Houston Cougars Make Program History During 2026 NBA Draft
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It was a special 2026 NBA Draft for the Houston Cougars as expected. These past two nights will always be remembered in Houston men's basketball history.
The last era the Cougars had tremendous draft success was in the 1980s. Houston has had some great history when it comes to the draft with multiple No. 1 overall picks in Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 and Elvin Hayes in 1968. The Cougars had an empty period from 2001-2016 with no NBA Draft picks, but boy has that changed under coach Kelvin Sampson, who's now entering his 13th season with UH.
In 2021, Quentin Grimes was the first Houston player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Greg Anderson in 1987. The program has not looked back since. Houston is now one of the premier destinations in college basketball to develop and get drafted.
During the second round of the draft on Tuesday night, the Houston basketball program made more history, which was expected to be the case.
Houston's Historic 2026 NBA Draft
For the first time in program history, Houston basketball had three players selected in a single NBA Draft. The 2025-26 Cougars officially set a single-season school record. Houston did have two players taken in the same draft on 13 different occasions prior to this, but never three players.
Thanks to former senior guard Emanuel Sharp's selection at 45th overall to the Sacramento Kings, that accomplishment is now a reality. Sharp was taken in exactly the middle of the second round, just a couple of spots below his projected selection.
The star and top draft pick for Houston was, of course, Kingston Flemings who was taken eighth overall to the Atlanta Hawks. Flemings was arguably Houston's best player all year and will be a team that an NBA franchise can build around and be their primary player.
Chris Cenac Jr. was taken soon after, 27th overall to the Boston Celtics. While he did drop a good amount of spots below his anticipated selection of high 20's, Cenac Jr. was a first round pick. This was the fourth time that Houston had two first round picks in the same draft.
Sharp was expected to get drafted this whole time, and even Milos Uzan was as well. Unfortunately for Houston, Uzan went undrafted but got calls from plenty of NBA teams immediately after the draft was over. It seems very likely he'll get signed as well as an undrafted free agent.
Flemings, Cenac Jr. and Sharp are the three members of a special 2026 draft class. All three players should carve out roles in the NBA, with Flemings being a centerpiece. Cenac Jr. will take a couple more years to develop into what should be a good NBA player, while Sharp can immediately make an impact as a 3-and-D player with experience.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.