Jaden Akins and John Ukomadu to Represent Motor City Cruise During NBA G League All-Star Weekend
G League Motor City Cruise

Jaden Akins and John Ukomadu to Represent Motor City Cruise During NBA G League All-Star Weekend

Published on February 3, 2026 under NBA G League (G League)
Motor City Cruise News Release


DETROIT - The Motor City Cruise, NBA G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, announced today that guard Jaden Akins has been selected to participate in the 2026 NBA G League Next Up Game presented by AT&T and forward John Ukomadu has been selected to compete in the NBA G League AT&T Slam Dunk event for the second consecutive season.

Akins, 6-4, 195, is currently in his rookie NBA G League campaign and is averaging 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 32 games across the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season. He is the second player in franchise history to be selected for the annual event, joining Tolu Smith in 2025. To begin the season, Akins totaled 106 assists during the Tip-Off Tournament, setting a franchise record and surpassing Zavier Simpson's previous mark of 105. Among all NBA G League rookies, Akins leads all players age 22 or younger in scoring (min. 15 games) and has totaled 196 assists, the most by any rookie and tied for seventh leaguewide. Additionally, Akins has made 213 field goals, which leads all rookies and ranks tied-tenth leaguewide. He is the youngest player in franchise history to record at least 500 points (547), 150 assists (196) and 40 steals (40) in a single season.

A Detroit native, Akins graduated from Michigan State, where he played four seasons with the Spartans and finished his collegiate career averaging 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. A former Big Ten champion, Akins was named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team and earned NABC Great Lakes District First Team honors following the 2024-25 season.

Ukomadu, 6-7, 195, is in his second NBA G League season after earning a roster spot through the open tryout process prior to his rookie year and is averaging 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 32 games across the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season. Ukomadu - who became the first player in franchise history to represent Motor City in the dunk contest last season - has totaled 44 blocks this season, ranking second among second-year forwards. His 81 career blocks are the most by any player in franchise history. He is one of three players leaguewide - and the only second-year forward - to record at least 40 blocks and 30 steals this season. Ukomadu holds NBA G League career averages of 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 23.0 minutes per game.

Another Detroit native, Ukomadu played five seasons of collegiate basketball at Vincennes (2019-21), Macomb Community College (2021-22) and Eastern Kentucky (2022-24), finishing his collegiate career averaging 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 13.0 minutes per game. While at Macomb, he was named a Second Team All-American.

The NBA G League Next Up Game will feature 28 players split into four teams of seven. Ten players were selected through fan voting, with the remaining 18 chosen by the NBA G League based on on-court performance. The event will take place Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET at NBA Crossover at the Los Angeles Convention Center as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.

Ukomadu and three other competitors will complete two dunks in the first round of the NBA G League AT&T Slam Dunk event, with judges awarding six to 10 points per dunk. Players will have 60 seconds to complete each attempt. The two contestants with the highest composite scores advance to the final round, where the same scoring and time limits apply. The competitor with the highest combined score in the final round will be crowned the 2026 AT&T NBA G League Slam Dunk Champion. The event will take place Saturday, Feb. 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET at NBA Crossover at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

All NBA G League events during NBA All-Star 2026 will air on the NBA Channel and will be available free on Roku, Samsung, Tubi, Pluto, Fire TV, Prime Video, Xumo, Fubo, Xfinity, DirecTV and DISH.

Check out the Motor City Cruise Statistics

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NBA G League Stories from February 3, 2026


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