NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Arizona has been having men’s basketball players drafted since before the NBA was a thing.
The first Wildcat selected to play pro ball was Linc Richmond, who in 1948 was taken in the 4th round of the Basketball Association of America Draft, though he returned to the UA for one more season and never played professionally. The BAA and National Basketball League would merge a year later to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Advertisement
The first UA player to get drafted into the NBA and play was Leon Blevins, a 7th-round pick in 1950 who appeared in two games for the Indianapolis Olympians.
All told, Arizona has had 79 NBA/ABA draft picks, a number that will go up by at least two this week. And with Brayden Burries a lock to go in the 1st round Tuesday, while Koa Peat could join him later on, the Wildcats also are set to climb the list of schools with the most first-rounders.
The UA currently ranks 8th all-time, with 27. That’s one behind Indiana, which isn’t likely to add to its total, giving Arizona the chance to move up to 7th if Burries and Peat both go in the first round.
Kentucky is No. 1, at 60, with Duke right behind it with 59 and then North Carolina (55).
Advertisement
Arizona last had consecutive drafts with a 1st-round pick in 2017 (Lauri Markannen) and 2018 (Deandre Ayton). It’s had multiple first rounders on five occasions, most recently in 22nd when Bennedict Mathurin went 6th overall and Dalen Terry 18th.
Assuming he doesn’t fall out of the top 14, Burries would be Arizona’s 18th lottery pick.
Though they aren’t likely to hear their names called during the first round, Wednesday’s second round could see as many as three UA players (Tobe Awaka, Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso) get picked. The only time Arizona has produced four draft picks in one year was in 2001 when Richard Jefferson went 13th overall to the Houston Rockets while Gilbert Arenas, Michael Wright and Loren Woods were all 2nd-round selections.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-nba-draft-arizona-primed-120000908.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-06-23 12:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
