Ebuka Okorie made history on Tuesday night by becoming the first player from New Hampshire to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder chose the Nashua native with the 17th overall pick in the 2026 draft, subsequently trading his rights to the Detroit Pistons. Okorie is only the second player from the state to be drafted into the NBA, following Concord’s Matt Bonner.

Okorie, who spent last season at Stanford University, emerged as a leading scorer in collegiate basketball. He averaged 23.2 points per game, the highest in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and earned an All-American honorable mention from the Associated Press. His rise is notable given that he was not initially ranked among the top 100 high school recruits.

His journey reflects persistence and dedication, attributes that have been recognized as central to his development into a professional-level talent. Okorie’s achievement has been highlighted as an inspiration for aspiring athletes in New Hampshire, underscoring the potential for players from less traditional basketball hotbeds to reach the highest levels of the sport.