There is no shortage of storylines with the Arizona basketball program this season. Ditto for past Wildcats in the NBA.
Former Arizona star and NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala had his No. 9 jersey retired by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Iguodala, who retired last season, is the highest-earning ex-Wildcat of all time, making just over $185 million in NBA salary (excluding endorsements). Iguodala was the last Lute Olson-era Wildcat to play in the NBA, a streak that spanned from 1985 to Iguodala’s retirement in 2023.
Former Arizona forward Richard Jefferson, who played 17 seasons in the NBA and is now a broadcaster, will serve as a color analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals, the network announced on Monday.
Even though Tucson native and Palo Verde product Bryce Cotton didn’t play at Arizona, he became a Perth Wildcats legend in Australia’s NBL. Cotton recently received his fifth NBL MVP honor after averaging 28.5 points and 4.6 assists per game. Cotton is an eight-time NBL scoring champion.
It’s been a productive year so far in the Tucson and UA basketball scene.
With the NBA postseason approaching in less than two months, here’s a look at how former Wildcats are faring this season:
Deandre Ayton
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
The rundown: The former No. 1 overall pick was dealt from the Phoenix Suns to the Trail Blazers in a three-team trade last season. In his second season in Portland, the 7-footer is averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 40 games this season. Portland is currently 13th in the western conference standings.
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) and Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Denver.
Aaron Gordon
Team: Denver Nuggets
The rundown: Gordon changed his jersey number from 50 to 32 this season to honor his late older brother, Drew, who died last May following a car accident. Drew Gordon, who started his collegiate career at UCLA, wore No. 32 at New Mexico. The younger Gordon, who is the last Wildcat to win an NBA championship, is averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds for Denver.
Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) in the second half of a game on Feb. 20, 2025, in Denver.
Josh Green
Team: Charlotte Hornets
The rundown: After Green was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to Charlotte in the NBA’s first-ever six-team deal, he’s averaging 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in his first season with the Hornets. Green has a career-high in games started (49).
Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson stands on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Keshad Johnson
Team: Miami Heat
The rundown: The former UA power forward went undrafted following a season in Tucson, but signed with the Miami Heat on a two-way contract. Johnson has played in 10 games for the Heat this season. In 10 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate, Johnson averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Los Angeles Lakers' Christian Koloko plays during an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Christian Koloko
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
The rundown: The former Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and second-round draft pick returned to basketball this season after dealing with career-threatening blood-clots. Koloko, who emigrated from Cameroon to Los Angeles before his Arizona career, signed with the hometown Lakers. Koloko has appeared in 29 games this season for the Lakers this season. Koloko also played for the G League’s South Bay Lakers, averaging 13 points, 6.5 rebounds and four blocks in two games. After L.A. traded Anthony Davis as part of the deal to acquire Luka Doncic, Koloko could have a more significant role in the Lakers’ frontcourt.
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson drives during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Pelle Larsson
Team: Miami Heat
The rundown: The second-round rookie is averaging 3.8 points and 1.5 rebounds off the bench for a Heat squad that just traded franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler.
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, right, holds the ball away from Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Lauri Markkanen
Team: Utah Jazz
The rundown: A year after Markkanen served a mandatory six-month service for the Finnish military, Markkanen inked a five-year, $238 million contract extension to stay with the Utah Jazz. Although the 7-footer didn’t make the All-Star roster, he’s averaging 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. Over his eight-year NBA career, Markkanen is averaging 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds.
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) looks on during a game against the Washington Wizards, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington.
Bennedict Mathurin
Team: Indiana Pacers
The rundown: The former Pac-12 Player of the Year played in 59 games last season before suffering a season-ending labrum injury, which required surgery. After Buddy Hield was traded from Indiana to Philadelphia last season, Mathurin elevated to a starting role for the Pacers this season. Mathurin’s 44 starts this season are more than his first two seasons combined (26). The shooting guard is averaging 16.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 53 games this season. Mathurin scored a career-high 38 points in an overtime win over the New York Knicks in November.
Former Arizona guard and current Indiana Pacer T.J. McConnell re-enacts his kissing the “Block A” from his last game at McKale Center during his Ring of Honor ceremony before the game against Samford on Dec. 18, 2024.
TJ McConnell
Team: Indiana Pacers
The rundown: Now in his 10th season in the NBA, McConnell officially earned a spot in the McKale Center Ring of Honor this year. With his Pacers teammates in attendance, including Mathurin, who was inducted into the McKale Center Ring of Honor last year, McConnell was inducted during Arizona’s win over Samford in December. McConnell, who is a backup point guard to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, is averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 assists in 18.4 minutes per game this season. McConnell, Gordon and Markkanen — three productive and wildly popular players from the Sean Miller era at Arizona — all had contract extensions this offseason worth a combined $416 million.
Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) in the second half on Feb. 10, 2025, in Denver.
Zeke Nnaji
Team: Denver Nuggets
The rundown: Nnaji, a former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is in his second season of a a four-year, $32 million contract extension with the Nuggets. The reserve forward is averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 36 games.
Chicago Bulls' Dalen Terry celebrates a teammate scoring off his assist during an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 22, 2024, in Chicago.
Dalen Terry
Team: Chicago Bulls
The rundown: Terry, a former first-round pick, is on pace for a career-high in games played in a season. In 50 games as a reserve forward for the Bulls, Terry is averaging 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams dribbles up court against the Miami Heat during the second half of a game, Feb. 13, 2025, in Dallas.
Brandon Williams
Team: Dallas Mavericks
The rundown: The two-way Williams played eight games for the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, and averaged 28.3 points, 7.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. Williams, who recovered from a congenital knee issue and turned pro in 2020, has spent most of the season as a reserve guard with the Mavericks.
