DJ McCall returns to Mad Ants via returning player rights

JANUARY 3, 2022 — The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, presented by Lutheran Health Network, the NBA G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, announced Monday that the team has acquired DJ McCall via returning player rights.

McCall became the first Fort Wayne native to play for the Mad Ants when he joined the team during the 2019-20 season after a successful college career at IUPUI.

In May of this year, McCall was part of the EuroPro Summer League in Valencia, Spain.

"The pandemic has presented continuous challenges for everyone, and professional basketball is certainly no exception. However, with the challenges, also comes opportunity -- and that is where DJ steps in. DJ remained close with our organization, we have talked a few times about 'life after basketball' and starting his second career, and he even came to a few of our games early in the season," Mad Ants General Manager Chris Taylor said.

"Little did we know Clark Kent was sitting in the stands. With all of our current NBA Call-Ups, we were scrambling to fill out our roster. So I called DJ and like something out of a comic book, he threw on his cape and saved us in Superman-esque fashion! We know DJ still does a lot within his hometown Fort Wayne community and we are very excited to have him back on the court at the Coliseum."

He appeared in 25 games for the Mad Ants as a rookie, averaging 1.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He scored in his G League debut and went on to score a career best 8 points with 5 rebounds on January 4, 2020 against Capital City, shooting perfect from the field in 27 minutes.