UCLA's Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Kyle Anderson were first-round selections.
Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
UCLA’s Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson were chosen in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday, hosted at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. This marked the second time in program history in which at least three UCLA players were taken in the first round (also 1979).
LaVine was selected No. 13 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming the program’s highest draft pick since 2008, when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love were chosen No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. LaVine will join former UCLA standouts Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Shabazz Muhammad on Minnesota’s roster.
Adams was drafted No. 22 by the Memphis Grizzlies, and Anderson was chosen No. 30 by the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
UCLA was the only school to have produced at least three first-round NBA Draft selections in this season's draft. UCLA and Michigan (two first-round, one second-round pick) were the only programs in the nation that produced three overall draft picks.
The three UCLA selections helped push the Bruins’ all-time NBA Draft total to 112 picks. The Bruins have had at least one player selected in 16 of the last 18 NBA Drafts (spanning 1997 through 2014), logging 26 selections in the past 18 seasons.
UCLA’s 1979 team was the first in Westwood to produce at least three first-round selections. That season’s team saw David Greenwood (No. 2 overall), Roy Hamilton (No. 10) and Brad Holland (No. 14) selected by the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.
In addition, UCLA has now produced multiple first-round draft picks in nine NBA Drafts (1969, 1971, 1974, 1979, 1995, 2008, 2009 and 2014). Most recently, UCLA had Jrue Holiday (No. 17 overall) and Darren Collison (No. 21) selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft. One year prior, Westbrook and Love were chosen as No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
LaVine, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard from Seattle, averaged 9.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 2013-14 as one of five players to earn Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors. LaVine played in all 37 games for the Bruins, shooting 44.1 percent overall and 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Adams, a 6-foot-5 guard from Atlanta, averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in two seasons, totaling 1,131 points (currently ranks No. 43 overall on UCLA’s all-time scoring list). Among the Bruins’ most reliable scorers the last two years, Adams set the program’s single-season steals record with 95 steals in 2013-14. He connected on 33.1 percent of his three-point attempts (98-296). In addition, Adams converted 83.9 percent of his career free throw shots (287-342).
Anderson, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward from Fairview, N.J., developed into one of college basketball’s most dynamic and versatile players last season. He averaged 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 71 career contests (70 starts). Anderson totaled 24 career double-doubles, including a Pac-12-leading 16 double-doubles in 2013-14. Last season, he became UCLA’s first player since 1995 to record a triple-double (and the fourth player in school history to compile a triple-double).
LaVine, Anderson and Adams played major roles in helping UCLA’s 2013-14 squad finish 28-9 overall, win the Pac-12 Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. As freshmen in 2012-13, Anderson and Adams guided the Bruins to the Pac-12 Conference’s regular-season title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
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