Oregon Ducks' Impressive All-Time NBA Draft History

While the Oregon Ducks may not be considered a blue blood in NCAA men’s basketball, coach Dana Altman has watched former players experience success in the NBA in recent history.

The Ducks could see another player selected in the NBA Draft this year in center Nate Bittle, and with the 2026 NBA Draft set to begin on June 23, here’s a look back at Oregon’s NBA history.

Recent Oregon Ducks in the NBA

oregon ducks dana altman nba draft basketball dillon brooks payton pritchard chris duarte jordan bell nate bittle dante — Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Since the turn of the century, the Ducks have experienced a positive stretch of NBA Draft selections and accolades. There has, however, been criticism of Altman and Oregon given that the program hasn’t produced any draft picks since 2021.

But former Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard topped off a legendary career with the Ducks in 2020 with a first-round draft selection. From there, Pritchard has represented Oregon well at the professional level by playing a key role on the 2024 Boston Celtics NBA Championship team.

He followed that season up by winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2025. Pritchard comes off a career-year as a starter in 2025-26 with averages of 17 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Outside of Pritchard, former Ducks forward Dillon Brooks has made a name for himself in the NBA for both his defensive impact and his self-proclaimed role as an NBA villain. Brooks wasn’t one of Oregon’s highest draft picks in the 2010s, going in the second round, but he picked up NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2023.

Brooks is set to enter his tenth season in the NBA with a career average of 14.8 points per game and 35.3 percent 3-point shooting. Both Brooks and Pritchard were members of Altman’s Final Four team in 2017, along with Jordan Bell, Tyler Dorsey and Chris Boucher, who all had stints in the NBA.

Bell’s NBA career was highlighted by winning the 2018 NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors. Boucher went undrafted, but won two NBA Championships in his first two seasons in the league. Center N’Faly Dante is a recent undrafted Ducks player who went on to sign a two-way contract in the NBA.

Guards Chris Duarte and Troy Brown Jr. are the two other first-round selections in the Altman era.

Oregon NBA Draft Picks in the Dana Altman Era

2021 – Chris Duarte, No. 13
2020 – Payton Pritchard, No. 26
2019 – Bol Bol, No. 44
2018 – Troy Brown Jr., No. 15
2017 – Jordan Bell, No. 38
2017 – Tyler Dorsey, No. 41
2017 – Dillon Brooks, No. 45
2015 – Joseph Young, No. 43
2013 – Arsalan Kazemi, No. 54

Oregon Ducks’ Best Picks of the 2000s

Prior to the beginning of Altman’s tenure as head coach, the Ducks saw another impressive stretch of NBA Draft picks. Oregon produced four first-round picks in the 2000s: guard Frederick Jones (No. 14, 2002), guard Luke Ridnour (No. 14, 2003), guard Luke Jackson (No. 10, 2004) and guard Aaron Brooks (No. 26, 2007).

Brooks played with seven NBA teams and won the league's Most Improved Player award in 2010 after averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 assists that season. He averaged 9.7 points throughout his career, with a 43-point triple-double in 2010 a highlight performance of his career.

The 2000s era of Oregon basketball was headlined by an Elite Eight appearance in 2002, led by Ridnour, Jackson and Jones. Ridnour played in the NBA until 2015, while Jackson’s professional career was cut short due to injuries. Jones played in the NBA until 2009, winning the 2004 NBA Slam Dunk Contest along the way in his journey.

All-Time NBA Draft Highlights

Between 1955 and 1991, the Ducks produced seven first-round NBA Draft selections. The first was forward Jim Loscutoff in 1955, who went No. 4 overall to Boston and won seven championships with the Celtics.

Oregon Hall of Fame guard Jim Barnett was selected No. 8 by the Celtics in 1966 and played in the league for a decade. The Ducks’ next first-round pick came in 1971. Forward Stan Love, the father of recent five-time All-Star Kevin Love, went No. 9 in the draft after three All-Pac-8 selections at Oregon.

Guard Ron Lee (No. 10, 1976), forward Greg Ballard (No. 4, 1977), center Blair Rasmussen (No. 15, 1985) and guard Terrell Brandon (No. 11, 1991) rounded out the Oregon first-round selections.

Oregon Center Nate Bittle's NBA Draft Outlook

Oregon could see its first NBA Draft selection since 2021 this June. Bittle is on the bubble of getting drafted by many mock draft projections, but is anticipated to be a late second-round selection.

Injuries and five years in college could derail Bittle’s chances of getting drafted, but he stood out among centers during his time on the court in college. The 7-0 center averaged 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 0.9 steals while shooting over 20 percent beyond the arc in his final season with the Ducks.

Bittle landed at No. 55 in ESPN’s top-100 prospects list released on June 19. The Ducks’ center is projected to be selected No. 49 in the second round by the Denver Nuggets by CBS Sports.

If Bittle falls out of the draft, it’s likely he’ll follow a similar path to Dante, signing a two-way contract and getting an NBA call-up. If he does get selected, that adds another Pro Duck to Altman’s list of former stars.

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