Alabama Basketball Lands First Commitment in 2026 Class

Consensus four-star forward Chris Washington Jr. has committed to Alabama men's basketball, per On3's Joe Tipton. He becomes the first player in the Crimson Tide's 2026 class.

Washington visited Tuscaloosa over the weekend and head coach Nate Oats and company clearly made a big impression. He chose the Crimson Tide over offers from Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss and more.

The 6-foot-8 small forward out of Providence Christian Academy in Tennessee is the No. 26 overall player in the 2026 class, the No. 9 small forward and the No. 1 player from his state, per On3.

“I chose Alabama because they’ve been recruiting me since I was a freshman in high school and they’ve just been keeping in contact with me since then," Washington told Tipton. "I feel like Nate Oats, coach (Christian) Pino, and the whole staff believe in me.

“I’d say I’m a big guard. Maybe Brandon Miller, 2.0. You know, KD (Kevin Durant). I’m a big guard.”

Small forward Brandon Miller played for the Crimson Tide in 2022-23 and was a 5-star recruit headlining a star-studded recruiting class out of high school. Miller was the leader on an all-time Alabama team that won the SEC regular season championship, SEC Tournament championship and made the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

Forward Kevin Durant doesn't need much of an introduction as he's widely considered one of the greatest NBA players and scorers of all-time. The 36-year-old is a 15-time NBA All-Star, a six-time All-NBA First Team member, a four-time league scoring champion, a two time NBA champion and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.

The second overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27 games last season for the Charlotte Hornets, and he connected on 3.9 3-pointers per game, the fifth-most in the league. However, he sustained a wrist injury on Jan. 23, and his season ended there.

Before arriving in the summer of 2026, Washington will watch an Alabama team this year that is the only school in the country to play in the last two NCAA Tournament Elite Eights, including the program's first-ever Final Four appearance in 2024.

After falling to Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal, Alabama received the 2-seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and defeated Robert Morris, Saint Mary's and BYU before losing to 1-seed Duke in the Elite Eight. The Crimson Tide finished the season with a 28-9 (13-5 SEC) record and was the No. 6 team in the final AP Top 25 and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll.

Alabama basketball will look a lot different this upcoming season as it has five returning players.

The Crimson Tide has nine newcomers, including five incoming transfers and four freshmen. Alabama lost four players to the transfer portal and another four due to exhausted collegiate eligibility.

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