Keyonte George becomes Baylor’s third straight NBA first-round pick

When Keyonte George heard his name called last night in the 2023 NBA Draft, it fulfilled a lifelong dream for the former Baylor guard — and continued a recent trend for BU that no one else in college basketball can match.

George was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Utah Jazz, making him the ninth first-round pick in program history.

bringin’ another bear to Utah 🐻#TakeNote | @keyonte1george pic.twitter.com/MuGcIXGu3D

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) June 23, 2023

If a high Baylor draft pick feels like an annual event, that’s because it is. George joins Davion Mitchell and Jeremy Sochan as Baylor first-round draftees since 2021, and all of them came off the board early. Baylor is the only school with top-16 picks in each of the last three drafts.

A first-round selection was always in sight for George, who backed up the expectations that come from being a five-star recruit with a highly decorated year in green and gold. George was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season, averaging over 15 points, 4 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game. His 12 games of 20+ points was also a Baylor freshman record, and his 506 points were just three away from Baylor’s freshman high-water mark for a season (set by Aaron Bruce in 2004-05). George was also named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Freshman Team.

George is Baylor’s 12th NBA draft pick in Scott Drew’s 20 seasons at Baylor. Since 2012, Baylor leads all Texas schools (and ranks second in the Big 12) with 11 NBA draftees.

Sic ’em, Keyonte George!