Topps captures historic NBA moment by Thunder rookie, Lafayette Jeff grad on trading card

The first Lafayette product to be drafted into the NBA made league history on Tuesday night.

Brooks Barnhizer , a 2021 Lafayette Jeff graduate, played two minutes in the NBA season opener between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets on Oct. 21, a 125-124 double overtime Thunder victory.

It was the debut appearance for Barnhizer, who defending NBA champion Oklahoma City drafted with the 44th overall pick in the 2025 draft.

More: Brooks Barnhizer lifting NCAA tournament bound Northwestern

Rookies in the NBA are wearing debut patches on their jersey this season, the first time for that designation. Barnhizer entered Tuesday's game with 2:21 remaining in the first quarter, making him the first player in NBA history to don the debut patch.

Trading card company Topps removed the patch from Barnhizer's jersey and will place it in a 1-of-1 card autographed by Barnhnizer.

After averaging 32.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.8 steals and 2.6 blocks as a senior at Lafayette Jeff High School, Barnhizer enjoyed a stellar four-year career at Northwestern.

During the NBA preseason with the Thunder, Barnhizer averaged 9.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2 steals, making the regular season roster.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette Jeff grad, Thunder rookie Brooks Barnhizer makes NBA history