Within the spirit of the NBA qualifiers and in anticipation of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, I wished to spotlight a few of the Huskies that performed one another within the NBA. Whether or not it’s to share a rear space or a recruit and a veteran, these former Uconn have been a part of the identical group in a single title or one other.
Adama Sanogo and Andre Drummond: Chicago Bulls
The newest Huskies settlement within the NBA noticed two nice males deliberate within the metropolis of Windy. Andre Drummond performed his second of the 2 seasons in Chicago alongside Adama Sanogo, who performed sparingly on the finish of the season final yr. Sanogo notably had a 22 -point match and 20 rebounds in opposition to Washington Wizards. Drummond collected a mean of 8.8 factors and 9 rebounds per recreation in 79 video games performed. The Bulls misplaced within the recreation recreation and Drummond signed with the Philadelphia 76ers through the offseason. Drummond, the primary and the very fact of the historical past of the UCONN, provided Sanogo its NCAA championship ring in 2023 final season. Sanogo collected a mean of 17.2 factors per recreation in his final season in Uconn, a season when he additionally received essentially the most outstanding closing participant in 2022-2023.
Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb: Charlotte Hornets
The 2011 nationwide rear space shared the rear space collectively in Charlotte for 4 seasons. Becoming a member of the Charlotte Hornets in 2015, Jeremy Lamb has teamed up with the Cornerstone Kemba Walker franchise within the hope of constructing deep playoffs. The lamb collected on common almost 12 factors per recreation throughout her mandate in Charlotte, pulling 45% on the sector. Walker made the star match 3 times whereas enjoying with LAMB, together with a 3rd collection of the All-NBA group in 2019. The tandem would solely make playoffs collectively throughout their keep in Buzz Metropolis. The primary yr of lamb in Charlotte noticed them win 48 video games and win the sixth seed for the Japanese Convention. The Hornets have misplaced an thrilling collection of seven video games in opposition to Miami Warmth. Walker raised a mean of twenty-two.7 factors within the collection, together with a 34 -point efficiency within the victory of the Charlotte match match. Throughout their 2011 championship season in Uconn, Walker received the All-American standing marking 23.5 factors per recreation whereas LAMB has a mean of 11 factors per recreation as first-year departure.
AJ Value and Emeka Okafor: Washington Wizards
Two of one of the best UCONS gamers within the 2000s joined Washington on the finish of their profession. Emeka Okafor and AJ Value took a Wizards uniform through the 2012-13 NBA season. Value, which collected on common 13 factors in three seasons in Uconn, collected a mean of seven.7 factors per match in its 57 video games for the Wizards that yr, which was its highest common for the season for factors in his NBA profession in six season. Okafor, who received a nationwide championship in Uconn, performed 79 video games for Washington that yr. The naismith participant of the yr 2004 collected a mean of 9.7 factors and eight.8 rebounds per recreation in his solely season at DC, the younger Wizards completed 29-53 in a season which turned out to be the final full season for the 2 UCONN legends.
Clifford Robinson and Richard Hamilton: Detroit Pistons
Two gamers from the primary era of profitable Huskies have teamed up with one another on Detroit pistons for the 2002-03 season. Clifford Robinson spent one among his two seasons with the pistons alongside Richard Hamilton who performed in his first 9 seasons in Detroit. Hamilton collected on common almost 20 factors per recreation out of 44% on the sector this season, whereas Robinson collected a mean of 12 factors in 81 video games. The pistons received 50 video games in the one season of the pair collectively, beating the 76ers led by Allen Iverson within the semi-final of the convention earlier than shedding in opposition to the Nets of New Jersey within the closing of the convention. Hamilton was a part of the 1999 nationwide championship group the place he has a mean of 21.5 factors and was appointed first All-American group. Robinson was a drive for the Huskies, serving to them win the Nit 1988 championship. These winners established the usual in Storrs, a typical that Huskies will attempt to attain once more through the 2025-26 season.
