Three former University of Texas men’s basketball players will participate in the upcoming 2026 NBA Playoffs, according to an April 13 announcement. Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, and Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers are all listed on their teams’ active postseason rosters.
The involvement of these former Longhorns highlights the university’s continued impact on professional basketball. Their presence in this year’s playoffs demonstrates a sustained connection between college programs and success at the next level.
Texas head coach Sean Miller also has seven other former players who will compete either in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament or in the playoffs. These include Deandre Ayton (Los Angeles Lakers), Aaron Gordon (Denver Nuggets), Josh Green (Charlotte Hornets), Christian Koloko (Atlanta Hawks), Bennedict Mathurin (Los Angeles Clippers), Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets) and Dalen Terry (Philadelphia 76ers).
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament is scheduled from Tuesday, April 14 through Friday, April 17. The official start of the NBA Playoffs is set for Saturday, April 18.
Allen completed his sixth season with Cleveland and ninth overall in the league this year. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot over sixty-three percent from the field across fifty-six games as Cleveland secured a No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of fifty-two wins and thirty losses.
Durant finished his first season with Houston after eighteen years in professional basketball, averaging twenty-six points per game over seventy-eight contests while shooting fifty-two percent from the field and more than forty-one percent from three-point range. The Rockets earned a No. 5 seed in the Western Conference after finishing with an identical record to Cleveland at fifty-two wins and thirty losses.
Hayes played sixty-six games for Los Angeles this season—his third year with that team—averaging seven-and-a-half points per game as part of a squad that claimed fourth place in its conference standings.
In addition to these players on playoff rosters, two other former Texas athletes have coaching roles: Royal Ivey serves as assistant coach for Houston while Matt Hill holds an assistant position with Charlotte.
