University of Connecticut Athletics
Reed Jr. and Karaban Selected In First Round Of 2026 NBA Draft
6/23/2026 11:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN – UConn men's basketball alums Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban were selected in the First Round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday (June 23) night at the Barclays Center. Reed Jr. was the 26th overall pick and will head to the San Antonio Spurs by way of a trade with the Denver Nuggets, before Karaban went to the Sacramento Kings via the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 29th overall pick. The due become the 25th and 26th First Round picks in program history, all coming since 1990. They are the 53rd and 54th Huskies drafted all-time and the 10th and 11th in eight seasons with Dan Hurley at the helm.
It marks the 3rd time the Spurs have selected a Husky, the last instance two years ago when Stephon Castle (2024) went No. 4 in the 2024 Draft before going on to win the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award. Reed Jr. will join Castle on a San Antonio squad coming off a 62-20 campaign and Western Conference title. Earl Kelley was also selected by the Spurs in the fifth round of the 1986 Draft. Karaban is the first UConn Husky selected by the Sacramento Kings, with the lone other selection in the franchise's history coming in 1955 when the Rochester Royals took Art Quimby in the 11th round.
Reed Jr. spent two years in Storrs, culminating in a senior season in '26-27 during which he was a First Team All-Conference pick and the 2026 East Regional Most Outstanding Player. The big man averaged team-highs of 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game along with 2.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and a 60.7 percent mark from the floor. He totaled 14 double-doubles on the year, including four in a sparkling NCAA Tournament run.
In the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Furman on March 20, Reed Jr. turned in one of the great performances in March Madness history when he posted 31 points and 27 rebounds. It was the first 30p-25r double-double in the Big Dance since 1968 and one of three recorded in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Overall in the tournament he averaged 19.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while helping the Huskies to the national title game, earning All-Tournament honors at the Final Four.
In his first season at UConn in '24-25, the St. Louis-native was the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award winner after playing in all 35 contests and averaging 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game, shooting 67.0 percent from the field. That field goal percentage was good for the fourth-best in a single-season in UConn history, and his 63.0 percent career mark in 68 games at Connecticut is also the fourth-best in school history.
Including his two seasons at Michigan from 2022-24, Reed Jr. compiled career totals of 1,256 points, 931 rebounds, 201 blocks, 138 assists and 89 steals. He totaled 136 appearances and 67 starts, averaging 21.5 minutes per game.
Karaban is the greatest winner in the history of UConn men's basketball. The four-year starter and two-time national champion is the only Husky to ever play in three Final Fours and set program records for: wins (126), NCAA Tournament wins (18), games played (151), games started (150), minutes logged (4,906) and 3-pointers (292) while finishing his career sixth on the all-time scoring ledger with 1,880 points. He became the first active Husky to be inducted into the Huskies of Honor on Feb. 28.
A three-time All-Conference pick, Karaban was a First Team All-BIG EAST and All-District selection in '26-27 after recording 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 'stocks' per game. He started all 40 contests and played a league-best 34.2 minutes per game, leading the league in minutes per game exactly 30 years after his head coach Dan Hurley did the same with 36.3 per contest at Seton Hall in 1995-96. Karaban posted a 46.4/37.4/85.1 percent shooting line as a senior, nearly on par with his career marks of 46.8/37.4/84.4.
Karaban scored a career-high 27 points in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament against UCLA on March 22 and finished his final run at the Big Dance averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 37.2 minutes per game to earn All-NCAA Tournament honors. He finished his career 18-2 in March Madness, the best record of any player this century. The 18 wins are the second-most, tied with Duke's Bobby Hurley, of any player in the modern NCAA Tournament era. Karaban is one of three players in NCAA D1 history with career totals of at least: 1,850 points, 750 rebounds, 300 assists, 250 made 3-point field goals, 100 blocks and 100 steals.
UConn is one of three programs (Baylor, Duke) in the nation with a selection in each of the last six NBA Drafts.
