The Big 12 just had a draft night that turned heads.
Nine conference players went in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, a total that topped the Big 12’s previous first-round mark by two. Seven different schools were represented among those nine picks, and the spotlight only got brighter when AJ Dybansta and Darryn Peterson came off the board at No. 1 and No. 2 overall.
That kind of night naturally sparks a bigger question: who are the best NBA players to come through the Big 12 since the league began in 1996? With that in mind, here’s one all-time starting five built strictly from players who competed in the Big 12 between 1996 and 2026, with the selection based on NBA careers rather than just college production.
At center, the choice is Joel Embiid of Kansas. His college stay was short, but the pro résumé is impossible to ignore.
Drafted No. 3 overall in 2016, Embiid has spent his entire career with the Philadelphia 76ers and has averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists over his decade in the league. For this list, he’s the easy call in the middle.
At power forward, Blake Griffin of Oklahoma earns the nod. The No. 1 overall pick in 2010 became a force with the LA Clippers, putting up nearly 22 points and 10 rebounds per game over 7½ seasons.
He stayed productive after being traded to Detroit during the 2017-2018 season, and one of his strongest years came in 2018-2019, when he averaged nearly 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Injuries trimmed his numbers late, but his decade-long run still makes him a clear fit.
Kevin Durant takes the small forward spot, and this one hardly needs much debate. The Texas star was drafted by Seattle in 2007, helped carry the franchise into its Oklahoma City chapter, and turned the Thunder into a contender before winning two NBA championships with Golden State.
Over 18 seasons, Durant has averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting better than 50% from the field. He’s a 16-time All-Star, six-time first-team All-NBA selection, four-time scoring champ, two-time Finals MVP, one-time league MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
That’s a staggering career by any standard.
Paul Pierce slides in at shooting guard. He was the Big 12’s first tournament MVP and won that honor twice, then finished at Kansas as a first-team Big 12 and first-team All-American selection before going No. 10 overall to Boston in 1998.
Pierce spent 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Celtics, made 10 All-Star teams and led Boston to the 2008 title, where he was named Finals MVP. He also had his number retired by Kansas and the Celtics and is in the Hall of Fame.
Point guard goes to Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State. The younger pick here edges out Trae Young, and the reasoning is simple: Cunningham is already building something real in Detroit.
Taken No. 1 overall in 2021, he joined a Pistons team that had finished at the bottom of the league and helped steer it to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season. Detroit was eliminated in the semifinals, but Cunningham’s impact has been clear.
He averaged 24 points, 10 assists and 5.5 rebounds in the 2025-2026 season, after putting up 26 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds the year before. He’s been an All-Star in each of the past two seasons and made first-team All-NBA this past season.
It’s a strong five from top to bottom, and the names at the top tell the story. The Big 12’s latest draft haul was impressive, but the league’s all-time NBA lineup already has a heavyweight feel.
Dybansta and Peterson might eventually push their way into the conversation. For now, this is the group.
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