Although the Longhorns have never managed to win a men’s NCAA Tournament, Texas has been a regular fixture of March Madness over the years and always puts in a good show when it comes to that special time of year. This is because the men’s basketball program has consistently produced impressively talented players.
Many of those players have gone on to enjoy illustrious professional careers after leaving the school, including LaMarcus Aldridge, Slater Martin, and TJ Ford. The current roster that made it to the second round of the national tournament will be hoping to follow in their footsteps.
But there are other more recent examples of Texas alumni making it big in the big league. These are the types of players that regularly feature in the headlines and on the best NBA betting sites. Here are seven Longhorns currently doing their alma mater proud.
Kevin Durant
Arguably the most successful Longhorn of all time in the NBA, KD may have only played one season of college ball, but he certainly made an impression. Texas surprisingly exited the NCAA Tournament that year but Durant was recognized as the unanimous national player of the year in college basketball.
He was taken second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics and has been one of the biggest stars of the league ever since. He was the MVP in 2014 and won back-to-back championships with the Golden State Warriors before moving on to the Nets and now the Suns. At 35, he still seems to have some seasons left in him yet.
Tristan Thompson
Another NBA champion who spent just one year as a Longhorn, Tristan Thompson had originally indicated that he would return to Texas for his sophomore year after impressing as a freshman. But a change of mind saw him taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the fourth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.
His pro career has now gone full circle, with Thompson rejoining the Cavs in the offseason. In between he has starred for the Celtics, Kings, Pacers, Bulls, and Lakers. He won his championship with Cleveland the first time around and will be hoping that that success will rub off on his current teammates.
Myles Turner
Maybe there is something about Longhorns spending just one year in college before jumping to the big league? Myles Turner also spent just the one season in the NCAA, where he won Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors before electing to enter the draft where the Pacers took him in the first round.
Turner is still in Indiana and made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his first year before settling into the pro life. He has since been the league’s blocks leader twice, putting his 6ft 11 frame to good effect, and has recently become the all-time blocks leader in Pacers franchise history. Not bad for just over eight years in the NBA.
Jarrett Allen
After a disappointing season for the Longhorns in 2016, Allen was taken as the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets and started to carve out an impressive professional career in the game. Although he played well in his three-and-a-half years in Brooklyn, he then moved to Cleveland as part of the James Harden trade.
If anything, his form has improved in Cleveland and he was named as an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2022. Earlier this year he set a franchise record for consecutive double-doubles, bypassing the 11-game run previously held by Andre Drummond and Elmore Smith.
Mo Bamba
Standing at 7ft tall, there is no missing Mo Bamba and he was a five-star recruit when he came to Texas in 2017. His defensive skills were obvious in his year as a Longhorn and he decided to forego the three remaining years of college ball to enter the draft in 2018.
Bamba was expected to be a lottery selection and publicly told the Memphis Grizzlies not to select him, eventually being drafted by the Orlando Magic with the sixth overall pick. After four and a half years in Florida, Bamba briefly played for the Lakers before joining the 76ers, apparently at the personal request of Joel Embiid.
Jaxson Hayes
Hayes won the NIT with Texas in 2019 before heading to the NBA at the end of his freshman year. He left with something of a reputation, winning the Big 12 Freshman of the Year award as a Longhorn. He was taken by the Hawks with the eighth overall pick before immediately being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Although his NBA career started a little slowly, with Hayes getting some game time with the Pelicans G League affiliate the Birmingham Squadron for a while, he returned impressively, becoming a starter and making his playoffs debut in 2022. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the most recent offseason.
Jericho Sims
One of our most recent Longhorns to make it to the NBA, Jericho Sims played four years in Texas, although his junior year was cut short due to injury. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a prospect for the pro teams. The New York Knicks took him in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Sims is a good example of a new player learning his way in the big league, splitting his playing time between the Knicks and its G League affiliate in Westchester. If he keeps playing well he will no doubt go on to do great things in the NBA and become yet another inspiration for future Longhorns.
