Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham was the No. 1 overall selection to highlight seven Big 12 players chosen in the 2021 NBA Draft. A trio of top 19 picks marked the 15^th time the Conference has produced three or more in the first round.

Cunningham became the Big 12’s third top overall selection since 2009 when the Detroit Pistons took him off the board. He joins Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins (2014) and Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin (2009). The Sacramento Kings chose Baylor’s Davion Mitchell at ninth while the New York Knicks picked up Texas’ Kai Jones at 19^th. Jones’ draft rights were traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Four more players were taken in the second round beginning with West Virginia’s Miles McBride by the Oklahoma City Thunder with his draft rights traded to the Knicks. The New Orleans Pelicans selected Baylor’s Jared Butler and Texas’ Greg Brown. Butler was traded to the Utah Jazz via the Memphis Grizzlies. Brown’s draft rights were traded to the Portland Trailblazers. The Longhorns had a third selection with Jericho Sims chosen by the Knicks.

This year's draft marked the 24th time in 25 seasons for the Big 12 to produce first-round picks. It’s the 16th consecutive year that at least one Big 12 student-athlete has been taken in the NBA Draft lottery as one of the top 14 choices. The seven selections are the most since 2012.

Overall, 84 players were chosen in the past 14 drafts. A total of 131 players from the Big 12 have been selected since the first league season.

KU has registered a total of 34 players chosen since the Big 12 began play, more than any other league school. Texas is next with 23 draftees, followed by Iowa State with 14. Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have 10 each. Texas Tech (7), Kansas State (3), West Virginia (2) and TCU (1) round out the Big 12 team draft totals.

Big 12 Selections in the 2021 NBA Draft

Round 1
1. Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), G, Detroit Pistons
9. Davion Mitchell (Baylor), G, Sacramento Kings
19. Kai Jones (Texas), F, New York Knicks