The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, representing the University of Michigan, has had 81 players drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) since the league began holding the yearly event in 1947. Each NBA franchise seeks to add new players through an annual draft. The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the first three picks of the NBA draft; the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs the previous year are eligible to participate. After the first three picks are decided, the rest of the teams pick in reverse order of their win–loss record. To be eligible for the NBA draft, a player in the United States must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.

The drafts held between 1947 and 1949 were held by the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA became the National Basketball Association after absorbing teams from the National Basketball League in the fall of 1949. Official NBA publications include the BAA Drafts as part of the NBA's draft history. From 1967 until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) held its own draft.

Through the 2026 NBA draft, a Wolverine has been chosen first overall two times in the history of the event, Cazzie Russell in 1966 and Chris Webber in 1993. Thirty-five Wolverines have been drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft, with Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara being the latest in 2026. The most Wolverines selected in the first round of a single NBA Draft is three, which happened in 1990 and 2026. Eight players have been selected to either an NBA or ABA All-Star Game, six players have been a member of an NBA or ABA championship winning team, and four players have achieved both (not including Rudy Tomjanovich achieving both as a coach). Two former Wolverines have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Key

G Guard F Forward C Center

* Selected to an NBA/ABA All-Star Game † Won an NBA/ABA championship ‡ Selected to an All-Star Game and won an NBA/ABA championship

Players selected in the NBA draft

+ Michigan Wolverines players drafted Year Round Pick Overall Name Position Team Notes 1949 — — — ‡ G Minneapolis Lakers NBA All-Star (1956) NBA Champion (1950, 1952, 1953) 1950 6 10 70 F Syracuse Nationals — 1951 5 10 50 G, F Minneapolis Lakers — 1957 5 2 34 G Fort Wayne Pistons — 7 3 51 F Minneapolis Lakers — 1958 7 6 53 C Syracuse Nationals — 1959 4 2 24 G Detroit Pistons — 11 2 73 G Detroit Pistons — 1961 4 6 38 G Philadelphia Warriors — 1965 1 T 3 F, C Detroit Pistons — 15 3 103 G, F St. Louis Hawks — 1966 1 1 1 ‡ G, F New York Knicks NBA All-Rookie First Team (1967) NBA All-Star (1972) NBA Champion (1970) 3 2 22 F Detroit Pistons — 1967 4 11 42 C San Diego Rockets — 1969 4 1 44 F Phoenix Suns — 1970 1 2 2 ‡ F San Diego Rockets NBA All-Star (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979) NBA Champion (1994, 1995) (as head coach) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2020) 1971 10 16 168 F Milwaukee Bucks — 1972 3 14 44 G Boston Celtics — 1973 4 9 61 C Detroit Pistons — 5 9 78 C Detroit Pistons — 14 1 189 F Philadelphia Sixers — 1974 1 8 8 * F Cleveland Cavaliers NBA All-Star (1979) 1975 4 2 56 F, C Los Angeles Lakers — 1976 4 9 60 G Los Angeles Lakers — 1977 1 16 16 * G NBA All-Star (1984) 3 11 55 G Cleveland Cavaliers — 5 22 110 G Los Angeles Lakers — 1978 3 17 61 G Seattle SuperSonics — 4 3 69 F Houston Rockets — 1979 1 15 15 C Detroit Pistons — 1981 1 19 19 † G Los Angeles Lakers NBA Champion (1982, 1985) 3 23 69 G Boston Celtics — 5 20 112 C Phoenix Suns — 1982 7 3 141 F Utah Jazz — 1983 10 7 213 C Detroit Pistons — 1984 1 12 12 C Cleveland Cavaliers — 2 8 32 G Detroit Pistons — 10 19 225 G Detroit Pistons — 1986 1 7 7 F Dallas Mavericks NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award (1988)NBA All-Rookie First Team (1987) 5 2 95 F Indiana Pacers — 6 1 117 F New York Knicks — 7 5 144 F Chicago Bulls — 1987 6 20 134 G Detroit Pistons — 1988 1 15 15 G Seattle SuperSonics — 1989 1 4 4 ‡ F Miami Heat NBA All-Star (1996, 1997, 1998)NBA All-Star Game MVP (1997)NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1990)All-NBA Second Team (1997)All-NBA Third Team (1998)NBA Champion (2000) 1990 1 10 10 G Atlanta Hawks — 1 13 13 F Los Angeles Clippers — 1 16 16 F Milwaukee Bucks — 2 27 53 F San Antonio Spurs — 1993 1 1 1 * F Orlando Magic NBA All-Star (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) NBA Rookie of the Year (1994) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1994) All-NBA First Team (2001) All-NBA Second Team (1999, 2002, 2003) All-NBA Third Team (2000) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2021) 2 6 33 C Dallas Mavericks — 1994 1 5 5 ‡ F Washington Wizards NBA All-Star (1996) NBA Champion (2012, 2013) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1995) All-NBA Third Team (1996) 1 13 13 G Denver Nuggets NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1995)NBA Most Improved Player (2000) 1995 2 6 35 G Toronto Raptors — 1997 1 14 14 F Los Angeles Clippers NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1998) 1998 1 6 6 F Dallas Mavericks — 2 29 58 F Chicago Bulls — 1999 2 13 42 G — 2000 1 8 8 G Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2010, 2014, 2016) 2004 2 16 45 G Charlotte Hornets — 2011 2 11 41 G Los Angeles Lakers — 2013 1 9 9 G Minnesota Timberwolves NBA All-Rookie First Team (2014) 1 24 24 G New York Knicks NBA All-Rookie First Team (2014) 2014 1 8 8 G Sacramento Kings — 1 21 21 C Oklahoma City Thunder — 2 10 40 F Minnesota Timberwolves — 2016 1 20 20 G Indiana Pacers — 2017 1 17 17 F Milwaukee Bucks — 2018 1 25 25 F Los Angeles Lakers — 2019 1 28 28 G Golden State Warriors NBA Champion (2022) 2 17 47 F Sacramento Kings – 2021 1 8 8 F Orlando Magic NBA All-Rookie First Team (2022) 2 12 42 F Detroit Pistons — 2022 2 2 32 F Orlando Magic — 2 13 43 F Los Angeles Clippers — 2023 1 11 11 F Orlando Magic — 1 15 15 G Atlanta Hawks — 2025 1 27 27 F Brooklyn Nets — 2026 1 9 9 F Dallas Mavericks — 1 11 11 F Golden State Warriors — 1 12 12 C Oklahoma City Thunder —

References