By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, presented by State Farm, took place at Barclays Center on Tuesday, setting the stage for the second round to follow at the same Brooklyn venue on Wednesday. Following an opening stretch where American players thoroughly dominated the early selections, the Oklahoma City Thunder broke the trend by making Aday Mara the first European player off the board with the 12th pick.
The 2.21-meter center from Zaragoza, who features an extraordinary 2.97-meter standing reach, was a locked-in lottery target from Spain drawing interest from the Thunder. Having previously gathered experience in the FIBA Europe Cup with Casademont Zaragoza, he moved to the United States for an initial collegiate stint at UCLA before transferring to Michigan, where he helped fuel an NCAA national championship run.
Mara became the highest-drafted Spanish prospect since the Minnesota Timberwolves took Ricky Rubio fifth overall in 2009. His selection also snapped a long-standing trend of early domestic dominance. Not since 2012 had the first 11 selections gone exclusively to players from the United States.
Confirming months of consensus draft projections, the Washington Wizards tipped off the evening by selecting AJ Dybantsa with the number one overall pick. The 19-year-old forward possesses deep roots in Europe, stemming from his father’s formative years training as a football goalkeeper in Paris.
Nate Ament went 13th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks. While the 19-year-old forward was born and raised in Virginia, his global connections stem from his mother, who was raised in Italy, making him technically eligible to represent the European country in FIBA competitions.
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