Houston men’s basketball has produced five NBA draft selections during coach Kelvin Sampson’s tenure, including three first-round picks since 202`1.
With the anticipated addition of two first-round draft picks and potentially four selections overall — a program record for a single draft — Houston’s growing fraternity in the NBA may see its biggest haul yet.
Here is who they would be joining:
2024: Jamal Shead
One of the most decorated Cougars of the Sampson era, guard Jamal Shead went No. 45 overall in the second round to the Sacramento Kings, who immediately traded him to the Toronto Raptors.
A consensus first-team All-American in 2024, Shead also won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and Big 12 Player of the Year awards after averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals across 37 games in his senior season.
He departed Houston as part of rare company, amassing over 100 regular-season wins with 118.
Shead has played in 157 of 164 regular-season games so far through his first two NBA seasons, averaging 6.9 points and 4.8 assists, including a 3.9:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2025-26.
He played in all seven games of the Raptors’ seven-game first-round playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite tallying 14 first-half points in game seven, the Raptors ultimately fell 114-102.
The first NBA draft selection during Sampson’s tenure with Houston, guard Damyean Dotson was selected by the New York Knicks with the No. 44 overall pick in the second round.
After beginning his career at Oregon, Dotson transferred to Houston for his final two collegiate seasons. He put up career marks as a senior, shooting an AAC Conference-best .443% from 3 on 7.6 attempts per game, while leading the Cougars in scoring with 17.1 points per game.
Dotson’s 108 3-pointers made during the 2016-17 season are the seventh-most in a single season in program history. His .443% mark still stands as the best 3-point field goal percentage in Houston’s history.
Dotson played five seasons during his NBA tenure, from 2017-21. In that span he logged 219 games played and 49 starts.
The 2018-19 campaign remains Dotson’s most complete, as he averaged a career-best 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 73 games played.
He last played for Petkim Spor of the Turkish Basketball Super League in 2024-25.
2023: Jarace Walker
When he was selected No. 8 overall in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, Jarace Walker became the first lottery selection under Sampson.
Walker was subsequently traded to the Indiana Pacers, whom he still plays for after three seasons in the NBA.
He was also the first one-and-done of the Sampson era, declaring for the NBA draft after a freshman campaign where he averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
After appearing in 33 games during his rookie season in 2023-24, Walker played 75 and 76 games respectively the following two seasons, including starting 41 contests in 2025-26.
Walker was part of the 2024-25 Indiana Pacers team that came one win away from winning an NBA title, falling 4-3 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals.
He averaged double-figure scoring this past season, behind his 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
His career-high came against OKC on Jan. 23, where he tallied 26 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 117-114 win.
2023: Marcus Sasser
The second first-round pick for the Cougars in the 2023 NBA draft, guard Marcus Sasser, became the No. 25 overall pick after the Memphis Grizzlies selected him and later traded him to the Detroit Pistons that same night.
Sasser spent all four years of college from 2019-23 with the Cougars, holding the program record for career 3-pointers until former teammate Emanuel Sharp surpassed it in February 2026.
He was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023, as well as that year’s Jerry West Award winner and AAC player of the year.
Sasser has appeared in 166 games, including 17 starts with the Pistons across his first three seasons.
The Dallas native played in 38 games during the Pistons’ 60-22 campaign, and saw action in the final four games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Cleveland, averaging 6.8 points in 15 minutes during those contests.
2021: Quentin Grimes
In 2021, Quentin Grimes became the first Cougar drafted in the first round under Sampson, when he was selected at No. 25 by the Los Angeles Clippers, before being traded to the New York Knicks.
A transfer from Kansas, Grimes elected to forego a senior season and entered the draft after spending two years with Houston.
Grimes’ junior season saw him lead a Houston team that reached its first Final Four since 1984. His 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists landed him national recognition, including third-team All-American honors.
The current Philadelphia 76er has also spent time with the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks.
Over the past two seasons, Grimes has averaged 14 points, three rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc.
A Houston native, Grimes’ career-high came in a 144-137 overtime loss to the Rockets on March 27, 2025 where he totaled 46 points on 15-of-27 shooting.
2017: Damyean Dotson
The first NBA draft selection during Sampson’s tenure with Houston, guard Damyean Dotson was selected by the New York Knicks with the No. 44 overall pick in the second round.
After beginning his career at Oregon, Dotson transferred to Houston for his final two collegiate seasons. He put up career marks as a senior, shooting an AAC Conference-best .443% from 3 on 7.6 attempts per game, while leading the Cougars in scoring with 17.1 points per game.
Dotson’s 108 3-pointers made during the 2016-17 season are the seventh-most in a single season in program history. His .443% mark still stands as the best 3-point field goal percentage in Houston’s history.
Dotson played five seasons during his NBA tenure, from 2017-21. In that span he logged 219 games played and 49 starts.
The 2018-19 campaign remains Dotson’s most complete, as he averaged a career-best 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 73 games played.
He last played for Petkim Spor of the Turkish Basketball Super League in 2024-25.
The NBA draft will take place on June 23 and 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. with both rounds beginning at 7 p.m. CT.
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