The University of Arkansas has a strong history and reputation when it comes to its men’s basketball program. It has made the NCAA Tournament 38 times, including last season, and reached the Final Four 6 times, winning the national championship in 1994.
A few Razorbacks have excelled in the NBA, including Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robertson and Joe Johnson. For the Los Angeles Lakers, incoming second-year forward Adou Thiero spent a year at the University of Arkansas, and the franchise has drafted two players from the school.
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Here is a look at both of those players whom the Lakers selected in the draft.
Kearns played three years for the Razorbacks and averaged 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds a game during that time. The Lakers took him in the 10th round of the 1953 draft, but he never played in the NBA.
Lakers fans likely most remember Beverley as that yapping pest of a defender during his years with the Los Angeles Clippers. But the Purple and Gold originally took him in the second round of the 2009 draft, and they immediately traded him to the Miami Heat for cash and a second-round pick in 2011.
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He then actually played for the Lakers during the 2022-23 season before being traded midway through the campaign to the Orlando Magic. For his 12-year NBA career, Beverley averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists a game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Every University of Arkansas player drafted by the Lakers
