Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Meleek Thomas made an impressive NBA debut during Monday night’s 127-125 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, earning praise from his former college coach, John Calipari.
The Arkansas head coach took to X, formerly known as Twitter, following Cleveland’s thrilling victory to congratulate the 20-year-old guard on his performance.
“So proud of Meleek Thomas. He did not play for two games but was prepared for when his number was called!! Cleveland won in overtime and Meleek scored 16 points in an overtime win and went 4 of 5 from the three point line!
“Two days ago my comment to him was to continue to prepare for games like you are going to play 30 minutes. Obviously he did that tonight, proud of you Meleek!”
Thomas finished with 16 points, two rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes off the bench. He shot 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range, providing Cleveland with an offensive spark in his first NBA appearance.
Meleek Thomas impresses in Cavaliers debut
Thomas, whom the Sacramento Kings selected with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft before trading him to Cleveland, played one season under Calipari at Arkansas.
During his freshman campaign, Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals across 37 appearances while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers improved to 2-1 with their second consecutive victory after suffering a disappointing season-opening loss to LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers, during which they surrendered a 29-point lead.
Cleveland will look to extend its winning streak Wednesday when it hosts the Washington Wizards (2-2) at 7 p.m. ET.
The Cavaliers will then begin a two-game road trip Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks (2-2) at 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV.