Saint Louis Alumni in the NBA | Aug. 16–22, 2026
Jordan Goodwin is heading back to the Valley — and the NBA is starting to pay attention.
The Saint Louis University product is returning to the Phoenix Suns, and by most accounts, he arrives with something to prove and a growing chorus of supporters willing to make the case for him. Yahoo Sports recently spotlighted Goodwin as the most underrated member of the Suns' roster — a label that carries real weight on a team built around star power.
Goodwin's path to this moment is the kind of story college basketball fans love to claim. A product of the Atlantic 10, he carved out his NBA footing not through lottery-pick pedigree but through relentless effort, defensive tenacity, and a willingness to do the unglamorous work that keeps rotations intact. At 6-foot-3 with a motor that rarely idles, he fits the mold of a connector piece — the type of player championship-caliber teams often can't win without but rarely get full credit for.
Returning to Phoenix is significant. The Suns represent a stable situation for Goodwin, a franchise where he's already built familiarity with the system and staff. For a player working to cement his place in the league, continuity matters — and the "underrated" tag from a national outlet suggests his profile is rising at exactly the right time.
The broader SLU connection to the NBA remains a point of quiet pride for Billikens fans. Goodwin isn't alone in the league — fellow alum Yuri Collins is currently on the Golden State Warriors' roster, keeping the Saint Louis pipeline to the pros very much alive. Collins, a dynamic point guard in his own right, adds another thread to what has become a legitimate NBA alumni story for a program not always mentioned in the same breath as college basketball's traditional powerhouses.
For a mid-major program like Saint Louis, having two players in NBA camps simultaneously is no small thing. But this week belongs to Goodwin. His return to Phoenix — framed not just as a roster move but as a narrative worth following — suggests his chapter in the league is far from finished. If anything, it's just getting interesting.
Billikens fans have plenty of reason to tune in when the Suns tip off this season.
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