For the first time in three years, Alabama basketball‘s widely projected to have a member of the Crimson Tide selected in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Labaron Philon‘s viewed as a first-round selection for the two-day event, which is set to begin Tuesday, June 23, in Brooklyn, New York. A Mobile native, Philon spent two seasons playing for Nate Oats in Tuscaloosa.
He was named a third team All-American for his sophomore season, in which he averaged 22 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as the Crimson Tide reached the Sweet 16. Should Philon hear his name called, he’d be the 49th Alabama player drafted since 1949, and he’d be the seventh selection of the Oats era.
With less than a week before the draft, here’s a breakdown of where Philon’s projected to go.
2026 NBA Draft projections for Alabama basketball’s Labaron Philon
- USA Today: Round 1, No. 18 overall to Charlotte (via Orlando)
- ESPN: Round 1, No. 17 overall to Oklahoma City (via Philadelphia)
- The Athletic: Round 1, No. 19 overall to Toronto
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball projections for 2026 NBA Draft
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