2023 NBA Draft: Brooklyn Nets select Alabama's Noah Clowney
Alabama freshman forward Noah Clowney was selected with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. Clowney was the second Crimson Tide player drafted this year and brings Alabama’s all-time number of NBA draft picks to 48. Clowney is now the 19th first-round pick in program history and the fifth first-rounder in the last six NBA drafts.
This marks the 12th time that UA has had two or more players selected in the same draft and the first draft with multiple first-rounders since 1995 (Antonio McDyess and Jason Caffey).
“I always was overlooked, so when I finally did get an opportunity, I always worked hard,” said Clowney on ESPN’s broadcast of the draft. “I was always gonna work hard in any opportunity I did get, and it got me somewhere. We’re here, man. I’m still shaking. This is surreal, really.”
Clowney played in and started 36 of Alabama’s 37 games this past season and averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. He finished second on the team in total rebounds with 285 and was the Crimson Tide’s third-leading scorer. Clowney also recorded 34 blocks and 21 steals while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from three.
An SEC All-Freshman Team honoree, Clowney scored in double figures 14 times and led UA in scoring in four games. On the glass, he led the Tide in rebounding 14 times as well as in blocks eight times. The 6-foot-10 freshman tallied three double-doubles and recorded eight double-digit rebounding games. He scored a season-high 22 points in a win over South Dakota State.
Clowney was considered a top-100 prospect coming out of Roebuck, S.C., as part of the 2022 cycle. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Clowney was the No. 79 overall recruit, the No. 14 power forward and the second-best preps player from South Carolina for the 2022 class.
Alabama players selected in 2023 NBA Draft
2. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
21. Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets
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