Baba Miller Selected by Clippers in 2026 NBA Draft After Historic Season at Cincinnati
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Baba Miller Selected by Clippers in 2026 NBA Draft After Historic Season at Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) dunks the ball in the second half of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Bearcats won 73-66. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Russell Heltman·Cincinnati Bearcats On SI
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4 min read
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Baba Milleris officially the first Cincinnati Bearcats basketball talent to get drafted by an NBA team this decade.Milleris headed to theLos Angeles Clipperswith the 36th pick in the draft after shooting up draft boards throughout the whole cycle in recent months.
Miller grew from a raw, lanky forward at Florida State to a do-it-all talent at Cincinnati last season. He is the first UC player to get selected by an NBA team since theGolden State Warriorstook Jacob Evans III off the board in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft.
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The Bearcats latest launch into the league just had a historic season in Clifton, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in the 60s to lead the program in points, rebounds, and assists across a full season. He posted 13.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. The Spanish native also blocked 1.2 shots per contest and recorded 0.8 steals per game.
UPDATE: Miller signed the biggest contract of any second-round pick so far, securing two guaranteed seasons on a four-year, $9.61 million deal.
NBA-Ba
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) celebrates after completing a layup after being fouled in the first half of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2026 Second-Team All-Big 12 honoree can do it all at 6-foot-11, 225 pounds. He was widely considered a top-40 prospect in the draft after his recent rise following the NBA Combine.
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"My versatility in general," Miller said tothe NBA Draft on SI this monthabout what he brings to the league. "I feel like I can affect the game in a lot of different ways on both ends. I feel like just giving teams the ability to do different things on offense and on defense. Whether it's defensive schemes, like switching, guarding different positions, being able to rebound the ball at a high level, and having the ability to push in transition, [make plays] for my teammates, run without the ball in space. to make my teammates better. Those are the main things that I can bring immediately to an NBA team."
Evans is still the highest-drafted Bearcat of the past 10 years, going 28th overall in 2018, but Miller has a solid chance of outlasting his NBA timeline.
Evans played just two years in the league, while Miller has the frame and experience at 22 years old to be the longest-lasting NBA Bearcat sinceLance Stephenson(2011-22).
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