BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Over the last two-plus decades, the NBA Draft has been a showcase of the talent produced by the Arizona men’s basketball program, as 40 players have had their names called in the draft since 1988.
The Wildcats’ 40 selections rank third nationally over that span, trailing only Kentucky (44) and Duke (41). Kansas and UCLA each have 36 selections to round out the top five nationally since 1988.
Stanley Johnson became the 13th lottery pick in program history on Thursday night when the Detroit Pistons made him the eighth overall selection. He is the third top-10 pick in head coach Sean Miller’s tenure, and this year marked the second draft in a row in which Arizona produced a top-10 selection.
Arizona is one of only five programs nationally with three or more top-10 picks since 2011, along with Duke, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson became the fifth of Miller’s recruits to be selected in the first round when the Portland Trail Blazers tabbed him 23rd overall (later traded to the Brooklyn Nets). His selection gave UA multiple first-round picks in the same year for the third time in program history (also 1989 and 1998).
Arizona has produced five first-round picks in the last five years, and seven total draft picks in Miller’s six-year tenure. The seven draft picks in the Miller Era ranks sixth nationally in that time, while UA’s six NBA Draft picks since 2013 are the third-most nationally over the last three years.
UA has had at least one player selected in 23 of the last 28 drafts, and has produced 69 draft picks overall and 21 first-round picks in program history. Eleven of the Wildcats’ last 14 first-round picks have been lottery selections. Overall, seven of UA’s last 10 NBA Draft picks have been first-round choices.
In the summer of 2013, ESPN ranked Arizona sixth among all college programs in terms of producing NBA talent over the last two-plus decades. As has been reported by various media outlets, the fraternity of Arizona’s NBA players has surpassed the collective $1 billion mark in career earnings.
Collectively, the Arizona players who have been drafted since 1988 are an accomplished group, having won 14 NBA championships as players and made six All-Star appearances. The group boasts a Rookie of the Year (Damon Stoudamire), a Sixth Man of the Year (Jason Terry), a Most Improved Player (Gilbert Arenas) and an NBA Finals MVP (Andre Iguodala).
The Golden State Warriors’ 2015 NBA title was won with an indelible Arizona basketball influence, as Iguodala became the series’ X-factor under the coaching guidance of head coach Steve Kerr and assistant coaches Luke Walton and Bruce Fraser.
Iguodala became the first MVP in Finals history to not start every game of the series, as Kerr’s insertion of Iguodala in the starting lineup turned out to be the pivotal move the series. Kerr also became the first rookie head coach to win the world championship since Pat Riley in 1982.
For the latest updates on Arizona men’s basketball and an inside look at the program, follow @APlayersProgram on Twitter and @aplayersprogram on Instagram.
