Former Iowa Prep Standouts Set for NBA Season to Tip

Five Iowa natives will lace it up during the 2025-26 NBA season

Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots the basketball against Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A total of five former Iowa high school basketball standouts are on active rosters as the NBA 2025-26 season tips off Tuesday night.

Harrison Barnes, Doug McDermott, Keegan Murray, Kris Murray and A.J. Green will be part of the action as The Association returns once again.

They are part of a group of 29 that have ties to Iowa high schools that have been part of the NBA, including former players like Fred Hoiberg, Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Raef LaFrentz.

Barnes is the most experienced of the group, as the former Ames High School standout enters his 13th season. He will surpass 1,000 career games played this year, having scored 13,807 career points.

Currently signed to a contract with the San Antonio Spurs, Barnes has played for the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings since being selected seventh overall by the Warriors in 2012 after playing at North Carolina.

McDermott, a former high school teammate of Barnes with the Little Cyclones, begins his 11th season in the NBA. The son of current Creighton head men’s basketball coach Greg McDermott, “Dougie McBuckets” has played for the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and now the Sacramento Kings.

He signed with the Kings last year and also was a first round pick back in 2014, going 11th overall to the Denver Nuggets.

Multiple recruiting services ranked Barnes as the No. 1 player in the country in 2010, as he partnered with McDermott to claim back-to-back Class 4A state titles while going undefeated as juniors and seniors.

McDermott signed with Northern Iowa to play out of college before following his father to Creighton. Ames won 53 consecutive games with the two dominating Iowa high school basketball.

Youngsters area Also Part of the Iowa Influx into NBA

Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) defends Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (8) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Keegan and Kris Murray are twins who played at Cedar Rapids Prairie before enrolling at the University of Iowa. Keegan Murray went fourth overall to the Sacramento Kings in 2022, placing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Keegan Murray has played in 233 games over the last three years, averaging 13.3 points per game and nearly six rebounds.

Kris Murray went to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023 at pick No. 23 overall of the first round. He has made 35 starts over the last two years, averaging five points per game for his career.

Keegan Murray averaged 20 points and seven rebounds as a senior with Cedar Rapids Prairie before spending a year at DME Academy where he posted 22 points and 7.5 rebounds. Kris Murray followed the same path as his brother, as he averaged 19.5 points, six rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a senior.

Green is expected to join the starting rotation for the Milwaukee Bucks this fall. The former Cedar Falls standout made the roster as an undrafted free agent.

In three years with the Bucks, Green has played in 164 games, posting 7.4 points per game last year while shooting 42 percent for his career from the 3-point line.

Green became the all-time leading scorer at Cedar Falls, leading the team to a 4A state championship. He averaged 26 points per game as a senior.

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