Sean East II, after leading the University of Missouri men’s basketball team throughout the 2023-24 season, has secured the next step in his career by signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers as of Friday.
East topped the Tigers’ stats with an average of 17.6 points and 4.0 assists per game during the 2023-24 season. His scoring placed him fifth in the SEC, marking the highest for a Tiger since 2013-14, and he ranked sixth in the conference for assists. Hailing from Louisville, East finished the season with shooting percentages of 52.1% from the field and an impressive 45.0% from three-point range, which stands as the seventh-best mark in Mizzou history.
Widely recognized as one of the nation’s most improved players, East had a standout final collegiate season, boosting his scoring average by 10.3 points. This increase was the largest by a Tiger since 1976-77, the most among SEC players that season, and the sixth-highest nationwide among players from power conferences. He also joined an elite group as just the sixth player in Mizzou basketball history to average 15.0 points and 4.0 assists in a single season.
Named the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, East is the third player from Missouri to join an NBA team in the last two seasons under the leadership of Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates. Previously, Kobe Brown was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2022-23 NBA Draft, and D’Moi Hodge signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Beyond his individual achievements in 2023-24, East played a pivotal role in the 2022-23 squad’s success, contributing to their 25-win season, advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time in school history, and securing Missouri’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 13 years.
