Huskers in the NBA

Dalano Banton

Dalano Banton

Isaiah Roby

Isaiah Roby

Bryce McGowens

Bryce McGowens

Erick Strickland

Erick Strickland

Mikki Moore

Mikki Moore

Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue

Stu Lantz

Stu Lantz

Eric Piatkowski

Eric Piatkowski

Nebraska has had 15 former players reach the National Basketball Association, including three players since 2019. During the 2023-24 season, NU had a pair of NBA players in Bryce McGowens and Dalano Banton.

McGowens, a second-round pick by Charlotte in the 2022 NBA Draft, has played the last two seasons for the Hornets. In 2023-24, he played in 59 games, including 14 starts, and averaged 5.1 points, and 1.7 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 18 points against Cleveland, one of 13 double-figure games during the year. As a rookie, he played in 46 games, including seven starts in 2022-23. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game and closed the year by averaging 17.3 ppg on 50 percent shooting and 4.3 rebounds per game in his final four contests. He was the No. 40 overall pick in 2022, the highest drafted Husker since 1998.  At Nebraska, he was a third-team All-Big Ten performer as a freshman in 2021-22, averaging a team-high 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. An eight-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, McGowens had 11 games with 20-or-more points, including a season-high 29 points against both Sam Houston and Rutgers.

Banton enjoyed his best season as a professional in 2023-24, as he played for both Boston and Portland. Banton played in 24 games with the Celtics before he was dealt to Portland at the trade deadline. He played in 54 games, averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, but flourished after his trade to Portland. In 30 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He closed the year with 16 straight double-figure efforts, including six games of at least 25 points. He had a career-high 31 points against Atlanta and a 30-point night against Houston. A second-round pick of Toronto in the 2021 draft, Banton played in 31 games for the Raptors in 2022-23, averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 re-bounds and 1.1 assists per game. He had a season-high 27 points in a win at Detroit. As a rookie, he appeared in 64 contests for the Raptors, averaging 3.2 points and 1.5 assists per game.  Banton spent two seasons at Nebraska after transferring from Western Kentucky. After sitting out the 2019-20 campaign, Banton played in all 27 games, including 22 starts, for the Huskers in 2020-21, averaging 9.6 points per game while leading the Huskers in both rebounding (5.9) and assists (3.9) per game. He finished in the top 20 in the Big Ten in assists (ninth), blocked shots (15th) and rebounding (18th) and became the first Husker since 1974 to lead NU in both rebounding and assists in the same season.  He posted the second triple-double in school history with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in just 21 minutes against Doane and totaled 14 games in double figures. 

Isaiah Roby played four NBA season as he completed the 2022-23 with the New York Knicks after spending a majority of the year with the San Antonio Spurs. Roby made his NBA debut on Jan. 29, 2020, after being the No. 45 pick of the 2019 draft. He played 42 games for the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game before he was signed by the Knicks on the last day of the regular season. His best year came in 2021-22 with Oklahoma City, as he averaged career highs in both scoring (10.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.8 rpg). As a Husker, he played three seasons (2017-19), totaling 786 points, 530 rebounds and 154 blocked shots before declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft. He enjoyed a breakout 2018-19 campaign, establishing career highs in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg) while adding 1.9 blocks per game, as he finished among the Big Ten leaders in blocked shots (third) and steals (1.3, ninth). Roby tallied three double-doubles in 2018-19 and posted a career-high 28 points in Nebraska’s NIT win over Butler. He helped NU to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2018 and 2019. 

Mikki Moore spent 13 years in the NBA, most recently in the 2011-12 season.  Moore, who signed with the Detroit Pistons following his college career, enjoyed his best season with New Jersey in 2006-07 when he started 55 games after working his way into the opening lineup just seven times in his first eight seasons. He averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and led the league by hitting 60.1 percent from the floor. He was the first undrafted player in NBA history to lead the league in field-goal percentage, as he helped the Nets to the second round of the playoffs. The following season, he started 79 games for Sacramento, averaging 8.5 points and a career-high 6.0 rebounds per game.

Tyronn Lue enjoyed success as both a player and coach in the NBA following his Husker career. Lue guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016 in his first season as head coach and took the Los Angeles Clippers to the Western Conference Finals in 2021. In six full seasons as an NBA coach, Lue has guided his teams to four conference finals appearances and three trips to the NBA Finals. Lue will serve as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics As a player, Lue spent 11 seasons in the NBA, and won a pair of NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. He played with six teams during his career and averaged a career-high 11.4 points per game in 2006-07 and finished his career with 4,710 points and 1,727 career assists.  During his Husker career, Lue averaged 15.9 points and 4.4 assists in his three-year career as a Cornhusker and left the program ranking third in assists (432), fourth in three-pointers made (145), fifth in steals (154) and seventh in points (1,577). Lue was named First Team All-Big 12 his junior season after averaging 21.2 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Eric Piatkowski was one of the longest-tenured Huskers in the NBA, as he played 13 seasons in the league. He spent his first nine seasons with the LA Clippers, two with the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns and one with the Houston Rockets. A first-round pick in 1994, he was a part of six playoff teams in his career, including each of his last five seasons, before retiring following the 2008 playoffs. One of the best shooters in the NBA during his career, he was third in the NBA in 3-point percentage in 2001-02 and ninth in 2004-05 while ranking in the top 100 all-time in 3-pointers made. He is the Clippers' all-time leader in 3-pointers (738) and 3-point percentage (40.2) and ranked second in the team record book with 616 games played at the end of his playing career. One of only two players in Nebraska history to play on four straight NCAA Tournament teams, Piatkowski led the Huskers to an 85-39 record including three 20-win seasons. He was the first player in Nebraska history to record at least 1,900 points, grab 600 rebounds (669) and dish out 300 assists (322) and with 202 career treys, is one of only two Huskers to record at least 200 3-pointers in a career. Piatkowski was a two-time first-team All-Big Eight selection and was the MVP of the 1994 Big Eight Tournament while leading the Huskers to their first conference tournament title. He set the NU single-game scoring record with 42 points in the first round of the tournament against Oklahoma and his No. 52 jersey was retired in 2006.

Of the former Huskers who have reached the NBA, Stu Lantz is the program's highest scorer, as he averaged 12.4 points per game during his eight-year NBA career.  Lantz was originally a third-round draft pick of the San Diego Rockets in 1968. Spending his first three seasons in San Diego, he enjoyed his finest pro campaign in 1970-71, averaging career-high figures in both scoring (20.6) and rebounding (5.0). The following season, Lantz ranked sixth overall in the NBA in free throw percentage (.838). Lantz also played for the Detroit Pistons (1972-1974) and New Orleans Jazz (1974) prior to being traded to the Lakers in December of 1974, where he spent two seasons before being forced to retire with a back injury. He has been a broadcaster with the Los Angeles Lakers since 1987 and has been named to the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association as the best television color commentator seven times. In 2018, he was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame. As a Husker, he was a two-time All-Big Eight selection who totaled 1,269 points in his career, while his average of 16.9 points per game ranks fifth in school history. His No. 22 was retired in 1989.

Career NBA Totals (courtesy Basketball Reference)

15 NBA/ABA Players Table
  Draft Career Totals Shooting Per Game
Rk Player Year Rd Overall From
To G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA ORB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS FG% 3P% FT% MP PTS TRB AST
1 Herschell Turner 1960 6 45 1968 1968 41 500 51 159 6 26 23 47   74 45     45 72 131 .321 .231 .489 12.2 3.2 1.8 1.1
2 Grant Simmons 1966 12 100 1968 1969 95 2516 314 747 2 24 228 324 6 266 197     170 278 858 .420 .083 .704 26.5 9.0 2.8 2.1
3 Stu Lantz 1968 3 23 1969 1976 547 15267 2469 5674     1844 2266 150 1820 1566 121 18   1320 6782 .435   .814 27.9 12.4 3.3 2.9
4 Dave Hoppen 1986 3 65 1988 1993 169 2401 326 629 1 5 184 245 220 647 100 43 29 138 389 837 .518 .200 .751 14.2 5.0 3.8 0.6
5 Eric Johnson       1990 1990 48 272 20 84 1 6 13 17 8 28 64 17 2 26 49 54 .238 .167 .765 5.7 1.1 0.6 1.3
6 Rich King 1991 1 14 1992 1995 72 309 44 112 0 2 47 71 30 74 21 5 7 28 62 135 .393 .000 .662 4.3 1.9 1.0 0.3
7 Eric Piatkowski 1994 1 15 1995 2008 789 14613 2044 4711 865 2168 966 1152 508 1716 778 404 115 628 1152 5919 .434 .399 .839 18.5 7.5 2.2 1.0
8 Erick Strickland       1997 2005 501 10189 1333 3400 404 1151 710 860 224 1317 1203 422 41 668 959 3780 .392 .351 .826 20.3 7.5 2.6 2.4
9 Tony Farmer       1998 2000 101 1368 144 365 10 53 234 304 134 327 79 76 20 91 190 532 .395 .189 .770 13.5 5.3 3.2 0.8
10 Mikki Moore       1999 2012 564 10257 1269 2304 2 13 717 965 777 2196 409 179 306 537 1541 3257 .551 .154 .743 18.2 5.8 3.9 0.7
11 Tyronn Lue 1998 1 23 1999 2009 554 12564 1765 4039 460 1175 720 868 132 943 1727 286 10 659 1057 4710 .437 .391 .829 22.7 8.5 1.7 3.1
12 Andrew White       2018 2018 15 209 25 73 18 49 1 4 4 34 6 3 1 8 12 69 .342 .367 .250 13.9 4.6 2.3 0.4
13 Isaiah Roby 2019 2 45 2020 2023 151 2858 440 908 94 268 185 274 185 667 216 106 78 188 325 1159 .485 .351 .675 18.9 7.7 4.4 1.4
14 Dalano Banton 2021 2 46 2022 2024 149 2022 340 832 87 301 137 188 90 347 262 74 43 148 166 904 .409 .289 .729 13.6 6.1 2.3 1.8
15 Bryce McGowens 2022 2 40 2023 2024 105 1669 181 432 60 182 126 165 37 195 105 36 16 73 122 548 .419 .330 .764 15.9 5.2 1.9 1.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/6/2024.