BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On Tuesday night, Dailyn Swain continued the tradition of Texas basketball producing NBA talent by being selected 15th overall by the Chicago Bulls during the 2026 NBA Draft held at Barclays Center.
This selection marks the 21st occasion that a player from Texas has been drafted in the first round, further solidifying the program’s reputation as a consistent source of NBA players.
The history of the Longhorns is impressive; they have had at least one player selected in 20 out of the last 21 drafts dating back to 2006. Since the year 2000, Texas ranks seventh nationally for lottery picks (10 total) and is tied for seventh in first-round selections (17). Under head coach Sean Miller, 19 players have been drafted, with 12 of them going in the first round.
Swain’s draft choice keeps Texas among an elite group. Together with Tre Johnson’s sixth overall pick in 2025, Texas joins Arizona, BYU, and Duke as one of only four programs to produce top-15 picks in consecutive drafts.
“A lot of emotions tonight,” Swain expressed during his media interview post-selection. “I was really nervous coming into this, but I’m extremely excited. I feel very fortunate to be here and can’t wait to start working. I’m just grateful and ready to take this next step. I’ll reset back to being a rookie and do everything possible to make an impact on the game and improve every day.”
Swain’s path to the NBA included experiences at Xavier and Texas, with his final season at Austin representing his breakout moment. Over three years, he accumulated totals of 1,128 points, 545 rebounds, 254 assists, and 142 steals while shooting at rates of 52.6 percent from the field and 81.5 percent from the free-throw line.
His single season with the Longhorns (2025–26) highlighted his comprehensive contributions on court. He was awarded SEC Newcomer of the Year honors, recognized as second-team All-SEC by coaches within the league, and received first-team NABC All-Gulf District accolades. Additionally, he was a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Notably, Swain filled every stat category available; he led Texas in scoring (17.3 points per game), rebounding (7.5 rebounds per game), assists (129), steals (59), and minutes played (32.8 minutes per game), making him unique as he was the only player across major conferences to lead all five categories last season.
His performance placed him among distinguished SEC players; Swain became just the third individual in thirty years within this conference to average no less than 17 points along with at least seven rebounds and three assists per game—joining Grant Williams and Ben Simmons in this achievement.
He started all 36 games for Texas while shooting at an impressive rate of 54.2 percent from field goal attempts and maintaining an effective free throw percentage of 81.5 percent. He recorded double-digit scores in 33 games overall while achieving more than twenty points on twelve occasions alongside eight double-doubles throughout his time.
In postseason play, Swain elevated his performance significantly by aiding Texas’ advancement to Sweet Sixteen while compiling a team-high total of 21 assists over four NCAA Tournament matches. During SEC competition specifically, he averaged figures of 19.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, along with averages of approximately three assists and nearly two steals per game—ranking him among leading statistics within multiple categories across his league.
With Swain’s name announced on Tuesday night’s draft event, Texas has now celebrated a total of 51 players chosen throughout its history in NBA Draft events.
