Buffs Hit NBA Draft Success
After men’s basketball made a postseason run that included, the tireless Buffaloes made unprecedented headlines this summer: Three Forever Buffs were drafted to the NBA, Derrick White (Mgmt’17) earned an NBA Championship and Olympic gold, and two hoops legends joined Colorado’s coaching staff.
On June 26, for the first time in Buffs history, two CU Boulder players were chosen during the NBA Draft’s first round. Cody Williams (IntPhys ex’27) went No. 10 to the Utah Jazz and Tristan da Silva (Fin’24) went No. 18 to the Orlando Magic. In the second round, KJ Simpson (LeadCommEngmt’25) was drafted at No. 12 (42nd pick overall) — giving the Buffs their highest-ever ranked draft class.
“You want to help kids achieve their dreams,” said head coach Tad Boyle, who attended the draft. “That’s what college basketball is about.”
Four days later, 2017 first round pick Derrick White kept the Buffs in the headlines when he agreed to a four-year, $125.9 million contract extension, just two weeks after winning the NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics. Soon after, he was named to the U.S. Olympic team, earning a gold medal when the U.S. defeated France 98-87 in the Paris Games.
Following a summer of accolades for past Buffs, Colorado’s 2024–25 squad is reloading in its return to the Big 12 with a coaching staff bolstered by NCAA champion and NBA All-Star Danny Manning and former “Mayor of Boulder” Evan Battey (Jour’21, MSOL’23).
“I’ll bring the energy, the emotion, the experience,” Battey said.
Cody Williams
KJ Simpson
Tristan Da Silva
Photos credit NBA/ Getty Images