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We Play In the NBA Texas high school players have been in NBA Drafts since 1960 By Mark McKee Don’t take our word for it that Texas high school basketball is among the best of any state in the country. Take the National Basketball Association’s word for it, or more specifically the drafts that the league has conducted since 1960 through 2014 to really understand the depth and quality of Texas high school basketball. Here is a look at where Texans were drafted by NBA teams over the last 55 years. KEY: Appeared in the State Tournament NBA All-Star Selection Player Year High School College NBA #1 Overall Larry Johnson 1991 Dallas Skyline UNLV Hornets Shaquille O’Neal 1992 San Antonio Cole LSU Magic Kenyon Martin 2000 Dallas Bryan Adams Cincinnati Nets #2 Overall Emeka Okafor 2004 Houston Bellaire Connecticut Bobcats LaMarcus Aldridge 2006 Seagoville Texas Bulls #3 Overall Zelmo Beaty 1962 Woodville Prairie View A&M Hawks Dwight Davis 1972 Houston Worthing Houston Cavs Deron Williams 2005 The Colony Illinois Jazz #4 Overall Chris Bosh 2003 Dallas Lincoln Georgia Tech Raptors Wesley Johnson 2009 Corsicana Syracuse Wolves #5 Overall Tony Battie 1997 Dallas South Oak Cliff Texas Tech Nuggets #6 Overall Dave Stallworth 1965 Dallas Madison Wichita State Knicks Marcus Smart 2014 Flower Mound Marcus Oklahoma State Celtics #7 Overall Chris Mihm 2000 Austin Westlake Texas Bulls Julius Randle 2014 Plano Prestonwood Kentucky Lakers #8 Overall T.J. Ford 2003 Fort Bend Willowridge Texas Bucks #9 Overall Nate Bowman 1965 Fort Worth Wichita State Knicks Dwight Jones 1973 Houston Wheatley Houston Hawks Jay Arnette 1960 Austin McCallum Texas Royals Ike Diogu 2005 Garland Arizona State Warriors DJ Augustin 2008 Fort Bend Hightower Texas Bobcats #10 Overall David Lattin 1966 Houston Worthing UTEP Warriors Keith Edmundson 1982 San Antonio MacArthur Purdue Hawks Kurt Thomas 1995 Dallas Hillcrest TCU Heat #11 Overall Acie Law 2007 Dallas Kimball Texas A&M Hawks #12 Overall Mookie Blaylock 1988 Garland Oklahoma Nets #13 Overall Nate Armstrong 1977 Houston Spring Woods Duke Bulls #14 Overall Clyde Drexler 1983 Houston Sterling Houston Blazers Anthony Randolph 2007 Dallas Woodrow Wilson LSU Warriors John Henson 2012 Round Rock North Carolina Bucks #16 Overall Terry Teagle 1982 Broaddus Baylor Rockets #17 Overall Desmond Mason 2000 Waxahachie Oklahoma State Sonics #18 Overall Ricky Pierce 1982 Garland Rice Pistons Gerald Green 2005 Gulf Coast Celtics #19 Overall Rob Williams 1982 Houston Milby Houston Nuggets LaBradford Smith 1991 Bay City Louisville Bullets #20 Overall Ken Spain 1969 Houston Austin Houston Bulls B.J. Tyler 1994 Port Arthur Lincoln Texas 76ers #21 Overall Darrell Hardy 1967 Houston Davis Baylor Pistons Alton Lister 1981 Dallas Woodrow Wilson Arizona State Bucks Greg Kite 1983 Houston Madison Brigham Young Celtics Jeff Foster 1999 San Antonio Madison Texas State Warriors #22 Overall Oliver Miller 1992 Fort Worth Southwest Arkansas Suns Brian Skinner 1998 Temple Baylor Clippers Jeryl Sasser 2001 Dallas Kimball SMU Magic #23 Overall Darren Tillis 1982 Dallas Lincoln Cleveland State Celtics Greg Anderson 1987 Houston Worthing Houston Spurs #24 Overall Michael Young 1984 Houston Yates Houston Celtics Damion James 2010 Nacogdoches Texas Hawks #26 Overall Lance Blanks 1990 Conroe McCullough Texas Pistons Ndubi Ebi 2003 Houston Westbury Wolves Jason Maxiell 2005 Carrollton Newman Smith Cincinnati Pistons Charles Smith 1997 Fort Worth Dunbar New Mexico Heat #27 Overall Mario Bennett 1995 Denton H Arizona State Suns Kendrick Perkins 2003 Beaumont Ozen Celtics Darrell Arthur 2008 Dallas South Oak Cliff Kansas Hornets #28 Overall Ricky Winslow 1987 Houston Yates Houston Bulls Greg Ostertag 1995 Duncanville Kansas Jazz Perry Jones 2012 Duncanville Baylor Thunder #29 Overall Don Sidle 1968 Dallas Crozier Tech Oklahoma Warriors Larry Micheaux 1983 Houston Worthing Houston Bulls #30 Overall Fennis Dembo 1988 San Antonio Fox Tech Wyoming Pistons Ansu Sesay 1998 Fort Bend Willowridge Mississippi Mavs #31 Overall Eddie Owens 1977 Houston Wheatley UNLV Kings #32 Overall Rashard Lewis 1998 Alief Elsik Sonics Daniel Ewing 2005 Fort Bend Willowridge Duke Clippers Dexter Pittman 2010 Rosenberg Terry Texas Heat #33 Overall Jake Voshuhl 2000 Houston Strake Jesuit Connecticut Bulls #34 Overall C.J. Miles 2005 Dallas Skyline Jazz #35 Overall Pat Durham 1989 Wilmer-Hutchins Colorado State Mavs Jimmy King 1995 Plano East Michigan Raptors Joseph Blair 1996 Houston King Arizona Sonics Andre Emmett 2004 Dallas Carter Texas Tech Sonics DeAndre Jordan 2008 Humble Christian Life Texas A&M Clippers #36 Overall DeWayne Scales 1980 Dallas Carter LSU Knicks #37 Overall Bennie Lennox 1965 League City Clear Creek Texas A&M Bullets Quincy Acy 2012 Mesquite Horn Baylor Raptors #38 Overall Eduardo Najera 2000 San Antonio Cornerstone Oklahoma Rockets Elmer Bennett 1992 Houston Bellaire Notre Dame Hawks #39 Overall Tito Horford 1988 Houston Marian Chris Miami Bucks Thomas Hill 1993 Lancaster Duke Pacers Von Wafer 2005 Cleveland Heritage Florida State Lakers Years That Produced the Most NBA Draftees 1960-2014 (Top Year, 2005) (7) Players: Deron Williams, Ike Diogu, Gerald Green, Jason Maxiell, Daniel Ewing, CJ Miles, Von Wafer: (Second, 1982) (5) Players: Keith Edmundson, Ricky Pierce, Terry Teagle, Rob Williams, Darren Tiller: (Second, 2000) (5) Players: Kenyon Martin, Chris Mihm, Desmond Mason, Jake Voskuhl, Eduardo Najera: Top Schools that Have Produced NBA Draft Picks in the Top 40 1960-2014 Houston Worthing (4) Larry Micheaux, Greg Anderson, David Latin, Dwight Davis: (1 State Tournament) Fort Bend Willowridge (3) Daniel Ewing, T.J. Ford, Ansu Sesay: (3 State Championships) Garland High (3) Ike Diogu, Mookie Blaylock, Ricky Pierce{No State Tournament Appearances} Top 40 Draft Picks By Decade 1960s Produced 9 1970s Produced 4 1980s Produced 17 1990s Produced 19 2000s Produced 26 2010s Produced 8 Looking at the numbers you can easily see that Texas has increased its production of NBA talent, but with the population increase that would have been a natural progression. What is very surprising is the decrease to only eight during a decade that is almost halfway complete. That would be a big decrease in NBA talent from Texas over the past decade if it holds.