2026 NBA Draft Notes
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.
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 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.)
• Lopez 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.