The Pac-12 has seen at least one player selected in the first round of the NBA draft in each of the last 31 drafts. In 2019, the Pac-12 saw two players taken in the First Round, and five selected in the Draft overall. The last time the Conference didn’t have a player taken in the First Round was in 1988.
That streak will certainly continue Wednesday evening as USC’s Onyeka Okongwu is sure to hear his name called among the first ten picks or so. Remarkably, the former Trojan could realistically be joined by as many as seven former Conference brethren.
Isaiah Stewart, Josh Green, Jaden McDaniels, and Nico Mannion all have appeared in First Round projections and Tyrell Terry, Zeke Nnaji, and Tyler Bey could sneak into that group of 32 as well. Peyton Pritchard is looking like a second rounder, though recently, he also has been projected as a first-rounder by some.
All told, we could see as many as nine Pac-12 players drafted by the end of the night.
The record for Conference players taken in the First Round was set in 2008, when seven players were selected. In 2020, 2017 and 2014, the Pac-12 saw six players drafted in Round One, and the league also had six in 2009. A total of 14 Conference players were drafted in 2017, the most in a single Draft since the NBA shortened it to two rounds in 1989.
In 1981 the Conference had 18 players drafted in 10 rounds, and that number grows to 24 for the 12 current schools when adding in the six Utah and Colorado players retroactively.
The Pac-12 has had 41 players selected in the First Round of the NBA draft since 2010. That is the most first rounders the 12 members schools have ever combined to produce in a single decade. The projected number of potential draftees for 2020 starts the new decade off where the prior one ended.
Combined Pac-12 First Round Draft Picks by Decade
| Decade | Picks |
|---|---|
| 1940's | 3 |
| 1950's | 4 |
| 1960's | 9 |
| 1970's | 28 |
| 1980's | 23 |
| 1990's | 31 |
| 2000's | 35 |
| 2010's | 36 |
All-Time, 613 Pac-12 players have been drafted. Not surprisingly, UCLA has had the most players selected with 118.
All-Time Pac-12 Players Drafted by Program
| Program | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 39 | 25 | 118 |
| Arizona | 24 | 26 | 71 |
| Washington | 17 | 9 | 58 |
| Oregon | 13 | 12 | 49 |
| Oregon State | 13 | 5 | 41 |
| Stanford | 13 | 10 | 38 |
| USC | 13 | 13 | 58 |
| Utah | 13 | 8 | 39 |
| Cal | 10 | 11 | 48 |
| Colorado | 9 | 5 | 33 |
| ASU | 8 | 12 | 41 |
| WSU | 2 | 6 | 30 |
(First and second round totals do not add up to the total drafted as it includes round 3-17 from earlier years)
The 169 combined Pac-12 First Round Draft are the fourth-most of any current conference.
Most NBA First Round Selections by Major Conference
| ACC | 269 |
|---|---|
| Big Ten | 182 |
| SEC | 176 |
| Pac-12 | 174 |
| Big East | 115 |
| Big 12 | 102 |
UCLA and Arizona both rank among programs with the most all-time First Round selections in the Top 12 nationally.
Most All-Time First Round NBA Selections
| Program | First Round Picks |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 53 |
| Kentucky | 53 |
| Duke | 50 |
| UCLA | 39 |
| Kansas | 32 |
| Michigan | 27 |
| Indiana | 26 |
| Louisville | 24 |
| Syracuse | 24 |
| Arizona | 24 |
| Ohio State | 23 |
Pac-12 schools have had 17 players selected either No. 1 or No. 2 overall in the NBA Draft, the third-most of any conference among current members, trailing only the 26 from the ACC and 23 from the Big Ten.
Since the Conference expanded in 2011-12, adding Colorado and Utah, it has had a total of 59 players selected in the NBA Draft, with 32 going in the opening round. UCLA and Arizona have continued to lead the way, with Oregon, Washington and Colorado seeing the largest percentage of their all-time picks selected during the Era.
Percentage of Players Drafted in Pac-12 Era
| Program | Players Drafted | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 12 | 10.2% |
| Arizona | 9 | 13.2% |
| Washington | 8 | 14.3% |
| Oregon | 8 | 16.7% |
| Cal | 5 | 10.4% |
| Colorado | 4 | 12.5% |
| Stanford | 4 | 10.8% |
| USC | 3 | 5.3% |
| Utah | 3 | 7.7% |
| ASU | 1 | 2.4% |
| OSU | 1 | 2.4% |
| WSU | 0 | 0.0% |
Pac-12 Program NBA Draft Capsules
Arizona Wildcats
Players Drafted: 68
First Round: 22
No. 1 Overall: 1
Highest Ever: 2018 Deandre Ayton, Round 1, pick 1 overall
Most Recent: 2018 Deandre Ayton, Round 1, pick 1 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 9
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Ayton
Arizona State Sun Devils
Players Drafted: 41
First Round: 8
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 1964 Joe Caldwell, Round 1, pick 2 overall
Most Recent: 2013 Carrick Felix, Round 2, pick 33 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 1
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): 2009, James Harden, Round 1, pick 3 overall
California Golden Bears
Players Drafted: 48
First Round: 10
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 1994, Jason Kidd, Round 1, pick 2 overall
Most Recent: 2017, Ivan Rabb, Round 2, Pick 35 & Jabari Bird Round 2, Pick 56
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 5
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Kidd
Colorado Buffaloes
Players Drafted: 32
First Round: 9
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 1997, Chauncey Billups, Round 1, pick 3 overall
Most Recent: 2018 George King, Round 2, Pick 59 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 4
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Billups
Oregon Ducks
Players Drafted: 48
First Round: 12
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 1955, Jim Loscutoff, Round 1, pick 3 overall
Most Recent: 2019, Bol Bol, Round 2, Pick 44 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 8
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): 1977, Greg Ballard, Round 1, pick 4
Oregon State Beavers
Players Drafted: 41
First Round: 13
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 1990, Gary Payton, Round 1, pick 2 overall
Most Recent Player Selected: 2012, Jared Cunningham, Round 1, Pick 24 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 1
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Payton
Stanford Cardinal
Players Drafted: 37
First Round: 13
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 2004, Josh Childress, Round 1, pick 6 overall
Most Recent Player Selected: 2019, KZ Okpala, Round 2, Pick 32 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 4
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Childress
UCLA Bruins
Players Drafted: 118
First Round: 39
No. 1 Overall: 2
Highest Ever: 1969, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and 1974, Bill Walton, Round 1, pick 1 overall
Most Recent: 2019, Jaylen Harris, Round 2, Pick 56 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 12
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Abdul Jabbar & Walton
USC Trojans
Players Drafted: 58
First Round: 13
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 2008, OJ Mayo, Round 1, pick 3 overall
Most Recent: 2020, Onyeka Okongwu, Round 1, Pick 6 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 4
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Mayo
Utah Utes
Players Drafted: 39
First Round: 13
No. 1 Overall: 2
Highest Ever: 1962, Bill McGill, Round 1, pick 1 overall and 2005 Andrew Bogut, Round 1, pick 1 overall
Most Recent: 2017, Kyle Kuzma, Round 1, Pick 27 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 3
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): 2005, Andrew Bogut, Round 1, pick 1
Washington Huskies
Players Drafted: 57
First Round: 16
No. 1 Overall: 1
Highest Ever: 2017, Markelle Fultz, Round 1, pick 1 overall
Most Recent: 2020 Isaiah Stewart, Round 1, pick 16 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 9
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Fultz
Washington State Cougars
Players Drafted: 29
First Round: 2
No. 1 Overall: 0
Highest Ever: 2011, Klay Thompson, Round 1, pick 11 overall
Most Recent: 2011, Klay Thompson, Round 1, pick 11 overall
Picks in Pac-12 Era: 0
Highest in Modern Era (Since 1967): Thompson
Follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenVilardo and his organization @SERCenter, and visit his website at https://www.sercstats.com/.
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