The Real Story Behind Dusty May's Viral Reaction to Aday Mara's NBA Draft Selection

For the first time since 1990, the Michigan Wolverines had three players go in Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft, and all three were lottery picks.

Morez Johnson Jr. came off the board first, heading to the Dallas Mavericks to play under Dusty May once again. Then Yaxel Lenderborg went to the Golden State Warriors, and right behind him, Aday Mara went No. 12 overall to the OKC Thunder.

Once Mara was selected, the camera panned to May, who was in the crowd watching the draft, and he began slapping his hands, in what appeared to be happiness. Some people on the internet thought he was upset that he'd have to face Mara often in the NBA.

New Mavericks head coach Dusty May’s reaction to Michigan big Aday Mara going to the Thunder.

May will now face Mara often in the Western Conference. pic.twitter.com/z8Uhh4vSiu
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 24, 2026

Dusty May explains reaction

Dallas' head coach Dusty May was back in Ann Arbor recently for a hip procedure and he caught up with Brian Boesch on Defend the Block.

May spoke about his reaction to Mara being selected and it had nothing to do with him going to OKC. Instead, May said he's seen it too many times where a prospect slides down the draft. He thought Danny Wolf could've been a lottery pick in 2025, but he fell.

Once he heard Mara's name, he felt happiness overcome him in that everything worked out how it was supposed to. It was the culmination of feelings and it was a chapter closing.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) celebrates after cutting down a piece of the net — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“No, not at all. It was more, I kind of expected one of them to drop," May admitted. "I've just watched enough NBA draft telecast and then even last year to see Danny [Wolf] potentially go as high as 14 and then dropped into the 20s.

"In my mind felt like one of these guys are going to drop. It's going to be two of them will be gone and they'll be elated. Then there's one of them that's going to be disappointed. For all three to go off the board and then just for myself, it felt like, okay, this is closure to that chapter and now it's time to move on to the next. These three guys are where they need to be.

"They're in great positions and also a little bit of, I guess, just thinking back to what other people said about some of those guys and some of our competitors and when you're recruiting what's being said about you when they're recruiting against you. And so a little bit of it was probably a little bit of pettiness on my part, but it just felt great to have that known slide to do what others thought, you know, was crazy and for it to work. And so, yeah, it was just it was just a final. It was like a culmination of all that.”

The Dusty May chapter has concluded

Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May watches One Shining Moment — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dusty May coached just two seasons in Ann Arbor, taking a year removed eight-win team to the Sweet 16 and then getting the Wolverines back on top of the college basketball landscape.

Fans were shocked by May's exit, but it was something he wanted to pursue, and May has never denied his interest in the NBA. Now with May gone, Mike Boynton Jr. has taken over as the Wolverines' head coach, and while he has big shoes to fill, Michigan has a talented roster.

May might not be on the bench this season, but his lessons and teaching ability will live on through the 2026-27 roster.

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