Five Jayhawks Selected in NBA Draft
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An all-time high five Kansas Jayhawks were selected in the 2008 NBA Draft Thursday night. The five KU players selected ties an NBA Draft two-round record with Connecticut in 2006 and Florida in 2007.
KU's Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers went in the first 34 picks and were then part of separate proposed trades.
Darnell Jackson was the 52nd overall choice of the Miami Heat and Sasha Kaun 56th to the Seattle Supersonics. Kaun, whose rights were traded to Cleveland, recently signed a pro contract at his home in Russia for a three-year commitment and Cleveland will have his NBA rights when that contract complete.
Rush became the first Jayhawk selected as the 13th overall pick by the Portland Trailblazers. He was then part of a proposed trade to the Indiana Pacers.
Arthur was also selected in the first round, going No. 27 to the New Orleans Hornets. The forward was first part of a proposed rights trade to the Portland Trailblazers and later traded to the Houston Rockets.
Chalmers was taken early in the second round – No. 34 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and then had his rights traded to the Miami Heat. All proposed trades need to be approved by the NBA July 9.
Rush's selection marks the second straight season a KU player was selected 13th overall as last year Julian Wright was the same slotted choice of the New Orleans Hornets.
The Kansas five selections in 2008 surpasses the previous high of three KU selections done in 1969, 1971, 1981 and 1986.
Including four times in the last four years, Rush and Arthur is the sixth and seventh Jayhawks since 2002 to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Additionally, the 2008 draft marks the fourth time since the draft was reduced to two rounds that Kansas has had two first-round selections.
The other years were 1997 – Scot Pollard and Jacque Vaughn, 1998 – Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce and 2003 – Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich.
Jackson was traded to Cleveland.