The Michigan Wolverines took the college basketball world by storm last season, beating the likes of Duke, Florida, and UConn for the national championship. Now, they’ve done it again during the 2026 NBA draft.
Michigan became the first team since 2007 to have three of its non-freshmen candidates get selected in the lottery. This feat was last accomplished by the Florida Gators when Al Horford (3rd overall), Corey Brewer (7th overall), and Joakim Noah (9th overall) were all selected in the lottery.
Although Michigan’s trio wasn’t as high up the rankings as Florida’s, the Wolverines saw Morez Johnson Jr. (9th overall), Yaxel Lendeborg (11th overall), and Aday Mara (12th overall) get selected by the Mavericks, Warriors, and the Thunder, respectively.
The Michigan trio also became the first players to be drafted in the lottery under May, as Danny Wolf was the only Wolverine to be selected last year in the late first round.
Dusty May Couldn’t Contain His Excitement as Aday Mara Goes to OKC
While Dusty May was all smiles during the first round of the NBA draft, there was a moment when the former Michigan head coach was seen visibly amped up. As the OKC Thunder selected big man Aday Mara, May couldn’t hide his emotions and was seen celebrating while applauding Mara’s achievement.
Mara was also highly rated by the OKC brass, as the team reportedly made attempts to trade up in the draft to secure the Spanish big. However, it all worked out in the end as Mara fell to No. 12.
According to insider Kevin O’Connor, the team views Mara as a possible solution to their Victor Wembanyama problems, as the 7-foot-3 center offers elite rim protection and a lob threat for Shai-Gilgeous Alexander to target.
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