With the NBA season set to begin on Tuesday, October 22, the Duke men’s basketball program has an impressive tally of 24 former players on the opening-day rosters across the league. This figure comes from the NBA’s official rosters, which include two-way and inactive players, and features any Blue Devil who completed their college career at Duke.
Duke alumni are represented on 18 different NBA teams, including three players in Phoenix and four pairs in Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans, and Orlando. Jayson Tatum, a forward/guard with the Boston Celtics, enters the season fresh off his first NBA championship in the 2023-24 season. As a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, Tatum played a key role in guiding the Celtics to the top of the league with 64 regular-season wins and clinching the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
Twin brothers Tre Jones and Tyus Jones, who play for the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns respectively, will face each other three times during the regular season, including a matchup in the NBA Cup group play. Duke’s 2023 draft picks, including prospects Derek Lively II and Dariq Whitehead, are set to make their NBA debuts this season. Lively, the 56th all-time first-round pick from Duke, averaged 22.8 minutes in the preseason, scoring 12.8 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game with a shooting accuracy of 40% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range. Filipowski contributed with averages of 4.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 13.2 minutes.
In addition to the current players, Duke has a strong network of former athletes, coaches, and graduates involved in NBA coaching and front office roles across 26 of the league’s 30 teams. Notable figures include former Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who joined the NBA as a special advisor this summer, alongside other prominent alumni who hold major positions such as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks Tony Ressler, General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers Daryl Morey, and Head Coaches Mike Budenholzer and Darvin Ham.
The list of Duke players in the NBA includes Grayson Allen, Marvin Bagley III, Paolo Banchero, RJ Barrett, Wendell Carter Jr., Seth Curry, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Johnson, Tre Jones, Tyus Jones, Luke Kennard, Dereck Lively II, Wendell Moore Jr., Mason Plumlee, Cam Reddish, D.J. Steward, Jayson Tatum, Gary Trent Jr., Dariq Whitehead, Mark Williams, and Zion Williamson.
To follow the latest updates on Duke men’s basketball, fans can check the team’s presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook under the handle “DukeMBB.” Additionally, in 2024, Duke will commemorate its Centennial, marking 100 years since Trinity College became Duke University, aiming to enhance awareness of its history and continue its legacy of excellence and leadership. For more information, visit 100.duke.edu.