What Labaron Philon's Draft Selection Means for Alabama Basketball: Just a Minute

The new Philadelphia 76ers guard opens up about being the seventh draft pick of the Nate Oats era and how Oats and Preston Murphy have impacted the program.

Philadelphia 76ers Guard Labaron Philon Jr. | Obtained from Philadelphia 76ers' X/Twitter

It was an exciting night for Alabama basketball on Tuesday, as former Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon Jr. was selected No. 22 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Philon is the first UA product to be drafted since 2023, and it added a tally in two different spots for head coach Nate Oats. Philon is the seventh player drafted under Oats and the fifth first-round pick.

BamaCentral was at the draft in Brooklyn, New York, and asked Philon what his draft pick says about the current state of Alabama basketball.

"Nate Oats is a great coach," Philon said. "I trusted him with my career, definitely going back, and definitely just being in my freshman year, just trusting that he's going to put in the work and just trusting that he's really smart, and it came true as a dream. It was a dream of mine to go play for Alabama for two years. Just being patient and especially playing for Nate Oats and Preston [Murphy], for sure.

"I mean, those guys don't get a lot of credit, but I would say, you know, I credit those guys. I credit all the people they put around me, the players they put around me and just the ability to have that trust with me and I think everybody else in the facility, from a player up to a janitor. So really just being able to be there for two years was really special."

With this selection, Oats still has the third-most draft picks in the history of Alabama basketball, as Wimp Sanderson (16 draft picks) and C.M. Newton (nine) are ahead. That said, Oats has only been the Tide's coach for seven seasons, while Sanderson and Newton each held the role for 12 years. Additionally, Collin Sexton, the No. 8 pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, was the only Alabama player drafted between 2009 and 2019 — the year Oats arrived.

Oats' success far extends past draft picks. Here's a look at Alabama's March Madness success since the NCAA Tournament increased to 64 teams in 1985.

Before Nate Oats (35 years):
Alabama Reaches Sweet 16: 6 times
Alabama Reaches Elite Eight: 1 time
Alabama Reaches Final Four: 0 times

With Nate Oats (7 years):
Alabama Reaches Sweet 16: 5 times
Alabama Reaches Elite Eight: 2 times
Alabama Reaches Final Four: 1 time

Alabama has been and very much still is on the rise. Oftentimes, coaches at schools not known for basketball leave for bigger programs after successful seasons. However, not only has Oats turned Alabama into a basketball school, but he's not leaving any time soon either.

Oats signed a six-year extension on April 22 that will go through the 2031-32 season. The 51-year-old will have an average annual salary of $7.25 million. His previous deal ran through March 2030 and was set to pay him $6.02 million in 2026-27 and $6.275 million on average. The buyout willd be $15 million through March 2027 and then $12 million through March 2028.

This new deal made him the fourth-highest paid college basketball coach in the country, according to USA Today. Only trailing Kansas' Bill Self ($8.85 million per year), UConn's Dan Hurley ($8 million) and Arkansas' John Calipari ($7.75 million). He's just ahead of Michigan State's Tom Izzo ($7.2 million).

In addition to Oats, Murphy received a two-year contract through April 30, 2028. He'll be making $950,000 per year. This is his second extension in as many years, as he received one in March 2025 that was set to pay him $675,000 annually through April 2027.

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