2026 NBA Draft Notes

Official Release |

Below are statistical notes, historical context and other information related to the selections in the 2026 NBA Draft. This page will be updated on a rolling basis throughout both rounds. 

SECOND ROUND

• Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, who was selected by the New York Knicks with the 31st pick, is the Buckeyes’ all‑time leading scorer (2,164 points), breaking Dennis Hopson’s 39-year-old record in 2026. (As part of a planned trade, the Knicks will send the draft rights to Thornton to the Houston Rockets.)

• BYU guard Richie Saunders, who was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 32nd pick, became the school’s second selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. It marks the first time the Cougars have had multiple picks in the same draft (AJ Dybantsa, No. 1) since the NBA Draft adopted its current two-round format in 1989.

• Duke guard Isaiah Evans, who was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 33rd pick, became the program’s 73rd draft pick since the NBA Draft moved to a two-round format in 1989, the most of any school. (As part of a planned trade, the Nets will send the draft rights to Evans to the Minnesota Timberwolves.)

• Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, who was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 34th pick, shot 48.7% from three- point range in SEC games in 2025-26, an Arkansas conference play record. (As part of a planned trade, the Kings will send the draft rights to Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile, who was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 35th pick, joined Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7) and Meleek Thomas (No. 34) as Razorbacks selected in the 2026 NBA Draft, marking the third time since the NBA Draft moved to a two-round format in 1989 that Arkansas has produced three selections in the same draft (1992, 2023 and 2026).

• Baba Miller (Spain; University of Cincinnati) was selected 36th overall by the LA Clippers, marking the first time since 2009 and second time ever that three players from Spain were selected in the same NBA Draft.

• Miller, the school’s first draft pick since Jacob Evans was selected 28th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, was the first Bearcat to lead the team in points (13.0 ppg), rebounds (10.3 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg) since Oscar Robertson in 1959-60.

• At 17 years old, Miller made his EuroLeague debut for Real Madrid, capping a youth career that began at age 12. Born in Mallorca and developed in Madrid, he won the 2020-21 EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament before averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds for Real Madrid’s B team in 2021-22.

• Louisville guard Ryan Conwell, who was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 37th pick, joined Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6) to give the Cardinals multiple selections in the draft for the first time since 2015. (As part of a planned trade, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Conwell to the Miami Heat.)

• Purdue guard Braden Smith, who was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 38th pick, finished his career as the NCAA Division I all-time leader in assists (1,103) and is the only player in Division I history to record at least 1,500 career points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds. (As part of a planned trade, the Bulls will send the draft rights to Smith to the Indiana Pacers.)

• Jack Kayil (Germany; Alba Berlin) was selected 39th overall by the Houston Rockets , marking the first time since 2024 that two players from Germany were selected in the same NBA Draft. (As part of a planned trade, the Rockets will send the draft rights to Kayil to the New York Knicks.)

• Kayil participated in the 2024 Basketball Without Borders Global camp at NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, Indiana and the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Wroclaw, Poland, where he was named a camp All-Star.

• Kayil joined Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder this past season as one of the youngest players ever to win the German Bundesliga’s Best Young Player award, putting him in rare company. The Berlin native came up through Alba Berlin’s youth academy before signing with SC Rasta Vechta in 2023, where he won a second straight German U-19 title and took MVP honors at the final tournament.

• St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell, who was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 40th pick, joined Zuby Ejiofor (No. 23) as Red Storm selections in the 2026 NBA Draft, marking the first time since 2000 that St. John’s has had multiple players selected in the same draft.

• Duke forward Maliq Brown, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 44th pick, was the 2025‑26 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Sixth Man of the Year in his second season at Duke.

• Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, who was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 45th pick, became the Cougars’ third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, marking just the second time in the common draft era (since 1966) that Houston has produced three selections (Sharp, Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr.) in the same draft.

• Felix Okpara (Nigeria; University of Tennessee) was selected 46th overall by the Orlando Magic. Okpara earned 2025-26 SEC All-Defensive Team honors as a senior in his second season at Tennessee. He ranks second in program history in blocks per game at 1.6 and is one of four Tennessee players to record multiple 50-block seasons. (As part of a planned trade, the Magic will send the draft rights to Okpara to the Washington Wizards.)

• Tobi Lawal (UK; Virginia Tech) was selected 48th overall by the Dallas Mavericks. Lawal did not pick up a basketball until he was 16, growing up in London and starring for the City of London Academy before crossing the Atlantic.

• Lawal started his college career at VCU, then transferred to Virginia Tech, where as a senior he averaged 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game.

• Arizona guard Jaden Bradley, who was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 50th pick, was the 2025-26 Big 12 Player of the Year (coaches) and a 2025-26 All-America Third Team selection (NABC, USBWA, Sporting News).

• South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson, who was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 51st pick, became just the third Bulls player selected in the NBA Draft since the league moved to a two-round format in 1989, joining Solomon Jones (2006) and Dominique Jones (2010). (As part of a planned trade, the Wizards will send the draft rights to Nelson to the Orlando Magic.)

• Henri Veesaar (Estonia, University of North Carolina) was selected 52nd overall by the LA Clippers, marking the first time that a player from Estonia was drafted since 1996, when Martin Muursepp was selected 25th overall. Veesaar made his senior debut for the Estonian national team at age 17, suiting up against Iceland in the summer of 2021 as a product of Real Madrid’s renowned youth academy. (As part of a planned trade, the Clippers will send the rights to Veesaar to the Atlanta Hawks.)

• Ugonna Onyenso (Nigeria; University of Virginia) was selected 53rd overall by the Houston Rockets, marking the second time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the same NBA Draft. (As part of a planned trade, the Rockets will send the draft rights to Onyenso to the Detroit Pistons.)

• Onyenso spent three years at NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, making him the third NBA Academy Africa alumnus and 15th NBA Academy alumnus overall to be drafted into the NBA. At 17 years old, Onyenso became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Nigerian senior national team. The Owerri-born center first picked up basketball after a local coach pulled him away from soccer, then attended NBA Academy Africa before relocating to Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.

• Vsevolod Ishchenko (Russia; Lokomotiv Kuban) was selected 56th overall by the Chicago Bulls, marking the second time ever that at least one player from Russia was selected in consecutive NBA Drafts (Egor Dёmin was picked eighth overall in 2025 by the Brooklyn Nets). (As part of a planned trade, the Bulls will send the draft rights to Ishchenko to the Dallas Mavericks via the Los Angeles Lakers.)

• Ishchenko made his name early in Russia’s youth basketball system, earning two VTB Youth April MVP awards while dominating the junior ranks for Lokomotiv Kuban-2, where he averaged 16.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes per game as an 18-year-old.

• Narcisse Ngoy (France; Auburn University) was selected 57th overall by the Atlanta Hawks. Ngoy previously played for Chorale Roanne Basket, Rouen Metropole Basket, and Poitiers Basket 86 in France and represented France at FIBA U-20 EuroBasket 2024. (As part of a planned trade, the Hawks will send the draft rights to Ngoy to the LA Clippers.)

• Malique Lewis (Trinidad and Tobago; South East Melbourne Phoenix) was selected 60th overall by the Washington Wizards. (As part of a planned trade, the Wizards will send the draft rights to Lewis to the Milwaukee Bucks.)

• As a 16-year-old, Lewis moved to Spain to play for Fuenlabrada in the Liga ACB. He joined the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League for the 2023-24 season, where he played in 50 games before signing with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australia’s NBL as part of the league’s Next Stars program.

FIRST ROUND

• The Washington Wizards made the first pick in the NBA Draft for the third time in the common draft era (since 1966), selecting BYU forward AJ Dybantsa. They previously selected Kwame Brown (2001) and John Wall (2010) with the first overall pick.

• Washington entered the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with a 14.0% chance of receiving the No. 1 overall pick, tied for the best odds with the Brooklyn Nets and the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards became the first team since the flattened odds were introduced in 2019 to finish with the NBA’s worst record and receive the No. 1 pick.

• Dybantsa became BYU’s first No. 1 overall pick. The previous highest-drafted player from BYU was Shawn Bradley at No. 2 in 1993.

• Dybantsa scored 894 points in 2025-26, the third most by a freshman in a season in NCAA Division I history. He was a consensus All-America First Team selection and a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year awards.

• The Utah Jazz made the second pick in the NBA Draft for the second time, selecting Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. The Jazz selected Darrell Griffith with the No. 2 pick in 1980.

• Peterson averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman in 2025-26, breaking the Kansas freshman scor­ing record previously held by former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.

• The Memphis Grizzlies made the third pick in the NBA Draft for the second time, selecting Duke forward Cameron Boozer. The Grizzlies selected Shareef Abdur‑Rahim with the No. 3 pick in 1996 ahead of their second season as an expansion team.

• Boozer, the consensus National Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, became the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a season since Larry Bird (1976-77).

• Boozer is the son of two-time NBA All-Star and 2001 Duke national champion Carlos Boozer.

• The Chicago Bulls made the fourth pick in the NBA Draft for the sixth time, selecting North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson. With the No. 4 pick, the Bulls selected Tom Boerwinkle in 1968, Kelvin Ransey in 1980, Marcus Fizer in 2000, Eddy Curry in 2001 and Patrick Williams in 2020.

• Wilson became North Carolina’s highest draft pick since Marvin Williams was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

• Wilson is the second freshman to lead North Carolina in scoring (19.8 ppg), rebounding (9.4 rpg) and steals (1.4 spg), joining Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06).

• The LA Clippers made the fifth pick in the NBA Draft for the first time, selecting Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. It is their first top-five selection since 2009, when they drafted Blake Griffin No. 1 overall.

• Wagler became Illinois’ third top-10 pick in the common draft era, joining Kendall Gill (No. 5 in 1990) and Deron Williams (No. 3 in 2005).

• Wagler was rated as the No. 261 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings in the 2025 recruiting class.

• Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., who was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the sixth pick, became the school’s highest-drafted player since Felton Spencer was selected sixth overall in the 1990 NBA Draft.

• Brown equaled Louisville single-game records with 45 points (tying Wes Unseld) and 10 three-pointers (matching Reyne Smith) against NC State on Feb. 9, 2026.

• Brown is the first top 10 pick from Louisville since 1996 (Samaki Walker, No. 9) and the school’s first first-round pick since Donovan Mitchell in 2017.

• The Sacramento Kings made the seventh pick in the NBA Draft for the ninth time, selecting Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. With the No. 7 pick, the Kings selected Ron Behagen in 1973, Steve Johnson in 1981, Lionel Simmons in 1990, Walt Williams in 1992, Bobby Hurley in 1993, Jason Williams in 1998, Bismack Biyombo in 2011 and Ben McLemore in 2013.

• Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the eighth pick, is the school’s fourth first-round pick since the NBA went to a two-round draft in 1989. He joined Quentin Grimes (2021), Jarace Walker (2023) and Marcus Sasser (2023).

• The first eight picks in the 2026 NBA Draft were college freshmen, tying the 2025 NBA Draft for most freshmen selected to begin a draft.

• Nine of the first 10 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft were college freshmen, tying the record for most freshmen in the top 10, set in 2017 and matched in 2025.

• The Milwaukee Bucks selected Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the 10th pick, marking their first lottery selection since 2016, when they selected Thon Maker with the 10th pick.

• Michigan center Aday Mara of Spain was selected 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming the highest-drafted player from Spain since Ricky Rubio was selected fifth overall in 2009.

• Mara participated in the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Global camp at NBA All-Star in Salt Lake City, Utah and 2022 Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Milan, Italy. He was named an All-Star at both camps.

• Mara set a Michigan single-season record with 103 blocks in 2025-26.

• Michigan produced three first-round picks from its 2026 national championship team: Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9, Dallas), Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11, Golden State) and Aday Mara (No. 12, Oklahoma City). It marks just the second time in program history that the Wolverines have had three first-round picks in the same draft, joining the 1990 trio of Rumeal Robinson (No. 10), Loy Vaught (No. 13) and Terry Mills (No. 16).

• Johnson (No. 9), Lendeborg (No. 11) and Mara (No. 12) became just the second trio from the same school selected within a four-pick span in the modern draft era. The other was Duke’s 1999 trio of Trajan Langdon (No. 11), Corey Maggette (No. 13) and Will Avery (No. 14).

• Washington forward Hannes Steinbach of Germany, who was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 14th pick, is the school’s highest draft pick since Markelle Fultz was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

• Steinbach became the highest-drafted player from Germany since Franz Wagner was selected eighth overall in 2021.

• Steinbach began playing for Würzburg in Germany in the 2024-25 season, during which he averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 61.0 percent from the floor in 18.6 minutes over 31 games.

• Steinbach is the son of Burkhard Steinbach, who was a teammate of NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki’s with Würzburg in Germany.

• Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, who was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 16th pick, is the third first-round pick from Iowa since 1999, joining Keegan Murray (2022) and Kris Murray (2023). (As part of a planned trade the Grizzlies will send the draft rights to Stirtz to the Oklahoma City Thunder.)

• Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, who was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 17th pick, became Stanford’s highest draft pick since Ziaire Williams (No. 10 in 2021). (As part of a planned trade, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Okorie to the Detroit Pistons.)

• Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr., who was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 18th pick, is the fourth first-round pick from the program since the draft moved to a two-round format in 1989. He joins Tony Battie (1997), Zhaire Smith (2018) and Jarrett Culver (2019).

• Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, who was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 19th pick, became the school’s fifth first-round pick in the common era, joining Bud Ogden (1969), Steve Nash (1996), Jalen Williams (2022) and Brandin Podziemski (2023).

• New Zealand Breakers forward Karim López of Mexico, who was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 21st pick, is the first Mexican-born player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Prior to López, Eduardo Nájera (No. 38 in 2000) was the highest-drafted Mexican-born player in NBA history. (As part of a planned trade, the Pistons will send the draft rights to López to the Memphis Grizzlies.)

• López played the last two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers as part of the Australian NBL’s Next Stars program. López scored 358 points in 2025-26, the most ever by a draft-eligible player in the history of the NBL Next Stars program, surpassing previous lottery picks LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Alex Sarr.

• Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, to a father who played for the Mexican national team, López grew up in Mexico before heading to Spain at the age of 14 to play professionally.

• St. John’s forward-center Zuby Ejiofor, who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 23rd pick, is the school’s first draft pick since Sir’Dominic Pointer was selected in the second round (53rd pick) of the 2015 NBA Draft.

• Baylor guard Cameron Carr was selected by the New York Knicks with the 24th pick. Carr set a Baylor single-season sophomore scoring record with 642 points in 2025-26, ranking fifth in program history regardless of class. (As part of a planned trade, the Knicks will send the draft rights to Carr to the Los Angeles Lakers.)

• Sergio de Larrea (Spain; Valencia Basket) was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 25th pick, marking the first time since 2021 and the fourth time overall that two players from Spain (Aday Mara, 12th) were selected in the first round of the same NBA Draft. (As part of a planned trade, the Lakers will send the draft rights to de Larrea to the New York Knicks.)

• de Larrea participated in the 2022 Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Milan, Italy, where he was named a camp All-Star. He burst onto the scene by helping Spain capture gold at the 2023 FIBA U-19 World Cup.

• Connecticut center Tarris Reed Jr., who was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 26th pick, is the first player to have 30+ points and 25+ rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes in 1968. (As part of a planned trade, the Nuggets will send the draft rights to Reed to the San Antonio Spurs.)

• The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson with the 28th pick. Jefferson tied for the NCAA Division I lead with two triple-doubles in 2025-26. (As part of a planned trade, the Timberwolves will send the draft rights to Jefferson to the Brooklyn Nets.)

• Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, who was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 29th pick, was a two-time NCAA national champion (2023, 2024) and one-time runner-up (2026) over four seasons at UConn. (As part of a planned traded, the Cavaliers will send the draft rights to Karaban to the Sacramento Kings.)

• Arizona forward Koa Peat, who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 30th pick, became the second Big 12 freshman to score 30 or more points in his career debut, joining Michael Beasley (Kansas State, 2007). (As part of a planned trade, the Mavericks will send the draft rights to Peat to the Phoenix Suns.)

• The first 20 selections in the 2026 NBA Draft all played college basketball, marking the first time since 1994 that the first 20 picks came from the collegiate ranks.