A Players Program NBA Draft History
Nov 17, 2020
TUCSON, Arizona - With the 2020 NBA Draft slated to take place Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN, the Wildcats have three players from the 2019-20 team that will be looking to have their name called and added to long list of former 'Cats that have gone on to the NBA.
Josh Green, Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji were all freshmen during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season and were also the top three scorers on the team. Nnaji was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year while Mannion garnered Second Team All-Pac-12 accolades and Green led the Wildcats in steals, was second in assists and third in scoring.
With the possibility that all three could be taken in the first round, it would be the first time in the storied history of the program to have three players taken in the first round of a draft. That history dates back to Morris Udall becoming the first Arizona player drafted when he was picked in the 1948 draft while the most recent selection was Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick in 2018. All totalled, Arizona has had 23 players picked in the first round.
| All-Time NBA Draft Picks - Pac-12 Schools | ||
| Team | Total Picks | Most Recent |
| UCLA | 117 | Aaron Holiday (2018 - 23rd overall) |
| Arizona | 72 | Deandre Ayton (2018 - 1st overall) |
| USC | 62 | Kevin Porter Jr. (2019 - 30th overall) |
| Washington | 57 | Matisse Thybulle (20th) & Jaylen Nowell (43rd) - 2019 |
| Oregon | 54 | Bol Bol (2019 - 44th overall) |
| California | 50 | Jabari Bird (56th) & Ivan Rabb (35th) - 2017 |
| Oregon State | 47 | Jared Cunningham (2012 - 24th overall) |
| Utah | 43 | Kyle Kuzma (2017 - 27th overall) |
| Stanford | 42 | KZ Okpala (2019 - 32nd overall) |
| Arizona State | 42 | Carrick Felix (2013 - 33rd overall) |
| Colorado | 34 | George King (2018 - 59th overall) |
| Washington State | 30 | Klay Thompson (2011 - 11th overall) |
Below is a list of all the first round selections as well as a list of all 72 NBA Draft picks from Arizona.
| Arizona's First Round Draft Picks (23) | |||
| Player | Selection | Year | Team |
| Larry Demic | 9 | 1979 | New York Knicks |
| *Leon Wood | 10 | 1984 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| ^Sean Elliott | 3 | 1989 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Anthony Cook | 24 | 1989 | Phoenix Suns |
| ^Brian Williams | 10 | 1991 | Orlando Magic |
| Chris Mills | 22 | 1993 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Khalid Reeves | 12 | 1994 | Miami Heat |
| ^Damon Stoudamire | 7 | 1995 | Toronto Raptors |
| ^Mike Bibby | 2 | 1998 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| Michael Dickerson | 14 | 1998 | Houston Rockets |
| ^Jason Terry | 10 | 1999 | Atlanta Hawks |
| ^Richard Jefferson | 13 | 2001 | Houston Rockets |
| ^Andre Iguodala | 9 | 2004 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| ^Channing Frye | 8 | 2005 | New York Knicks |
| ^Jerryd Bayless | 11 | 2008 | Indiana Pacers |
| ^Jordan Hill | 8 | 2009 | New York Knicks |
| ^Derrick Williams | 2 | 2011 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Solomon Hill | 23 | 2013 | Indiana Pacers |
| ^Aaron Gordon | 4 | 2014 | Orlando Magic |
| ^Stanley Johnson | 8 | 2015 | Detroit Pistons |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 23 | 2015 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| ^Lauri Markkanen | 7 | 2017 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| ^Deandre Ayton | 1 | 2018 | Phoenix Suns |
| * Played at Arizona as a freshman before transferring. | |||
| ^ Lottery pick | |||
| Player | Round/Pick | Year | Team |
| Morris Udall | 1948 | Denver Nuggets (NBL) | |
| Lincoln Richmond | 1948 | Ft. Wayne Pistons | |
| Leon Blevins | 7/79 | 1950 | Indianapolis Olympians |
| Leo Johnson | 5/44 | 1951 | Ft. Wayne Pistons |
| Roger Johnson | 1952 | Milwaukee Hawks | |
| Ernie McCray | 17/95 | 1960 | Cincinnati Royals |
| Warren Rustand | 4/31 | 1965 | San Francisco Warriors |
| Bill Davis | 12/160 | 1968 | Phoenix Suns |
| Michael Foster | 1970 | Indiana Pacers (ABA) | |
| Tom Lee | 9/147 | 1971 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Eddie Myers | 10/160 | 1971 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1971 | Miami Floridians (ABA) | ||
| Bill Warner | 11/170 | 1971 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1971 | New York Nets (ABA) | ||
| Bruce Anderson | 7/101 | 1972 | Detroit Pistons |
| Eric Money | 2/33 | 1974 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1974 | Denver Nuggets (ABA) | ||
| Coniel Norman | 3/37 | 1974 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1974 | Denver Nuggets (ABA) | ||
| Al Fleming | 2/30 | 1976 | Phoenix Suns |
| James Rappis | 5/77 | 1976 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Bob Elliott | 2/42 | 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Herman Harris | 2/43 | 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Jerome Gladney | 8/164 | 1977 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Phil Taylor | 10/198 | 1978 | Denver Nuggets |
| Larry Demic | 1/9 | 1979 | New York Knicks |
| Joe Nehls | 7/152 | 1980 | Houston Rockets |
| Ron Davis | 4/79 | 1981 | Washington Bullets |
| Robbie Dosty | 6/148 | 1981 | Golden State Warriors |
| Frank Smith | 8/177 | 1983 | Portland Trailblazers |
| *Leon Wood | 1/10 | 1984 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Pete Williams | 4/89 | 1985 | Denver Nuggets |
| Eddie Smith | 7/158 | 1985 | Denver Nuggets |
| Tom Tolbert | 2/34 | 1988 | Charlotte Hornets |
| Steve Kerr | 2/50 | 1988 | Phoenix Suns |
| Sean Elliott | 1/3 | 1989 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Anthony Cook | 1/24 | 1989 | Phoenix Suns |
| Jud Buechler | 2/38 | 1990 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Brian Williams | 1/10 | 1991 | Orlando Magic |
| Sean Rooks | 2/30 | 1992 | Dallas Mavericks |
| Chris Mills | 1/22 | 1993 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Ed Stokes | 2/35 | 1993 | Miami Heat |
| Khalid Reeves | 1/12 | 1994 | Miami Heat |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1/7 | 1995 | Toronto Raptors |
| Joseph Blair | 2/35 | 1996 | Seattle Supersonics |
| Ben Davis | 2/43 | 1996 | Phoenix Suns |
| Reggie Geary | 2/56 | 1996 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Mike Bibby | 1/ 2 | 1998 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| Michael Dickerson | 1/14 | 1998 | Houston Rockets |
| Miles Simon | 2/42 | 1998 | Orlando Magic |
| Jason Terry | 1/10 | 1999 | Atlanta Hawks |
| A.J. Bramlett | 2/39 | 1999 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Richard Jefferson | 1/13 | 2001 | Houston Rockets |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2/31 | 2001 | Golden State Warriors |
| Michael Wright | 2/39 | 2001 | New York Knicks |
| Loren Woods | 2/46 | 2001 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| *Robertas Javtokas | 2/56 | 2001 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Luke Walton | 2/32 | 2003 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Andre Iguodala | 1/9 | 2004 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Channing Frye | 1/8 | 2005 | New York Knicks |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2/31 | 2005 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Hassan Adams | 2/54 | 2006 | New Jersey Nets |
| Marcus Williams | 2/33 | 2007 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Jerryd Bayless | 1/11 | 2008 | Indiana Pacers |
| Jordan Hill | 1/8 | 2009 | New York Knicks |
| Chase Budinger | 2/44 | 2009 | Detroit Pistons |
| Derrick Williams | 1/2 | 2011 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Solomon Hill | 1/23 | 2013 | Indiana Pacers |
| Grant Jerrett | 2/40 | 2013 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Aaron Gordon | 1/4 | 2014 | Orlando Magic |
| Nick Johnson | 2/42 | 2014 | Houston Rockets |
| Stanley Johnson | 1/8 | 2015 | Detroit Pistons |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 1/23 | 2015 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Lauri Markkanen | 1/7 | 2017 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Kadeem Allen | 2/53 | 2017 | Boston Celtics |
| Deandre Ayton | 1/1 | 2018 | Phoenix Suns |
| * Played at Arizona as a freshman before transferring | |||