Between BYU, Utah and Utah State, the state of Utah has no shortage of representation in the NBA right now.
The state of Utah hasn’t struggled to put players in the NBA over the years.
Among BYU, Utah, Utah State, Utah Tech, UVU and Weber State, 76 players who’ve played college basketball in the Beehive State have gone on to play in the NBA.
As of last year, according to Clutch Points, 4,898 players had played at least a game in the NBA, and 1.5% of those players played college ball for a Utah-based school.
There are names in that group that even the most casual fan will recognize, players such as Danny Ainge (BYU), Tom Chambers (Utah) and Damian Lillard (WSU) to name a few.
There are many former Jazzmen in the group, plus a No. 1 overall pick (Andrew Bogut), All-Stars and champions. Utah products have pretty much run the gamut in the league.
Right now, the mid 2020s, might be the golden age of for Utah products in the NBA, though, in terms of quality at the top and quantity of players in the NBA.
As of July 27, there are eight Utah college products on NBA rosters. Those players are:
- Egor Demin (BYU/Brooklyn Nets).
- Kyle Kuzma (Utah, Milwaukee Bucks).
- Pelle Larsson (Utah and Arizona, Miami Heat).
- Jakob Poeltl (Utah, Toronto Raptors).
- Damian Lillard (Weber State, Portland Trail Blazers).
- Sam Merrill (Utah State, Cleveland Cavaliers).
- Neemias Queta (Utah State, Boston Celtics).
- Dillon Jones (Weber State, Washington Wizards).
There is also a two-way player who should see playing time in the NBA next season:
- Branden Carlson (Utah, Oklahoma City Thunder).
Only once in history have there been more Utah college basketball products in the NBA at the same time. That happened in the 2005-06 season and was driven by some pretty notable names:
- Rafael Araújo (BYU).
- Keith Van Horn (Utah).
- Michael Doleac (Utah).
- Andre Miller (Utah).
- Lance Allred (Utah)
- Andrew Bogut (Utah).
- Eddie Gill (Weber State).
- Keon Clark (Utah Tech).
- Marcus Banks (Utah Tech).
- Ronnie Price (UVU).
Other eras have come close, including the early-to-mid 1980s and the late 1990s/early 2000s, but the mid 2000s and the mid 2020s stand out from the rest.
The current crop of players is a good one — maybe not better than that mid-2000s group but definitely close.
For one, it includes the best NBA player in state history in Lillard, the only Utah-product on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. Lillard most likely won’t play next season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the first round of the playoffs, but he is under contract with Portland and is the best Utah product to ever play in the NBA.
Kuzma, Poeltl, Demin and Queta all have a good chance of being starters next season, meanwhile. Kuzma and Poeltl for sure with the Bucks and Raptors, respectively, but Demin was a lottery selection by the Brooklyn Nets — a tanking team — and thus has a real chance to be a starter from Day 1.
Queta has been a reserve for the Celtics, but after the departures of Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kornet, along with the expected departure of Al Horford, Queta appears in line to start for a Celtics team many believe is going to tread water next season with star Jayson Tatum out for the season.
Merrill is a proven reserve for Cleveland, and agreed to a four-year, $38 million contract to stay with the team. The Cavs in effect chose Merrill over fellow reserve Ty Jerome, showing their belief in the Aggie great.
And Larsson, who played in 55 games last year, appears to be in line for a bigger role with the Heat after being their primary playmaker/scorer during NBA Summer League.
Jones, meanwhile, could see real minutes for Washington after seldomly playing for Oklahoma City, and Carlson is a single injury to a Thunder big man away from being a needed reserve for the defending champions.
The crop of Utah products in the NBA in 2025-26 could grow, too. Delon Wright, a 10-year vet, is currently unsigned after finishing the year with the New York Knicks. Wright played key minutes in the playoff for the Knicks, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Are we currently the golden era of Utah college basketball products in the NBA? That can certainly be debated. At the very least, though, college basketball in Utah is producing pros at a high rate — among the highest rates in state history — and many of those products are going on to have long, productive careers.
There should be more on the way, too.
Under Kevin Young, BYU is recruiting at a level the state hasn’t really seen before. Case in point, AJ Dybantsa is practically guaranteed to be a high lottery selection in the next NBA draft, with whether he goes No. 1 or No. 2 overall being the biggest question. And Dybantsa is only one of multiple potential pros in Provo right now or on the way to Utah County in the future.
Utah, meanwhile, is hopeful for a resurgence under Alex Jensen, and the Utes have made a habit of producing pros, arguably more consistently than any in-state program, decade-to-decade.
Then there’s Utah State, which under Jerrod Calhoun is recruiting better than it ever has and thus it wouldn’t be a shock to see another Aggie latch onto a NBA team in the coming years, especially with the school moving to the Pac-12, which has a chance to be one of the better basketball conferences in all of college basketball.
All of which is to say, Utah and basketball are vibing right now, as long as you forget about the Utah Jazz.
Category: General Sports
