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Will the Ivy League Produce an NBA Draft Pick in the 2026 Class?
Nov 30, 2024; Queens, New York, USA; Harvard Crimson guard Robert Hinton (4) looks to drive past St. John's Red Storm forward Ruben Prey (17) in the first half at Carnesecca Arena. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Will the Ivy League Produce an NBA Draft Pick in the 2026 Class?

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI  |  By Randall Sweet  |  Last updated Aug 27, 2025 3:04 PM ET

The Ivy League isn't known for basketball, but the conference's teams have still made a headlines a few times in recent years.

Most notably, Ivy League teams have played spoiled to multiple higher seeded squads during the NCAA Tournament, most famously when Yale knocked off Taurean Prince and Baylor. Still, the conference has only turned out one draft pick since 1995, as the Bulldogs' Miye Oni was selected with the No. 58 pick in the 2019 class.

Other Ivy League players have still reached the NBA, as Harvard product Jeremy Lin took the league by storm in the early 2010s. Currently, Princeton product Tosan Evbuomwan is fighting for a spot in Brooklyn's organization after a decent second season in the NBA,

Additionally, the Ivy League has seen a few talented players transferred out of the conference, like 2025 first-round pick Danny Wolf. This year, all-conference honorees Ryan Cornish and Xavian Lee made their exits to high-major programs, but there should still be a few talented players in the Ivy League this season.

Here are a few prospects from the conference who have the chance to be selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Robert Hinton, Harvard

After a solid high school career at Harvard-Westlake in California, Hinton excelled as a freshman with the Crimson.

The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game during his first season at Harvard, shooting 47.7% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Hinton was unanimously voted Ivy League Rookie of the Year for his efforts.

Over the summer, Hinton starred for Chinese Taipei's senior national team, averaging 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 38.7% from deep and 84.2% from the free throw line, helping the team to a 10-3 record in the FIBA Asia Cup.

Brandon Mitchell-Day, Dartmouth

A Second-Team All-Conference selection, Mitchell-Day averaged 13.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 2024-25, shooting 51.1% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.

Mitchell-Day needs to improve from beyond the arc to round out his offensive game, but is a great passer and creator from the wing with good size at 6-foot-8.

If the senior can turn in another solid campaign, he should have a chance to be selected in 2026.

Nick Townsend, Yale

Townsend earned First-Team All-Conference honors after a breakout junior season, averaging 15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 2024-25.

The Bulldogs' star forward shot 52.9% from the field and 48.2% from deep on 1.9 attempts per game.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, Townsend has enough size to get a shot at the next level if he can turn in another strong shooting campaign as a senior.


This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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