One of the greatest players to ever suit up for Tom Izzo and Michigan State is now one of the many Spartans in the pros. Cassius Winston took his talents from East Lansing to the NBA and now he’s showing off overseas.
Before we get there, let’s take a look back at what made Cassius so special.
The former four-star point guard from Detroit Jesuit was a winner at the high school level, and he brought that mentality to Michigan State. In East Lansing, he was a three-time Big Ten champion, a Final Four competitor, a conference record holder, and a Big Ten Player of the Year award winner. Oh, and a two-time All-American.
Cassius was one of the most exciting players to put on a Spartan uniform, and he dazzled crowds and had defenders on skates for four incredible years.
Unfortunately, his quest to become the best point guard to ever play for Izzo was cut short as the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID, ending Winston’s collegiate career a month early. If he had a chance to make a national title push as a senior, I truly believe he would’ve gotten it done.
Winston would end his Michigan State career with three Big Ten titles, a Final Four, plenty of hardware, and the most assists in the conference’s history, passing Mateen Cleaves.
Cassius then made the jump to the NBA.
Where is Cassius Winston today?
Cassius played two years in the NBA with the Wizards after being selected No. 53 overall in the 2020 draft. He played in just 29 games and averaged 1.9 points and 0.7 assists while shooting over 40 percent from deep. It was clear that Cassius just wasn’t athletic enough to succeed in the NBA.
The skill was always there, but there was only so much he could do in the NBA.
Since leaving the league in 2022, Cassius has bounced around overseas, going from the EuroLeague to Turkey to Italy to the EuroCup and now he’s in Israel.
The Spartan legend is in the Israeli Premier League — the same pro league as Malik Hall — and he’s averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 42 percent from three in eight games with his new Israeli team, Hapoel Jerusalem.
It would be cool to see Winston get another NBA opportunity one day, but for now, he’s hooping overseas and making an international name for himself.