Second Team and was an All-Big East Honorable Mention in 2024.

Olivari is currently in his rookie season in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. Olivari has yet to make his regular season debut, but has played for the Lakers in the Summer League and in four of the six Lakers preseason games.

Olivari received praise for his performance in the Lakers preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks from Lakers head coach J.J. Redick. 

“Quincy (Olivari) just completely changed the game. To me, and I told our guys this after, what he did is the blueprint for what we’re asking for a few of our players in terms of just picking up full court, being disruptive, taking time off the shot clock,” Redick said.

Olivari was also mentioned by teammate and NBA star Lebron James for his performance in the preseason. During the Lakers’ Media Day, Olivari posed for a picture with James, prompting Lakers’ fans to ask, “who is #41?” in reference to a video of Olivari talking with James and asking for a picture with him in the background of another teammates interview. After Olivari’s efforts against the Bucks in the preseason, James chimed in on Instagram with a picture of Olivari, saying, “They know who 41 is now.”

All three players are poised to make their mark in the NBA this season, showcasing the legacy of Xavier basketball on the national level.