As the college basketball world prepares for March Madness, many NBA stars can think back to their own time on the college courts.
There are nine Oklahoma City Thunder players who competed in the NCAA Tournament when they were in school.
None of them won the championship or reached the Final Four, but some got deep into the tournament and improved their draft profile with strong performances.
On a couple occasions, they were even teammates with players they now share the floor with in Oklahoma City.
Take a look back in history to see how current Thunder players performed on the biggest stage in college basketball.
Steven Adams, Pittsburgh: 2013
In Steven Adams’ one collegiate season, he helped Pittsburgh go 24-9 with a trip to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. As a No. 8 seed, the Panthers were matched up with ninth-seeded Wichita State, a team that went on to reach the Final Four.
Adams played well in the loss, scoring 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.
He declared for the NBA draft after the season and was selected No. 12 overall by Oklahoma City, where he has played since.
Deonte Burton, Iowa State: 2016, 2017
After playing two years at Marquette, Deonte Burton transferred to Iowa State.
The Cyclones made the NCAA Tournament both years Burton was with the program. In 2016, with Abdel Nader playing alongside Burton, Iowa State earned a No. 4 seed. Burton came off the bench in three games, scoring a total of 21 points over the course of the run that ended in a Sweet Sixteen loss to Virginia.
Burton became a starter the following season and led the charge in Iowa State’s two NCAA Tournament games, scoring 14 points with eight rebounds in a win over Nevada and 25 points in a loss to Purdue.
Burton went on to play professionally in South Korea and in 2018 signed a two-way contract with the Thunder. In 2019, he got a standard contract with Oklahoma City.
Hamidou Diallo, Kentucky: 2018
The one-and-done Kentucky player started three NCAA Tournament games after he and fellow current Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Wildcats earn a No. 5 seed in 2018.
Diallo had eight points, three rebounds and three blocks in the Round of 64 game against Davidson and then broke out with 22 points and eight rebounds in the next round, a win over Buffalo. Diallo only had two points and four rebounds in a Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas State.
Diallo was drafted No. 45 overall. His draft rights were sent to the Thunder by the Charlotte Hornets, who had acquired the pick from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade involving Dwight Howard and Timofey Mozgov.
Luguentz Dort, Arizona State, 2018-19
Luguentz Dort, a one-and-done player, helped Arizona State get to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2019, the first time the team reached back-to-back appearances since 1980 and 1981.
In the First Four against St. John’s, he had 21 points on 54.5% shooting and two steals. But the Sun Devils lost in the Round of 64 to Buffalo, as Dort scored 12 points on 33.3% shooting.
Dort signed a two-way contract with the Thunder as an undrafted free agent.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kentucky: 2018
A teammate of Hamidou Diallo during their single year of college, Gilgeous-Alexander had 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a first-round win over Davidson; 27 points, six rebounds and six assists against Buffalo; and 15 points, five rebounds and five steals in the Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas State.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season with 14.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game to go with 1.6 steals. His 33.7 minutes per game was the most on the team.
He was drafted No. 11 overall by the Thunder in 2018.
Mike Muscala, Bucknell: 2011, 2013
Mike Muscala led Bucknell to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2013.
He scored 14 points against UConn in 2011 and recorded nine points and 10 rebounds against Butler in 2013. Though the Bison didn’t win a game in either appearance, those represent two of the eight times that the Bucknell men’s basketball team has reached the NCAA Tournament.
Muscala was picked No. 44 overall in the 2013 draft by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night.
Abdel Nader, Iowa State: 2015, 2016
After transferring from Northern Illinois, Abdel Nader helped Iowa State reach the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years in 2015 and 2016.
The 2014-15 season ended in upset as the third-seeded Cyclones lost by a point to Alabama-Birmingham, as Nader recorded six points and three rebounds off the bench. The next year, Iowa State got to the Sweet Sixteen with Nader and Deonte Burton, as Nader dropped 19 points against Iona and nine points against Arkansas-Little Rock. The Cyclones then lost to Virginia in a game where Nader only had four points.
Nader was drafted No. 58 overall by the Boston Celtics in 2017. He was traded to Oklahoma City during the 2018 offseason.
Chris Paul, Wake Forest: 2004, 2005
Chris Paul dominated in the NCAA Tournament both years he was at Wake Forest. In 2004, he put up 22 points and seven assists against Virginia Commonwealth before dropping 29 points on 10-for-14 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks against Manhattan. St. Joseph’s limited him to 12 points in the Sweet Sixteen, ending the Demon Deacons’ 2004 run.
The next year, Paul posted 20 points, five assists and six rebounds in 37 minutes against No. 15 seed Chattanooga. In the Round of 32, second-seeded Wake Forest and No. 7 seed West Virginia went to double overtime as Paul poured in 22 points with nine assists and six rebounds in 44 minutes of play. Nevertheless, the Deacons fell, and Paul declared for the NBA draft.
He was selected No. 4 overall by the New Orleans Hornets and earned Rookie of the Year honors in the 2005-06 season.
Andre Roberson, Colorado: 2012, 2013
Andre Roberson reached the NCAA Tournament twice at Colorado. In 2012, he scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a win over UNLV and then had 13 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Baylor.
The next year, Roberson had nine points and eight rebounds in a first-round defeat at the hands of No. 7 seed Illinois.
He was selected in the first round of the 2013 draft. The Thunder acquired his draft rights from the Golden State Warriors, who originally got the pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
