Saunders selected by Memphis Grizzlies with 32nd pick of 2026 NBA Draft

The 6-foot-5 guard becomes the second Cougar selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Author Tyson Jex
BYU's Richie Saunders warms up before the Cougars face Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.BYU's Richie Saunders warms up before the Cougars face Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
BYU Photo

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – BYU’s Richie Saunders was selected with the No. 32 pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2026 NBA Draft Wednesday evening.

Saunders becomes the second Cougar selected in the 2026 NBA Draft joining teammate AJ Dybantsa, who was selected with the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 2026 NBA Draft marks the first time since 1984 that multiple Cougars have been selected in the same draft when Devin Durrant was selected by the Indiana Pacers (25th) and Brett Applegate was picked in the fourth round by the Portland Trailblazers (88th).

The Riverton native went from glue guy to Big 12’s Most Improved Player under head coach Kevin Young where he finished his four-year career in PROvo with the 17th most points in program history. He scored 1,544 points in 128 appearances where he attempted and made the eighth-most 3-pointers in program history.

Saunders averaged 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three and 81.7 percent from the free throw line during his senior season before tearing his ACL against Colorado.

He scored in double figures 21 times highlighted by a career-high 33-point performance at Kansas. In the setback to Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, Saunders tied a career-high with six 3-pointers to go along with 10 rebounds for his fourth career double-double.

He was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2024-25 after averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game where he became the fifth player in program history to shoot 50/40/80 in a single season.

He averaged 22.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in BYU’s run to its first Sweet 16 appearance, shooting 59.5 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 100.0 percent from the free throw line.

BYU in the NBA Draft

  • BYU has produced a total of 48 NBA Draft picks all-time.
  • The Cougars have players drafted in back-to-back drafts for the first time since 2003-04 when Travis Hansen was selected 37th by the Atlanta Hawks (2003) and Rafael Araujo was selected eighth by the Toronto Raptors (2004).
  • The 2026 NBA Draft marks the first time since 1984 that BYU has had multiple players picked in the same draft.
  • BYU players have been selected by 20 of the 30 current NBA franchises, with Boston having drafted the most Cougars with four.
  • BYU became the 48th different school to have a No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft when AJ Dybantsa was picked by the Washington Wizard on Tuesday evening.