Alabama Basketball's Illustrious History in the NBA Draft

A look at the NBA careers of some of the best Crimson Tide products drafted since 1949.

Mar 1991; Orlando, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Robert Horry (25) during the 1991 season. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

While Alabama is most known for its dominant annual presence in the NFL Draft, the basketball program has quite a history in the NBA Draft.

The Crimson Tide has had 48 players selected between 1949 and 2023, which ranks seventh in the SEC and ahead of the likes of Arkansas (47), Florida (41), Auburn (35) and more. These 48 are spread across 10 head coaches, including six from current head coach Nate Oats.

18 of Alabama's past picks were selected in the first round, including five in the top 10: Leon Douglas (No. 4 in 1976), Derrick McKey (No. 9 in 1987), Antonio McDyess (No. 2 in 1995), Collin Sexton (No. 8 in 2018) and Brandon Miller (No. 2 in 2023).

As previously stated, the Tide's last pick came in 2023, as Aaron Estrada went undrafted in 2024 and Sears, Grant Nelson, Clifford Omoruyi, plus Chris Youngblood weren't selected in 2025. Nevertheless, going undrafted doesn't mean that these players won't ever become NBA standouts, and they still have some time to do so.

It worked out for JaMychal Green, as after not being picked in 2012, he played a year in the G League and another in France before playing nine seasons in the NBA. Retired big man Ben Wallace, who wasn't a member of the Crimson Tide but grew up in Hayneville, Alabama, turned into a Hall-of-Famer after four Defensive Player of the Year honors and All-Star nods, and he also won the NBA Finals in 2004.

While it's not set in stone, Alabama is expected to have three players go undrafted this year between guards Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Houston Mallette, plus center Noah Williamson. However, three days from now in Brooklyn, New York, not only will the Tide add a tally to its number of players drafted, but the same applies to the first-round picks.

Guard Labaron Philon Jr. will be initiated into the Alabama NBA Draftee Fraternity very soon. Here's a look at some of the best NBA careers from his future fraternity brothers.

Best of the 1940s-60s Picks

Alabama had six players drafted between 1949 and 1965, but only Carl Shaeffer, the first one, played in the NBA. Before coming to UA, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was even imprisoned by German forces.

He spent two seasons in the NBA with the Indianapolis Olympians, playing a total of 53 games, including 43 in 1949-50. Overall, he averaged 3.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 35.7 percent from the field.

Best of the 1970s Picks

Alabama had eight players selected between 1973-1979, half of whom played in the NBA for at least five years: T.R. Dunn, Reggie King, Leon Douglas and Rickey Brown. That said, Dunn was the clear best player from this group.

The shooting guard played for 14 years between 1977 and 1991, including 10 for the Denver Nuggets. The three-time All-NBA Defensive Team member averaged 5.1 points on 45.7 percent from the field, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game.

Best of the 1980s Picks

The 1980s are the decade with the most Alabama draft picks (15). A handful of them put together solid NBA careers, as Derrick McKey, Ennis Whatley, Buck Johnson and Jim Farmer each played at least five seasons. Michael Ansley played for three seasons before going to Europe to become the 1995 Spanish League Finals MVP and was the top scorer in the Turkish League (1998) and Polish League (2005).

But Derrick McKey had perhaps the best NBA career after 15 seasons — eight with the Indiana Pacers, six with the Seattle Supersonics and one with the Philadelphia 76ers. In 29.1 minutes per game, the small forward averaged 11.0 points (.486/.316/.779 shooting splits), 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks.

Best of the 1990s Picks

Alabama had seven players picked between the 1992 and 1997 NBA Drafts, five of whom played in the league for at least seven years: Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, Antonio McDyess, Jason Caffey and James Robinson.

The best player of this group could be debated between Horry and Sprewell. Horry's individual accolades were nothing to go crazy for, but he is a seven-time NBA champion — the seventh most by a player in NBA history and the most by someone who wasn't a part of the Boston Celtics 11 title run between 1957-69. The power forward earned the nickname "Big Shot Bob" after hitting many clutch shots in the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

Sprewell had the stats but not the rings. The four-time All-Star wing averaged 18.3 points (.425/.337/.804), 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks in 13 years and 38.6 minutes per game.

Best of the 2000s Picks

There were five Alabama players picked during the 2000s, but only Gerald Wallace and Mo Williams played for over two years — and they were in the league a lot longer than that.

Wallace was in the league for 14 years, earning one All-Star nod the same year he made the All-NBA Defensive First Team, and he also led the league in steals during the 2005-06 season. The small forward averaged 11.9 points (.469/.312/.709), 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.7 minutes per contest.

Williams played for 13 years between seven different teams, with his lone All-Star appearance coming in 2008-09 on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The point guard averaged 13.2 points (.434/.378/.871), 2.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks in 29.2 minutes per game. He won the 2016 NBA Finals with the Cavs during what would become his final season.

Best of the 2010-20s Picks

Collin Sexton was the only Alabama player drafted in the 2010s, so we'll throw him in with the Oats' six products. Sexton and three 2020s picks are currently core players for their respective NBA teams. Here's a look at the numbers for each of them.

Sexton just wrapped up his eighth season, as the Chicago Bulls point guard has put together career averages of 18.3 points (.472/.389/.841), 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.1 blocks in 29.0 minutes.

Forward Herb Jones has played the first five seasons of his career with the New Orleans Pelicans. His best year came in 2023-24, when he earned a spot on the All-NBA Defensive First Team and finished fifth in the league in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Charlotte Hornets small forward Brandon Miller has become a rising star in the league, and it started when he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023-24. Through three seasons, he's averaging 19.0 points (.431/.373/.863), 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 31.8 minutes.

Power forward Noah Clowney has steadily improved in his first three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, as he started in 60 of 66 contests played last season. For his career, he's averaging 10.1 points (.395/.332/.802), 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.6 steals and blocks in 23.6 minutes per game.

Alabama Players Selected in NBA Draft

(Player, Year, Overall Pick)

1. Carl Shaeffer, 1949, No. 13
2. Bryant Ivey, 1952, No. 39
3. Paul Sullivan, 1952, No. 76
4. Jerry Harper, 1956, No. 19
5. Jim Fulmer, 1958, No. 33
6. Bob Andrews, 1965, No. 86
7. Wendell Hudson, 1973, No. 30
8. Charles Cleveland, 1975, No. 41
9. Charles Russell, 1975, No. 74
10. Leon Douglas, 1976, No. 4
11. T.R. Dunn, 1977, No. 41
12. Ricky Brown, 1977, No. 63
13. Anthony Murray, 1978, No. 151
14. Reggie King, 1979, No. 18
15. Robert Scott, 1980, No. 71
16. Eddie Phillips, 1982, No. 21
17. Phillip Lockett, 1982, No. 66
18. Norm Anchrum, 1982, No. 75
19. Ennis Whatley, 1983, No. 13
20. Mike Davis, 1983, No. 42
21. Terry Williams, 1984, No. 52
22. Eric Richardson, 1984, No. 100
23. Bobby Lee Hurt, 1985, No. 42
24. Buck Johnson, 1986, No. 20
25. Derrick McKey, 1987, No. 9
26. Jim Farmer, 1987, No. 20
27. Terry Coner, 1987, No. 44
28. Mark Gottfried, 1987, No. 157
29. Michael Ansley, 1989, No. 37
30. Robert Horry, 1992, No. 11
31. Latrell Sprewell, 1992, No. 24
32. James Robinson, 1993, No. 21
33. Antonio McDyess, 1995, No. 2
34. Jason Caffey, 1995, No. 20
35. Roy Rogers Jr., 1996, No. 22
36. Eric Washington, 1997, No. 46
37. Gerald Wallace, 2001, No. 25
38. Rod Grizzard, 2002, No. 38
39. Mo Williams, 2003, No. 47
40. Jermareo Davidson, 2007, No. 36
41. Richard Hendrix, 2008, No. 49
42. Collin Sexton, 2018, No. 8
43. Kira Lewis Jr., 2020, No. 13
44. Joshua Primo, 2021, No. 12
45. Herb Jones, 2021, No. 35
46. J.D. Davison, 2022, No. 53
47. Brandon Miller, 2023, No. 2
48. Noah Clowney, 2023, No. 21

SEC Draft Count Entering 2026

1. Kentucky: 143
2. LSU: 58
3. Tennessee: 58
4. Oklahoma: 51
5. Missouri: 50
6. Texas: 50
7. Alabama: 48
8. Arkansas: 47
9. South Carolina: 42
10. Vanderbilt: 42
11. Florida: 41
12. Georgia: 41
13. Auburn: 35
14. Texas A&M: 30
15. Mississippi State: 27
16. Ole Miss: 15

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