Tag: kira lewis

Nate Oats, Alabama are quickly becoming an NBA pipeline

Nate Oats is quickly turning the Alabama men’s basketball program into a pipeline to the NBA!

From 2000 through 2018, the Alabama men’s basketball program produced just six total NBA draft picks. In 2019, athletic director Greg Byrne announced the hiring of Buffalo head coach [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Tide turned (pun intended).

Since Oats’ arrival in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide have had six players drafted, four of which have been first-round picks.

Before Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney were selected in the 2023 NBA draft on Thursday night, Kira Lewis, Josh Primo, Herb Jones, and J.D. Davison were all draft picks under the tutelage of Oats.

It’s starting to make sense as to why the Tide has been so successful on the hardwood over the past few seasons, elite talent and development have paved the way to Alabama becoming one of the premier programs in college basketball under the leadership of Nate Oats. And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Every Alabama basketball player to be selected in the NBA draft since 2000

Every Alabama basketball player to be selected in the NBA draft since 2000!

The Alabama men’s basketball program may not be the NBA pipeline like Duke or Kansas, but the Tide has produced its fair share of talent to the league over the years.

As we countdown to the hours until the start of the 2023 NBA draft, we continue to take a deep dive into what to expect from this year’s draft and also reflect on what Alabama has done in previous drafts.

Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney will both likely be selected in the first round on Thursday night adding to Alabama’s NBA draft pedigree.

While we await NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver to open up the 2023 NBA draft, let’s take a look back at every Alabama player to be selected in the NBA since 2000.

Alabama offers class of 2024 five-star point guard Dedan Thomas

Crimson Tide Hoops offer top-25 player in the 2024 class a scholarship

Nate Oats has changed the trajectory of Alabama basketball since he took over in 2019, especially on the recruiting trail. The Crimson Tide, not traditionally known for landing elite basketball talent, have had six five-star players in program history. Three of those six have been during Oats regime.

Dedan Thomas, the No. 4 point guard in the 2024 class, is Alabama’s next target as they recently extended an offer, according to Joe Tipton of On3. Thomas is a top-25 player in the class out of Henderson, Nevada and already holds offers from the likes of Arizona, Gonzaga, Houston and many more, so it will be an uphill battle to land his services.

Alabama has had a lot of success at the PG position in recent years with guys like Colin Sexton and Kira Lewis Jr. both becoming first-round picks.

While they are going through the NBA draft process, it is expected that Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly will both return to Tuscaloosa in the fall. However, I would imagine it will be the last season for both of them which would allow for Thomas to see playing time immediately in 2024.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor Dedan Thomas and the 2024 recruiting class.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Which NBA players does LeBron James think are worse than Bronny?

LeBron James tweeted that Bronny is better than some NBA players. We went down an ultra-serious rabbit hole to find which ones specifically.

On Monday night, LeBron James was in full-on father mode as he watched NBA League Pass. As the hours wound down, he shot off a hilarious tweet that, in his opinion, called for four laughing emojis. He typed out that his eldest son, Sierra Canyon High School senior Bronny James, is better than some of the players he was watching; he hit send; and then he presumably refilled his wine glass and took a sip.

Now, with the same level of seriousness that James had in his tweet, we are going to try to figure out the question that Twitter has been clowning about for the last 24 hours: Which players in the league are worse than his high school son?

Let’s start by culling down the list:

Alabama in NBA: How former Alabama MBB players are performing this season

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at Bama hoops at the professional level. The Crimson Tide are well-represented across the league.

The Alabama men’s basketball program has had a history of sending players to the league. Several that come to mind are Robert Horry, Mo Williams, and Latrell Sprewell. Recently, others have followed suit and are trying to create careers for themselves as well.

The first thing that an average sports fan would label with the word “Alabama” is the football program. However, Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats has helped elevate the basketball program to new heights in the past few years.

He has helped players like Herb Jones, JD Davison, and Kira Lewis Jr. all reach the NBA.

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at how former Alabama players have performed in the NBA this season.

Trades that make a lot of sense: Kyrie Irving to the Lakers and more

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

Trades that make a lot of sense: Kyrie Irving to the Lakers and more

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

Crimson Tide in the NBA: A comprehensive list

The Crimson Tide added quite a few NBA players over the past few years!

Alabama’s basketball program is enjoying a surge of success. Just last year, the team put together the programs best season since 2004, bringing to Tuscaloosa both an SEC regular season title and the SEC Tournament title.

In the postseason, the Crimson Tide advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Over the past few years, Nate Oats has had his hands on some top-tier talent. Even former head coach Avery Johnson found himself with a stud on the court in Collin Sexton.

This top-tier talent made its way to the NBA after their time at Alabama, and the following list will cover every Tide basketball player repping the crimson and white in the NBA.

John Petty Jr. signed by the New Orleans Pelicans

John Petty Jr. has been signed by the New Orleans Pelicans, joining Kira Lewis Jr. and Herbert Jones!

Moments ago it was announced that former Alabama star basketball player John Petty Jr. was signed by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Petty Jr., played four seasons at Alabama in which he averaged 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 131 games. He finished his career with a school-record 311 made 3-pointers. Petty Jr. is coming off of a senior campaign where he earned First Team All-SEC honors. Petty Jr. led the SEC with 77 made threes during the 2020-21 season.

The Pelicans have apparently fallen in love with former Alabama standouts, as Petty Jr. makes three former Tide players that are currently on the Pelicans roster.

New Orleans selected Kira Lewis Jr. with the 13th overall selection in the 2020 NBA draft. Then earlier this year the Pelicans selected Herbert Jones with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

If you are looking for an NBA team to root for, the Pelicans may be your best bet!

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on all things Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

Rookie of the Year Race: Can LaMelo Ball win after injury?

Despite preseason expectations, basketball fans have seen surprisingly good campaigns from several rookies around the league in 2020-21.

Despite middling preseason expectations, basketball fans have seen some surprisingly good campaigns from several rookies around the league in 2020-21.

Even the most casual observer will know LaMelo Ball has had an excellent year. But there are many others who have played very well while on the floor as well. As such, this will be an exciting race for the 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Like our weekly MVP rankings, every member of our team voted on their personal Top 10 rankings for Rookie of the Year. We averaged out the results to get a cumulative ranking from the HoopsHype staff.

Every month, we will release our updated rankings for the Rookie of the Year race.

All relevant statistics are accurate as of April 8, 2021 and are pulled from Basketball-Reference, RealGM or NBA.com unless noted otherwise.