NEW YORK – In the first round of the 2026 National Basketball Association Draft held Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the BIG EAST had three players selected among the first 30 picks.
BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's was selected 23rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks, while UConn's Tarris Reed Jr. was chosen with the 26th pick by the Denver Nuggets in a reported trade to the San Antonio Spurs. Three picks later, UConn's Alex Karaban was selected 29th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a reported trade to the Sacramento Kings.
With the selections of Ejiofor, Reed and Karaban, the BIG EAST has now had at least one first-round NBA Draft pick in 44 of the last 47 years.
A Consensus All-American and unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection, Ejiofor helped lead St. John's to back-to-back BIG EAST regular-season and tournament championships in 2024-25 and 2025-26. The standout forward earned BIG EAST Player of the Year honors in 2025-26 after averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, establishing himself as one of the nation's premier frontcourt players. A cornerstone of Rick Pitino's resurgence in Queens, Ejiofor helped guide the Red Storm to consecutive conference titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Reed, an All-BIG EAST First Team selection, led UConn to the 2026 NCAA National Championship Game and established himself as one of the nation's most dominant frontcourt players. During the Huskies' NCAA Tournament run, Reed delivered one of the most memorable performances in tournament history, posting 31 points and 27 rebounds in a first-round victory over Furman. The 30-point, 20-rebound effort made him just the second player since 2000 to record the feat in the NCAA Tournament, while his 27 rebounds were the most in a tournament game since 1968. The junior forward became the latest Husky to hear his name called in the first round and is expected to join former UConn star Stephon Castle with the San Antonio Spurs, the runner-up in the 2026 NBA Finals.
One of the most decorated players in college basketball history, Karaban capped a five-year career at UConn as the winningest player in program history with 126 victories. The veteran forward helped lead the Huskies to three NCAA Championship Game appearances and two national titles while appearing in 151 games and making a program-record 292 3-pointers. Karaban becomes the latest Husky to make the jump to the NBA, where he is expected to join the Sacramento Kings.
BIG EAST Players in 2026 NBA Draft
Round (Overall) Player Team
1 (23) Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's, F | Atlanta Hawks
1 (26) Tarris Reed Jr., UConn, F/C | Denver Nuggets (traded to San Antonio Spurs)
1 (29) Alex Karaban, UConn, F | Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to Sacramento Kings)
2026 NBA Draft Notebook
The BIG EAST saw three players selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft tonight in Brooklyn. With the 23rd pick, Atlanta secured Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's. Three picks later, UConn's Tarris Reed Jr. was the 26th pick of the opening round by Denver. His UConn teammate Alex Karaban was picked 29th overall by Cleveland.
The BIG EAST is one of five conferences to have at least three players selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
It marks the 24th time in BIG EAST history that three players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft
It is the third time since 2023 that three BIG EAST players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft
2026 - Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's (Atlanta); Tarris Reed Jr., UConn (Denver); Alex Karaban, UConn (Cleveland)
2024 - Stephon Castle, UConn (San Antonio); Donovan Clingan, UConn (Portland); Devin Carter, Providence (Sacramento); Baylor Scheierman, Creighton (Boston)
2023 - Jordan Hawkins, UConn (New Orleans); Cam Whitmore, Villanova (Houston); Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Marquette (Sacramento)
With the selections of Ejiofor, Reed, and Karaban, the BIG EAST has had at least one NBA First Round draft pick in 44 of the last 47 years.
Ejiofor became the 63rd player in St. John's men's basketball history to be chosen in the NBA Draft and is the first to hear his name since 2015. The 2025-26 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year is the Red Storm player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Moe Harkless (Philadelphia) in 2012.
Reed and Karaban become the 25th and 26th first round picks in UConn history - all coming since 1990. They mark the 10th and 11th NBA draft picks in eight seasons during the Dan Hurley era. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which a Huskies standout was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
2026 - Tarris Reed Jr. (Denver); Alex Karaban (Cleveland)
2025 - Liam McNeeley (Charlotte)
2024 - Stephon Castle (San Antonio); Donovan Clingan (Portland)
2023 - Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans)