WESTFORD — Terance Mann’s NBA journey took him from coast to coast this past season.
But through the highs and lows of trades, adapting to new teams and establishing a role, giving back to Lowell will always remain at the top of Mann’s priority list.
The Lowell native and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard returned home this week for the Terance Mann Complete Player Foundation’s fifth annual basketball camp at the Mill Works as part of Mann’s efforts to give back to his community.
The camp, which runs from Monday to Thursday this week, was accompanied by an academic fair with over 50 prep schools in attendance on Wednesday to expose the boys and girls from the ages of 8-18 at the camp to opportunities of continuing their academic and athletic careers at prep school. Mann opted to attend Hillside and Tilton over Lowell High on his rise to the NBA and credits those experiences for where he is today.
Established in 2023, the TMCPF has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to assist at-risk youth in the community in their academic and athletic endeavors. On Thursday, Mann and the TMCPF have partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell for a back-to-school backpack drive. The foundation received support from the city of Lowell this week, providing lunches for the camp participants.
Lowell native and Brooklyn Nets guard Terance Mann, right, took the floor with a young camper as other campers looked on at The Mill Works in Westford on Wednesday during his Complete Player Foundation event. (James Thomas for the Lowell Sun)
“It’s amazing,” Mann told The Sun. “I’m going to try to do it every year that I’m living, really. It’s a big camp for the kids, a big camp for the community. Just to be able to come here and learn basketball the right way and learn more about education.”
Mann, a second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2019 NBA Draft of the Los Angeles Clippers, returned to Lowell this summer in a very different place than last year’s festivities. After starting the year in the Clippers’ rotation — playing in 37 games while averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds — Mann was dealt at the trade deadline to the Atlanta Hawks.
Mann, who has cemented himself as one of the league’s more reliable two-way facilitators, said he expected a trade but that he didn’t know where he was headed. The Clippers ultimately sent Mann and Bones Hyland to the Hawks in exchange for Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks. Mann, who played his college basketball at Florida State, had signed a three-year, $47 million extension prior to the start of last season with the Clippers.
Mann finished the season in Atlanta, playing in 30 games while averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
“Amazing opportunity to be able to go from LA to Atlanta and to be able to learn that system,” Mann said. “Playing with those guys was a lot of fun, playing with Trae Young was a lot of fun.”
But it was only the first time Mann would find himself in a player swap. In June, Mann was in the middle of the three-team blockbuster that sent Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics to the Hawks.
Brooklyn Nets star Terance Mann, right, shared the court with a young camper during his Complete Player Foundation event Wednesday at The Mill Works in Westford. (James Thomas for the Lowell Sun)
The deal had a lot of local ties to the Merrimack Valley, sending Mann (Lowell) to the Nets and Georges Niang (Methuen) to the Celtics. Niang and Mann, who both attended Tilton, spent time last season on the Hawks. The Nets also acquired the rights to Drake Powell in the three-team trade deal, where the Celtics and Hawks also landed second-round picks.
“It was a very weird moment,” Mann said. “I honestly thought I was going to Boston at first — I didn’t know really what was going on, but it was a very weird moment. But it was cool to be able to know that I’m playing in front of my family in New York.”
Mann was born in Brooklyn and moved to Lowell at age 11. He’s excited to play in front of family this season for the Nets.
And while Mann will be adjusting to a change of scenery, he’ll also step into a new role on and off the court. Mann, 28, will join Haywood Highsmith as the oldest players on the Nets’ young roster.
After being surrounded by a handful of impactful veterans throughout his career, Mann said he is ready to lead Brooklyn’s young core. In particular, Mann said the leadership of John Wall, who announced his retirement from the NBA this week after 11 seasons, had an immense impact on Mann’s development. Mann played in 33 games with Wall on the Clippers in the 2022-23 season.
“To be able to play with him was just an amazing opportunity for me to be able to learn from him and to be able to just be on the court with him at times,” Mann said. “Sometimes I’d be out there just looking, like, ‘I can’t believe I’m out here with John Wall.’ ”
The whirlwind of the 2024-25 season only taught Mann more about who he was as a player and how he can impact the Nets moving forward. In the 2021-22 season, Mann posted career bests in points (10.8) and minutes (28.6). While he is unsure of what his on-court role will be in Brooklyn, he’s prepared to help the team in any way he can.
At The Mill Works in Westford on Wednesday, Brooklyn Nets guard and Lowell native Terance Mann addressed participants at his Complete Player Foundation event. (James Thomas for the Lowell Sun)
“It taught me a lot,” Mann said. “It taught me I’m able to adapt in a lot of different situations, and I think that’s why I’m really still here, to be able to play whatever role the coach asks me to do, no matter what team and no matter who’s out there.”
And while Mann continues to evolve as a veteran presence on the NBA hardwood, he said it is only the beginning of his plans to give back to Lowell.
“Even though this is year five, we’re just getting started, really,” Mann said. “Things are really picking up now that it’s year five.”
Originally Published: August 20, 2025 at 6:10 PM EDT