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NBA Begins With 21 Blue Devils on Opening Day Rosters
10/19/2021 12:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM – With the 2021-22 NBA season tipping off Tuesday night, the Duke men's basketball program boasts 21 former players on opening-day rosters.
The list was compiled from the NBA's official opening-day rosters (including two-way and inactive lists) and includes any Blue Devil that played and finished their college basketball careers at Duke.
Duke's 21 are spread among 16 NBA franchises, including two each in Atlanta (Jalen Johnson, Cam Reddish), Charlotte (Vernon Carey Jr., Mason Plumlee), Los Angeles Clippers (Luke Kennard, Justise Winslow), Milwaukee (Grayson Allen, Rodney Hood) and New Orleans (Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson).
Duke's 21 NBA players represent nearly 5 percent of all players on opening-day rosters across the NBA. All have been coached by Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has seen 68 Blue Devils drafted in his four decades at Duke – including 42 first-round picks to lead all active coaches.
Through the 2020-21 season, Coach K's former Duke players have accumulated a staggering $2.5 billion in NBA contracts. Lottery selections who played for Krzyzewski at Duke have combined to earn more than $2 billion in contracts, an average of nearly $70 million per individual.
Coach K's 28 lottery picks represent an NBA Draft record for both a coach and a school.
Duke's and Coach K's ties to the NBA run deeper than just the players on the floor. Including former Blue Devil Quin Snyder as the head coach of the Utah Jazz, more than 20 of Coach K's former players, assistant coaches, staff and managers occupy positions on NBA coaching staffs or in front offices.
Blue Devils in the NBA
Cam Reddish -- Atlanta
Jalen Johnson -- Atlanta
Jayson Tatum -- Boston
Kyrie Irving -- Brooklyn*
Vernon Carey Jr. -- Charlotte
Mason Plumlee -- Charlotte
Austin Rivers -- Denver
Frank Jackson -- Detroit
Luke Kennard -- LA Clippers
Justise Winslow -- LA Clippers
Tyus Jones -- Memphis
Grayson Allen -- Milwaukee
Rodney Hood -- Milwaukee
Brandon Ingram -- New Orleans
Zion Williamson -- New Orleans*
RJ Barrett -- New York
Wendell Carter Jr. -- Orlando
Seth Curry -- Philadelphia
Marvin Bagley III -- Sacramento
Tre Jones -- San Antonio
Gary Trent Jr. – Toronto
* - inactive
#GoDuke
The list was compiled from the NBA's official opening-day rosters (including two-way and inactive lists) and includes any Blue Devil that played and finished their college basketball careers at Duke.
Duke's 21 are spread among 16 NBA franchises, including two each in Atlanta (Jalen Johnson, Cam Reddish), Charlotte (Vernon Carey Jr., Mason Plumlee), Los Angeles Clippers (Luke Kennard, Justise Winslow), Milwaukee (Grayson Allen, Rodney Hood) and New Orleans (Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson).
Duke's 21 NBA players represent nearly 5 percent of all players on opening-day rosters across the NBA. All have been coached by Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has seen 68 Blue Devils drafted in his four decades at Duke – including 42 first-round picks to lead all active coaches.
Through the 2020-21 season, Coach K's former Duke players have accumulated a staggering $2.5 billion in NBA contracts. Lottery selections who played for Krzyzewski at Duke have combined to earn more than $2 billion in contracts, an average of nearly $70 million per individual.
Coach K's 28 lottery picks represent an NBA Draft record for both a coach and a school.
Duke's and Coach K's ties to the NBA run deeper than just the players on the floor. Including former Blue Devil Quin Snyder as the head coach of the Utah Jazz, more than 20 of Coach K's former players, assistant coaches, staff and managers occupy positions on NBA coaching staffs or in front offices.
Blue Devils in the NBA
Cam Reddish -- Atlanta
Jalen Johnson -- Atlanta
Jayson Tatum -- Boston
Kyrie Irving -- Brooklyn*
Vernon Carey Jr. -- Charlotte
Mason Plumlee -- Charlotte
Austin Rivers -- Denver
Frank Jackson -- Detroit
Luke Kennard -- LA Clippers
Justise Winslow -- LA Clippers
Tyus Jones -- Memphis
Grayson Allen -- Milwaukee
Rodney Hood -- Milwaukee
Brandon Ingram -- New Orleans
Zion Williamson -- New Orleans*
RJ Barrett -- New York
Wendell Carter Jr. -- Orlando
Seth Curry -- Philadelphia
Marvin Bagley III -- Sacramento
Tre Jones -- San Antonio
Gary Trent Jr. – Toronto
* - inactive
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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