WATCH: Sharife Cooper dazzles with behind-the-back pass in NBA SL

Auburn basketball sent two of its stars to the big leagues in the 2021 NBA Draft, and one of them is already making a splash in the NBA Summer League. Sharife Cooper, former Tigers point guard, was selected as the 48th pick in the second round of the draft to the Atlanta Hawks.

Though he was initially thought of as a lottery pick, Cooper slid down the board into the second round, possibly because of the small number of games he played in the 2020 season or due to the fact that his three-point shooting isn’t exactly where it could be.

With plenty of talent, Cooper will be competing with the Hawks’ veteran point guard Lou Williams for backup minutes next season. While that’s no small task, Sharife Cooper is certainly taking advantage of Summer League play to let everyone know he means business in the NBA.

The Hawks kicked off NBA Summer League play with a game versus the Celtics, going up against a lineup including Payton Pritchard, Yam Madar, and Aaron Nesmith. However, if Cooper was intimidated he didn’t let it show.

The rookie had several stellar moves in the game, including an impressive behind-the-back pass to Skylar Mays:

What a way to kick off your NBA career, right? Needless to say, Auburn fans were all over the first official Sharife Cooper highlights from the NBA:

Sharife Cooper is not going to let a #48 selection keep him from being a star on basketball’s biggest stage. Keep an eye out for JT Thor when the Charlotte Hornets take on the Portland Trailblazers tonight at 5:00 pm central time.