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BYU Basketball: The Top 10 Cougars in NBA Draft history

By Shaun Gordon

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23: Jimmer Fredette from BYU greets NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was selected #10 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23: Jimmer Fredette from BYU greets NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was selected #10 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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BYU Basketball fans probably won’t hear a former Cougar’s name called in tonight’s draft, but that doesn’t mean that BYU doesn’t have a rich draft history.

It’s NBA draft time.

For basketball fans, this kicks off the offseason, which in the NBA can be almost as exciting as the actual season. Once the draft is over, free agency hits full swing, plus summer league brings basketball games back for a couple of weeks.

The rumors, breaking news, and analysis make the next month of summer bearable as we suffer through basketball and football withdrawals.

But as fun as the NBA Draft is, it’s not likely that we’ll hear any BYU Basketball players’ names called this year.

Maybe a team will fall in love with Elijah Bryant enough to lock him up in the second round of the draft, but that’s a long shot.

Otherwise, BYU fans will watch the draft to see what their favorite NBA teams do, rather than seeing where their favorite Cougars go.

That hasn’t always been the case, though. In fact, BYU has a strong history with the NBA Draft. 45 former Cougars have heard their names called in various drafts, although none have been picked in the last seven years.

Let’s take a look back at which former Cougars have been picked highest in the draft. This isn’t a list of the best NBA players that came out of BYU. In fact, neither of the two best former Cougars statistically are on this list (Danny Ainge and Jim Eakins).

But all 10 of these Cougars were taken with one of the first 25 picks in the draft, so let’s count them down:

10. Devin Durrant

Durrant went to the Indiana Pacers with the first pick of the 1984 second round, 25th overall.

Durrant started every game he played in at BYU, helping guide the Cougars to three WAC titles and three NCAA Tournament berths. His stellar senior season earned him consensus All-American honors, and he still holds the fifth spot in BYU’s all-time scoring list (2,285 points).

His NBA career was short-lived, though. He played for the Pacers in 1984-85, then played half of the next season with the Phoenix Suns before heading overseas for three more years before hanging up his sneakers.

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